So, what's a new mother to do in the weeks before Christmas. Sew Christmas stockings for her family, of course! I went to the fabric store and settled on a Vogue pattern that had lots of lovely Christmas projects. That year I made a stocking for Terry, me, and new baby Nicole. I also made one for my sister, my dad, and my mom. And, just because I was in the sewing mood, I believe I made one for my old "sinkmate" Teres.
The years went by and soon a stocking was made for precious little Christopher, followed by sweet baby Katherine, then darling Timothy, and the last stocking was sewn with care for adorable Beth just in time for Christmas 1994.
Mark and Nikki were married in 2005 and I had great hopes of having one ready for him, but the pattern was nowhere to be found, so I had to grab him a "stocking substitute" at Target. It was green velvet with an "M" on it and it hung the wrong way. In the 70's the style was for the stocking to hang with the toe facing left, but alas, the look of the new millennium is for the toe to hang to the right. So, Mark's stocking always hung facing the wrong direction. I was worried that he might feel that with the green velvet stocking hanging the wrong way that we were sending negative vibes his way and somehow feel unwelcome which certainly is not the case. We love Mark.
So, I kept looking for that pattern. And looking. And looking, but it was not to be found.
Then, baby Will arrived and I realized once again my dilemma. Where was that pattern?
Tonight, I was looking on e-Bay. Now, I don't normally look on e-Bay for things. And, while I have gone there looking for the G. I. Joe tank complete with turret that fits over a child's bed that Chris had seen in the Wishbook when he was little and we never purchased, I really never knew what else to look for on e-Bay. I'm still searching for the tank, Chris, but back to the stockings.
All of a sudden it came to me. Put the words "Vogue Christmas Stocking" in the search part. And, there it was. The very same pattern. All intact, only now listed as "vintage 70's pattern". It was $6.99 with $3.50 shipping. Terry helped me figure out Pay Pal and in a few days I will have in my hands the pattern I have been looking for. I will embroider Mark and Will (thankfully they have short names since I decided that it was important for the Christmas stocking to have full names, not nicknames).
And, now, may I introduce to you, all the way from the 70's, Vogue pattern 1312.
5 comments:
now aren't you glad we went with Will and not William?
Can't wait for the stockings.
And...don't you have that puffy wreath that's pictured there, too?
:)
Yep, I made that puffy wreath. It's sitting in the laundry room all full of dust.
Did you ever ask my mom if she had that Vogue pattern?
That puffy wreath looks awfully familiar to me.
Wouldn't it be ironic if all this time my mom had the very pattern you were searching for?
If you remember, she was a (almost) fanatical seamstress in the 70's. She amassed a huge inventory of all kinds of patterns while working for JoAnn Fabrics in those days.
Jeanne
Love your story about the pattern. I still don´t have matching stockings for "the fam" cause I´m hanging on to my own from childhood. Could I have that pattern when you´re done? Ha!
wow! Thats great - way to inspire - maybe i will make my family's too----- next year ;-)
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