Little Booklets

I love this stocking.  My mother-in-law made it for my husband when he was little.  Apparently she made one for everyone in their family, but I haven't seen the others.  The detail is so awesome and this picture doesn't do it justice.   Betty does't make many things anymore, but every time I see one of her projects I am in awe. 

My older daughter and I have been brainstorming about Christmas presents.  She has always put a lot of thought into gift-giving and finding something special for the recipient. This year she wants to make a couple small things for each person and put them in gift baskets.  (She also has a steady demand for her BFF pillows, ever since she made one for a birthday present a while back.  Busy girl!  At this rate she'll be opening her own etsy shop by the time she is 12.)

I found these little composition notebooks at the grocery store for 99 cents.   They're tiny.  (3.25 x 4" or something). I had seen Jessica's saddle-stitched booklets not too long ago and thought they were a perfect small gift.  Since these store-bought notebooks already had paper, I thought we could make little fabric book covers that you could remove and use again on a new notebook.

We added some lightweight interfacing for structure and an elastic to help keep it closed.  Originally, I wanted to put little loops on the edges to push a pencil through, but I wasn't very successful with that prototype.  I suspect you have to be a little more careful and patient when sewing those.  Probably not something for my daughter at this point anyway.   We might add an elastic loop + button enclosure on the next one. 

( Our holiday was wonderful with a little bit of crazy thrown in.  Poor little Fidget had to go to the ER on Thanksgiving morning and was diagnosed with pneumonia and asthma... but we're all doing better now.  Our house has also been all kinds of happy/relieved/excited since Mizzou's win over KU Saturday night, too. If you had told me in September that both of our teams would be fighting for the national championship game by the end of the season, I would have peed my pants laughing.  I'm so proud of the Big XII North right now!  And I know how crushed we would have been if the tables were turned... which they very well could have.  The Jayhawks have a terrific football team.  And, of course, they can look forward to *owning* us this basketball season.  xo )

Comments

[laeroport]

That stocking brings back the memories. We had beaded/sequined stockings my mom made for each of us. Not that detailed, mind, but still....
And that notebook cover is a great gift idea.
And thanks for not gloating. It has been a great season, hasn't it? I'm just excieted that we'll GET a bowl game this year. Who cares WHICH bowl game. Bring on basketball season - you know, KU basketball is the state religion of Kansas. :)

[Rachel]

Seriously, we all need to add more sequins to our work. That is a terrific stocking!

[Joanne]

Love the notebook!

And my grandmother made stockings just like that for all of us grandkids...such a special thing to treasure.

And I'm with Rachel^--sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!