Christmas Crafting: A Photo Journey
This Christmas season, I have been so busy with work, but I knew I still wanted to work on crafting and tending to hearth and home, because that is such an important part of the vision I have for myself and my life.
If I'm taking my Clan Mother's journey seriously, I'd need to stop and truly see that my home space is this magical, creative space where anything is possible and where my vision truly comes to fruition. It is the place I tend to the most, outside of my body. It is the space where my most relations with my husband and son exist and manifest. It is where we live, laugh, love, cook, eat, pray, and exist together.
Many Christmases ago, I had made stockings for my family, but they got destroyed in a terrible flood (about 8 years ago). I never had the desire to try and remark the stockings since then, because my family situation was a bit unstable and challenging for a time when I was tending to my family of origin and still plugged into a lot of dysfunction there. It made me not really want to participate in these traditions.
As I've let more and more of that go, I've found the space again to engage more deeply in these types of traditions, guided by my Beloved Spirit Relations, especially through the Divine Feminine Relations I've cultivated with Mother Mary.
I had a vision for creating three stockings, sewing the base and knitting the tops. Because I was trained in pattern drafting and sewing (in my fashion design education) I was able to easily draft and create patterns and cut some green fabric I had lying around. I also had a lot of excess yarn from a previous knitting project (I knitted my husband a giant wool blanket several years ago!), so I figured I'd use that to knit the tops.
I started out drafting the pattern quickly using some large rolled tracing paper and my pattern drafting tools.
Next, I cut the fabrics I chose using the pattern. I needed to cut six pieces altogether (all of them were cut on the fold).
Then I needed to knit the tops. I knitted the tops because I wanted the stockings to have a thick, fluffy type of fabric there, elevating the look and texture of the stockings. I didn't have anything on hand and couldn't make it to a fabric store that sold the type of fabric I envisioned. I love knitting (though I am not great at it). There is a real magical element to knitting and making things with the hands. Knitting especially is like creating infinity loops that holds it all together in a way that things are organized rather than tangled. So there is definitely an alchemy to it.
I knit the tops and eyeballed the measurements.
Once I finished knitting the tops, it was time to sew. I sewed the outer shells together, then sewed the lining. I used a beautiful vintage trim given to me by my first sewing teacher way back when. I had been holding onto the trim, hoping to find a special project to use it on. I was so excited to finally find something worthy of this trim.
Once the body of the stockings were complete, I needed to stitch the lining to the shell at the top and then finish the stockings by hand stitching an invisible stitch to the knitted pieces. I developed a technique as I went that I was very proud of.
The finished product was simply gorgeous.
Once the stockings were complete, it was time to work on the wreath. It was my first time making a wreath, and I enjoyed it so much I am very excited to make more in the future. One of my hobbies is flower craft using dried flowers. I have all sorts of flower arrangements in my home from drying flowers year round (as they come to me). So the idea of wreath-making really opens up some possibilities.
I didn't really take the best photos here (I'll try to get another shot of the completed project). I was just kind of so tired that I lost the will to properly photograph the wreath. But I did hang it next to my front door (because my door is blocked by a screen) and I am so proud of it. I learned a lot making it and figured next time I'll try out some different techniques.
All in all it was a lot of fun making crafts and projects for Christmas this year. It is truly one of my favorite things to do (working with my hands!).
Thanks for reading and tuning in!
With Love,
Srimati