(no subject)

I was so pleased with myself yesterday. I've been making stockings (Hey, I believe in Santa. Besides. I love doing stockings. I find the best stuff for them.) as I do every other year or so for the past...fifteenish years. I remember working on a stocking while waiting for a family member in the airport, but I can't remember *which* family member, just that we were in California at the time. granniechuckie, any clue?

Anyway. My biggest problem has always been making them too narrow. One year, I was tempted to give Jeff nothing but pencils and candy canes, as they were the only things that would really fit. This year I plotted out the pattern on two pieces of construction paper. I got the width right, but wasn't quite pleased with the bottom. I put one together and though it's okay, the toe-curve is much too narrow and even clipping the seam didn't help it lay correctly. I'll cover that up with decoration, but I'm still not thrilled.

So, last night I scrapped the bottom pattern and tried to figure out what I'd been doing wrong. I tried drawing another foot pattern, but it came out much like the last one.

Then I realized that I didn't have to keep the paper 8x10". There's absolutely no rule keeping me from turning it so that I'm drawing on 10x8". And this solved everything, because I hadn't had room to make a proper curve that would go with the wider opening/leg of the stocking.

It's such a small thing, but it's a problem solved. And I did it *all* myself. That makes me feel so very good.

Two and a half stockings down. Several and a half to go.

(no subject)

I was so pleased with myself yesterday. I've been making stockings (Hey, I believe in Santa. Besides. I love doing stockings. I find the best stuff for them.) as I do every other year or so for the past...fifteenish years. I remember working on a stocking while waiting for a family member in the airport, but I can't remember *which* family member, just that we were in California at the time. granniechuckie, any clue?

Anyway. My biggest problem has always been making them too narrow. One year, I was tempted to give Jeff nothing but pencils and candy canes, as they were the only things that would really fit. This year I plotted out the pattern on two pieces of construction paper. I got the width right, but wasn't quite pleased with the bottom. I put one together and though it's okay, the toe-curve is much too narrow and even clipping the seam didn't help it lay correctly. I'll cover that up with decoration, but I'm still not thrilled.

So, last night I scrapped the bottom pattern and tried to figure out what I'd been doing wrong. I tried drawing another foot pattern, but it came out much like the last one.

Then I realized that I didn't have to keep the paper 8x10". There's absolutely no rule keeping me from turning it so that I'm drawing on 10x8". And this solved everything, because I hadn't had room to make a proper curve that would go with the wider opening/leg of the stocking.

It's such a small thing, but it's a problem solved. And I did it *all* myself. That makes me feel so very good.

Two and a half stockings down. Several and a half to go.