Their stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

This year I decided to make Ryan his very own stocking. As anyone who knows me can attest, patience is NOT always my virtue.

This stocking was to be made from special materials: The shirt that Ryan wore on our first date. I also used the shirt I was wearing on that first date. Here are the shirts holding hands one more time:


Then Ryan and I worked together to sketch the perfect stocking pattern:


Since the plan was to make this a patchwork stocking, I traced on the pattern that the pieces were to be cut into. This was especially tricky because of the stripes.


Here it is all sewed together:


I didn't estimate room for the seam allowance very well so the stocking was pretty tiny. Time for plan B.

...

There are no pictures of plan B because I was pretty frustrated by that point, but plan B called for a border of fabric in keeping with the patchwork style. It also called for me to used my high school geometry to match the curve of the stocking toe, etc. NOT FUN. When that was finished I added a liner from one of my old T-shirts, then added the edging from my sweater. For a finishing touch, the loop is made from the snaps of the shirt cuff.

Here's the final product:


Viola! Ryan has pronounced it "better than expected"--by which I'm sure he means "beyond his wildest dreams."