Christmas 2013 . . . December 22

By now you've probably realized how talented my sister is.   She shows her artistic talent in her baking and photography and is a genius at repairing textiles, from antique rugs to a hole in a sweater.   On my last visit a young man dropped off an expensive rug for her to repair that his German Shepard puppy had chewed up, and I brought along an old sweater coat for her to restore.   Poor thing.   She is somehow always involved in my projects (she would call it "roped in"),  but she always comes through, just as she did with the Christmas stockings for my five grandchildren.

My closets and drawers  are overflowing with antique German linen and grain
sacks,   and I  thought  the old  grain sacks would be  beautiful made up   into
Christmas stockings. I washed and pressed the old sacks and sent them on to
Minnesota for Eileen to work her magic.    A few weeks ago the stockings arrived
ready for  hanging.   She also  cut up an antique  turkey red jacquard  weave
tablecloth  for the cuffs  at the top of each stocking,  and the fringes from the
tablecloth  are  the  perfect touch.   They  are really  special   and  something  
the children will all treasure as they get older.