Evening star., 1900-12-22
CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS
UP-TO-DATE RECEPTACLES FOR
SMALL OR LARGE PRESENTS.
Many Useful Hints and Time Enough
Yet to BE Made Practical
Ones.
Written for The Eyenfnp Star

"ritteu Ior 1ne Evening Star.
When Santa Claus slips down the chin.
ney On Christmas eve he will probably
stare with amaZement and admiration al
the row OF stockings swinging from the
mantel shelf, for the like of these up-to.
GATE receptacles for presents he probably
has never seen before. They are all made
by one woman, from whose factory, a
boarding house hall bed room, something
like 100 pairs have been turned out to meet
the holiday demand. 1t wouldn't be safe to
say just how much money she cleared on
her sales, but, at any rate, her profits far
exceeded her expectations. Some time In
late November she made up lot of this
special Christmas hosiery Almost any ma
terials that came to hand. were available,
from blue denim to brocaded satin, and
with a big pair Of scissors and a sewing
machine she was soon able to manufacture
as many as fifty week.
An ordinary stocking sufficed as pat
tern, but she cut out these special hose on
very much larger scale; cut them in two
pieces, made the leg long and generous and
then decorated them In a bewldering va
riety of styles. She put on her blue and
white and pink satin stockings the most
gorgeous gold braid clocks, and finished off
the tops with elastic ribbon garters and
Haunting bows, run through coquettish gilt
buckles. She made cheerful-Iooking red
calico stockings, big enough to hold every
thing a boys heart could wish, and trim
med the tops with wreaths of artificial
holly, and on nearly all the stockings IN
tended for children she worked in gilt or
white braid Christmas greeting.
Both Wide and Deep.
Some Of her stockings were as big as pill
low cases. and their charm dwelt as much
in their infinite variety of decoration as In
their roominess and moderate price. But
she did not content herself with only max
ing stockings for Santa Claus to fill-she
turned out at least a bakers dozen of
pretty silk and satin hose. to be packed to
the brfm with bonbons. For the tops of
these she made really exquisite garters.
into the center of any one of which
costly brooch or buckle could be fastened;
the whole to form a most acceptable
Christmas gift for grown-up.
feW of her bonbonnieres had their
satin insteps smartly spangled; the foot of
the gay bag was thrust into a very tiny
htgh-heeled slipper; the leg was stiffened
to stand erect and lined with waxed paper,
ket were used for the filing She sold q
half dozen of these. and had orders for
twice as many more as she could fill. but
the production OF pin cushion and sachet
stockings interfered.
Some Fancy Ones.
These last she cut out and sewed I'D her
self, or bought few pairs of stunning
culuIOluSISu dHu OpSIl-WCTk6Q FT6nCl hose
and stuffed them with violet-perfumed pink
cotton. The top Of each stocking was fin
ished off with pretty dolls head. and
then the most fanciful clocks and instep
decorations were worked out in pins of
every length and color Of pearl head or
glass head. By a ribbon loop in the stock
ing's top this quaint cushion could be swung
up beside dressing table, to fill the double
office of use and beauty; while the sachets
were usually made of gay golf hose and
filed entirely with the best English Law
ender.
Finally she made tiny little souvenir
ner tables and on Christmas trees. Some
Of them were surprises-on removing the
garter a miniature jack-in-the-box Santa
Claus came bouncing out: others were in
tended for use as sttck-pin cushions: others |
were plump with wee peppermint tablets, |
and some wers stuffed with cotton. to give
khs shape, and then decorated with minute |