14. “Cut the names out of freezer paper, iron it on the fabric. Use fabric paint to fill in. Once it’s dry, pull off the freezer paper.” – Amy H.
“I am going to make our own stockings this year, but I want to be able to personalize them with our names. I don’t have an embroidery machine. What are some ways I could do this?” – Kara
10. “My sister and I made stockings and we used Aida Cloth (counted Cross stitch) we picked something that meant something to the person and cross stitched it with their names they are beautiful.” – Sandra E.
7. “I sewed in a strip of cross stitch fabric that I had put their names on with floss thread. I also added a small symbol of what they liked to do for fun.” – Debra P.
More Ways to Personalize a Stocking
Personalized Stockings by Craftiness Not Optional
Personalized Stockings by Cottage Instincts
17. “Write their name on tissue paper and hand stitch over it. The tissue paper pulls away. That’s how I did both of my kids’ stockings.” – Stephanie E.
3. “I think a picture of each person attached with a rafia bow would be unique.” – Dottie O.
In the Pulitzer Prize-Winning book The Soul of a New Machine, author Tracy Kidder explains how Data General computers stored information in a binary language:
Regardless of the medium, binary code has been the gold standard of physical information storage in computational devices from calculators to super computers.
But when you group bits by two, you get four kinds of information:
Any code that uses just two symbols to represent information is considered binary code. Different versions of binary code have been around for centuries, and have been used in a variety of contexts. For example, Braille uses raised and unraised bumps to convey information to the blind, Morse code uses long and short signals to transmit information, and the example above uses sets of 0s and 1s to represent letters. Perhaps the most common use for binary nowadays is in computers: binary code is the way that most computers and computerized devices ultimately send, receive, and store information.
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As computer technology has advanced, computer engineers have needed ways of sending and storing greater amounts of information at a time. As a result, the bit-length used by computers has been growing steadily over the course of computer history. If you have a new iPhone, it is using a 64-bit microprocessor, which means that it stores and accesses information in groups of 64 binary digits—which means that it's capable of storing 264, or more than 18,000,000,000,000,000,000 unique 64-bit combinations of binary integers. Whoa.
Using any binary code representation you’d like, try to figure out how many possible combinations of bits you can make out using bits grouped by four. Then try again using bits grouped by five. How many possible combinations do you think you can get using six bits at a time, or 64? By grouping single bits together in larger and larger groups, computers can use binary code to find, organize, send, and store more and more kinds of information.
Write something cool in binary? Tweet a photo or your binary to @scifri!
- Geoboards (We like this set of 6 because it’s a quick and easy literacy center for our preschoolers.)
- Rubber Bands
- Print these 1/2 page Geoboard templates. (Both upper case and lower case letters are included.)
Press the letter shape into the sand to make an imprint. Use a writing tool (craft stick, pencil, or paint brush) to trace the letter into the sand.
Young learners can choose a magnetic letter, then use the buttons to make the letter to match.
- Print these Write & Wipe Alphabet pages.
- Insert each page into a plastic page protector.
- Assemble the pages into a binder. Add a pencil pouch with a dry erase marker, and a round make-up remover cloth.
5. Geoboards
- Print these Alphabet Clip Cards. There are 5 sets — pick the one that is best for your students.
- Clothespins (We like the tiny version, but any clothespins will work.)
- Alphabet coins or other small letter tiles. (We made these coins by painting and gluing these wood circle pieces from Hobby Lobby. These letter tiles are another option.)
- Small, shallow tray or plate filled with sand. We like to use colored play sand, but you can use any type of sand, salt, or flour.
- Paint brush
- Play sand or kinetic sand
- Magnetic letter shapes or other thick letters.
- Craft stick, pencil, or paint brush
- Small, shallow tray filled with a thin layer of salt. (These pink trays were from the Target dollar spot.)
- Glass or plastic pebbles
- Cards with letter stickers (or just the written letters would be fine too! Don’t overthink it.)
- “I make new stockings for my family each year. Last year I used different silk brocade for each and since they were quite elegant I wanted something simple so I just painted a script-style first initial wooden letter gold and attached it to the loop used to hang them.” – Patti W.
4. “The first time I did this I bought premade letters at walmart (looked like for school jackets) and embroidery thread and hand sewn around the letter… gave it a handmade look without as much error but was super easy!” – Amandalynn S.
15. “I did first initials with small buttons. Turned out cute.” – Breanna J.
7. “I sewed in a strip of cross stitch fabric that I had put their names on with floss thread. I also added a small symbol of what they liked to do for fun.” – Debra P.
19 Ways to Personalize a Stocking
11. “Felt or use an Iron on Transfer pencil! I just bought some iron on trasfer pencils last night, you draw or trace the design you like on paper then iron it onto your fabric then you can paint or sew useing it as a guide! I havnt used mine yet but im pretty excited about it!” – Jen M.
Personalized Stockings by Cottage Instincts
Personalized Stockings by Craftiness Not Optional
Finally, place the fabric letter right side up onto the fabric’s right side, and press the letter in place with an iron to adhere it to the fabric.
Add some dimension and shine to your project with puffy paint.
Hand embroidery is similar to sewing letters with buttons or sequins. However, it only requires an embroidery hoop and embroidery floss. Begin by hooping the fabric. Then, single- or double-thread an embroidery needle with embroidery floss. If desired, lightly draw the letter with a pencil on the fabric’s wrong side so the lines don’t show through, and refer to the wrong side for the proper needle placement before each stitch. While a variety of embroidery stitches are appropriate for this technique, we used a simple backstitch in the example below. Another option is to machine-embroider letters on fabric.
Before you begin sewing, consider lightly sketching the design on the fabric’s right side with a pencil or water-soluble marker to keep the buttons properly aligned at all times.
A ruler was used to help make these fabric marker lines straight and crisp.
If you’re looking to add a strong color or print to a project, this is the way to go. Therm O Web’s HeatnBond Ultrahold iron-on adhesive enables you to bond fabric letters to fabric with minimal effort.
Continue by peeling off the paper to reveal the shiny adhesive, which has bonded to the fabric’s wrong side.
When sending unique stuff, just keep it under 13 ounces . . . then it qualifies for first class mail and should ship for under $2 .
Using a Doily — using double sided tape, tape a doily to the middle of your envelope, if it’s too big fold over the edges and wrap it around to the other side of the envelop. Write the address in the middle of the doily on the front of your envelope.
Create Polka Dot Lettering by writing first with a thick black marker and then coming back over it with a silver sharpie —
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Draw a doodle with the address in the middle like this Bow and Arrow —
Looking for something simple and still cute? This “Shoreline” Wave is perfect! —
- Throw a label on Boxes of Candy —
- Stuff a Paper Towel Tube full of goodies!
- Flipflops — use a Sharpie
and address the bottom of the shoe. - Write you address and message right on a Frisbee.
- Beach Balls— can be mailed inflated or deflated.
- Send a Hug — from Paging Supermom.
And while you’re working on fun mail, get your postman a little something too! Here’a a fun idea with a free printable from Who Arted?