Christmas Stockings, or, Sequins Are Evil

I love traditions, like the handmade crocheted blankets and quilts that my Grandmas made for each grandchild, so when I discovered that my husband had a stocking that his aunt had made for him, I was inspired to do the same for our children.  His is a felt and sequined train, so I went for the same style. I ran across the kits at Hobby Lobby, and thought 'Oh, these will be fast!  All the pieces are included!'

The first one I picked out was a beautiful snowflake and icicle covered one that I started a few months before my daughter's first Christmas.  I finished it before her third Christmas. Yeah, it took me that long.  I'm pretty sure sequins were invented as some sort of torture device.  I could only work on it for so long before I felt insanity creeping closer.  Finally I finished, and then I had the horrible realization that if we had more children I  was now stuck making one for each of them!

For the second child, I had the bright idea that appliqués would go faster, so I'd pick one with fewer sequins.  Yeah, that didn't work out since they had a million little pieces.  I finished that in about 2 years, just in time for another child to be born. The only reason I finished it so quickly is because I was motivated to stay only one child behind and I was already pregnant with the next kid. I thought the bears were great since they could be representative of one for each of us.  And maybe that Momma bear is pregnant?  Use your imagination!

Picking out a stocking for the third child was a little harder. I knew what I was in for, and I really didn't like any of the kits available. Finally I found a Hollie Hobby one that was cute.  It combined the worst of both worlds, appliqué and sequins, plus a ton of embroidery.  I tried to work on it throughout the year, but around the holidays, when I had tons of other crafts in progress, was the only time I felt motivated.  By the Christmas when she was 3, I had it done enough to use, and this year I finally finished it completely. By the week after Christmas. She's only 4 (and a half), so it's not that bad, right?

My husband and oldest decided to make me one of my own as a surprise for Christmas this year, and after a weekend of taking turns working on it, they informed me that it would be done by next Christmas.  LOL! See, it wasn't just me procrastinating, those stockings are EVIL! I fear that I will be required to make stockings for my grandchildren someday...maybe I should start now so I have a chance of finishing them...