The Good, the bad and the ugly of it all

As a crafter, I've had a devistating loss.  Now, let me say that in the real-world scheme of things - this is nothing.  But, in my little world of crafting - it's a loss. 

12 years ago - I took a cotton duck stocking and cross-stitched a cute little scene on it for our oldest son - he was 2.  The next year (11 years ago) I did the same thing for our youngest son who was 3 months old.  I also made one for my hubby and myself at that time.  All just the plain cotton duck stockings I picked up for $5 at Wal-mart that I cross-stitched Christmas scenes or pictures on with our names.  They were great as far as I was concerned.  Something I pictured hanging in our home when our grandchildren visited!  Here those are:

Well, Christmas time is here again ... so we pulled down the decorations and began to "deck the halls".  When I got to the box that contained my stockings and dish cloths and bathroom towels - I was shocked to find there was a strange mold/mildew growing all over the fabric!  I tossed the towels and such.  They were just some decorations.  But, the stockings I put in the wash (they are washable) and washed them on delicate.  Apparently the mold/mildew had eaten the fabric!!!  They were RUINED!  I was just SICK about it.  Just to the point of tears for a couple of days.

I pulled myself together and decided that they were gone and there was nothing I could do to fix them.  So, I set about finding these cotton duck stockings to begin again.  NO ONE sells them.  Not wal-mart where I first got them, not any online retailers, not the crafters on etsy.  I could not find them.  So, I bought some cotton duck fabric and traced the outline of the stockings and begain to sew my new ones.

Now, I'm not a seamstress by any means.  I can hem - and sew curtains - but that's about it.  So, this was new territory for me.

I was scared that I would ruin this fabric.  But, I was really pleasently surprised at the outcome.  This is the first one sewn.  I've got 3 to go.  They'll all be blank this Christmas - because I just don't have time to get them all cross-stitched this year.  But, when the decorations go down - I'll begin these for next Christmas!

My first attempt at sewing stockings: