Embroidered Christmas Gifts

I promised you a post about the things I made for my family this Christmas, and here it is!

A bit of background: My mom made beautiful cross-stitched Christmas stockings for all of us kids when we were babies. A while back, she made two for her parents too. Starting last year, I got to hang mine along with an almost identical one she made for my husband! The thing is, Mom and Dad have never had their own stockings. I decided it was high time that changed.

Starting last spring, I worked on the stockings off and on all year. I learned  a lot along the way, and there are a few things I'd do differently if I were to do them over again now. For one thing, hand-sewing them together made me seriously consider buying a sewing machine! Anyway, without further ado, here are the finished products:

Patterns: Urban Threads and Craftsy

I wasn't in Minnesota to see my parents open their gifts, but I think they liked them!

(Those are their "Oh my gosh!" faces. Yes, Dad too. He's Norwegian-American.)

I made lots of tree ornaments for everyone else. Much more manageable! Also, it turns out I really enjoy sewing on felt.

Patterns: Wild Olive
My apologies for the poor picture quality.
Maybe after that sewing machine, I should get a new camera!

Just like in my most recent post, I saved the best for last. This time, my joy comes courtesy of my niece, Kaitlyn. She's super crafty and known for her interest in art. So I made her a DIY ornament kit. She totally nailed it!

This picture was, hands-down, the best gift I got this Christmas. Thanks, Kaitlyn!