Make a Cowboy Christmas Stocking
When my children reach their 5th Christmas, I create them a Christmas stocking that reflects their individual personality. When my daughter was five, I made a fairy princess stocking for her. For my son's 5th birthday—which is also during the holiday season—I decided to craft a cowboy Christmas stocking for him.
I purchased some soft faux-leather fabric and suede thong (leather string). I stitched the stocking together from a cowboy boot pattern I found on the Web. Poking holes along the seam of my now boot-shaped design, I threaded the thong through the holes and then tied it off. My son's cowboy Christmas stocking was just beginning to take shape.
I then made a fringe from some soft suede leather that I chanced upon in a 1/2 off bin at my local craft store. I attached the suede fringe to the top half of the boot by sewing. Next, I added a darker piece of leather to create the heel of the boot. But now, I noticed that my son’s cowboy Christmas stocking appeared remarkably similar to an ordinary cowboy boot and not like a holiday stocking at all.
I resolved to rectify the problem by adorning the stocking with seasonal components to make it appear to be a cowboy Christmas stocking and not just a cowboy boot. To get the affect of spurs, I added small jingle bells to another piece of thong and attached them to the back heel of the stocking. Next, I used red, green and cold sparkly fabric paint to embellished the rest of the project.
After placing white cotton with gold glitter to the top opening of the stocking and spraying it with something I use in ceramics, I was not happy with the overall results. The cowboy Christmas stocking now had the appearance of a cowgirl boot.
I decided I had to re-do it, fast. So, I started all over. I began the cowboy Christmas stocking as per my previous attempt. Instead of the jumble of jingle bells, I used one large one, sewing it onto the heel of the 'boot'. Now I used some holiday colored glitter to write his name on the stocking. I utilized the smaller bells by sewing them onto the fringe pieces. When all were asleep, I snuck down to hang the completed cowboy Christmas stocking that Christmas eve.