Review on Bucilla Christmas Stocking Felt Applique Kit - Santa's List, 18-Inch (86360) by Heather Shaw

My mother made these stockings over 30 years ago and my daughters still have them and cherish them through the years. I decided to continue the tradition for my grandson. Honestly I'm very disappointed with the quality of the fabric and materials. Felt is very thin and difficult to work with. I took off my girls stockings and many years ago the quality was much better. When I attach the white cuff to the green stocking, the green fibers are pulled through the stitch. I made sure to read and follow the instructions carefully and practiced the stitches on scraps of fabric first. If I had to remove the stitching I'm afraid the felt will tear. The pieces are difficult to cut even with the sharpest scissors as the felt is very thin. I also had to pad the green part of the stocking, the fabrics are too thin to really hold many items without tearing. The thin needle was deburred and broke 3 of my needle threaders and also broke the thread. The eye is so tiny it was very difficult to get it through. I would not recommend using the cheap needles that come with the kit. Working with very thin gold metal threads was also a nightmare. The beads were of various shapes but all in one pack, most were round but many were triangular or tubular so looked fun on a set of sequins and beads. I used to do embroidery kits and never had to watch a video to understand the stitch. I found these stitch directions a bit vague and difficult for beginners to understand. I spent most of my time working with poor quality fabrics and threads. I like the step-by-step instructions and the numbered pieces that make it easy to place. Spend a few extra bucks to replace broken threads, buy quality needles and maybe replace some beads, and you'll need tracing paper, which isn't that easy to find. I would also use an underlay to make the stocking more durable. I think if Bucilla used higher quality felts and materials it would be a very fun project and would progress quickly. I wasn't willing to spend that much time troubleshooting and working with unreliable materials. Very disappointing, I doubt I'll ever make one again. But in the end, despite all the disappointments, it turned out beautifully.