Christmas Stocking Tutorial

The original post was from December 2010 when I was living in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been moved to Dianna The Explorer.

I love to give. It's always hard to find things for the people you love, especially when you're being sneaky about it and don't want to ask them what they want. For my new friends in Scotland this year, I decided to make something with my hands. I don't remember how I came up with the idea since I decided about two months ago, but I decided to make Christmas stockings from scratch. This was a big undertaking for me since I've never (and I mean NEVER) sewn anything in my life aside from a crappy stitching job on some hole in a shirt or blanket that I always beg my mom to help me with. This was a big risk but with the help of an Etsy tutorial I found on Youtube, I think I did a darn good job. You can watch the tutorial I used here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

First I chose a stocking pattern online. I cut it out and taped it together. You can use the one I used here.

Then I used my pattern to cut out the inside and outside of my stocking fabric. At the fabric store I bought a lovely Christmas pattern. In the end result, you will see that you can use anything! When you cut them out, bring out main pattern down a few inches. By making the inside pattern longer, it will allow it to create the cuff.

Put the main stocking pattern using the outside (or pretty side) of the fabric together. Sew around it and turn it right-side out. Put the inside stocking fabric together (pretty side together) and sew around it, leaving a four inch hole on one side of the stocking.

Put the main stocking inside the lining stocking (so they're both facing the right way) and sew the edges together. When I first watched the tutorial I misunderstood and just sewed a line all across so there was no longer an opening. Sew it in a circle. Pull the main stocking out of the lining stocking through that little hole you left before and make it so it looks like the picture below. Sew up the little hole. Make sure you leave the little hole far enough down so that when you fold it, you won't see the messy stitch line.

Tuck the lining stocking inside the main stocking and pull it up some so the cuff shows.

The one thing I wasn't happy about was creating a loop. I saved it for last and am not very happy with how mine looks (I just used extra fabric) but overall, I think they look great! Here is a picture of three that I made. The one on the left is for my flatmate Sophie, who loves cupcakes. The one in the middle is mine. The one on the right is for my flatmate Caoimh who loves music. I also made another stocking for our friend Mags in the same fabric I made mine out of because I couldn't find a fabric that I thought would be perfect for her. The stockings are now hung on our mantel with care. Hopefully St. Nick soon will be here!

Not knowing anything about fabric, I bought way too much of it all so now I'm making mini-stocking that I'll give to family/friends with their gifts inside so they can use them as Christmas ornaments on their tree. It's harder and easier at the same time to make tiny ones. They're harder to make the round part rounded but I still enjoy making them. The big ones I could make in an afternoon (much faster if you used a machine) and the little ones I can make 2 or 3 while I'm sitting watching an hour of tv.

UPDATE: Here is a picture of one of the mini stockings I made! It's perfect as an ornament and as a gift card holder!