How to Make a Quilted Stocking

No matter when you look at your calendar, it always seems like Christmas is just around the corner. If you want to add a personal touch to your celebrations this year, consider sewing a quilted Christmas stocking. Filled with candy and bath oil, for a last minute gift, or hanging on your own mantle, your quilted stocking will soon be an important part of your Christmas memories.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Beads or buttons
• 3 9-inch pieces of twine

Prepare the Fabric

1. Choose the quilt pattern you want to use for your stocking. Whether you go online or to your local library to find a pattern you love.

2. Visit the neighborhood copy shop and have the pattern blocks sized to three or four inches.

3. Cut 26 squares from your white cotton fabric, they should be the same size as the pattern blocks you are planning to sew.

4. Sew 30 squares from your quilt pattern. When your squares are ready, sew pieced squares alternately with white squares. Make a miniature quilt top large enough to cut out the front and back of your stocking (about 24 square inches).

5. Lay your remaining white cotton fabric right side down on your work surface. Smooth the quilt batting over the backing and center the pieced fabric right side up on top.

6. Pin the layers together with your safety pins and machine quilt along the seam lines.

Make the Stocking

7. Draw your stocking pattern on a piece of white paper. You can trace around an old Christmas stocking, or you can create your own. The top opening should be about 6.5 inches wide and the entire stocking about 11.5 inches long, cut out the pattern.

8. Trace around the pattern twice on the wrong side of your prepared quilt piece. Cut the stocking's front and back from the quilted fabric. Pin the two pieces together, right sides facing together.

9. Stitch the front and back together, sewing the sides and bottom with a 3/8 inch seam. Zigzag around the top edge of the stocking.

10. Clip the curves along the seams and turn the stocking right side out. Fold the top edge inside and slipstitch in place.

11. Decorate the top of your quilted Christmas stocking with beads or buttons.

12. Hold the three pieces of twine together, tie them in the middle and tack the ends to the inside of the back edge of the stocking top. This will make a hanger for your stocking.