How to Design a Homemade Christmas Stocking

Add your own special touch to stockings when you design them yourself.

Use your sewing and craft skills to create a Christmas stocking that can be used year after year. A handmade Christmas stocking can become a family heirloom, passing from one generation to the next. A custom-designed stocking is an ideal gift for a new baby or for a new family member of any age. Make a stocking for each member of the family by using the same fabrics but different motifs and patterns; your stockings will coordinate on the mantel without matching perfectly. Choose a thick, strong fabric you like, and select embellishments like sequins, lace, beads and buttons.

Things You'll Need

• Poster board
• Scissors
• 1/2 yard fabric, 60 inches or 45 inches wide
• Sewing machine and accessories
• Embellishments

Instructions

Sew the Stocking

1. Trace a stocking you already own onto the piece of poster board. If you don't have a stocking, draw a simple stocking shape to use as your pattern.

2. Cut out the pattern using the scissors.

3. Spread the stocking fabric out on a table or flat work surface with the right sides together. Top with the pattern.

4. Use the marker to trace around the edges of the pattern and cut out. Cut through both layers of fabric at the same time.

5. Stitch around the side and bottom edges of the stocking, keeping the edges aligned and the right sides of the fabric together. Leave the top edge unstitched.

6. Turn the stocking to the right side and press.

Decorate and Embellish

1. Place the stocking right side up on a flat work table.

2. Experiment with your embellishments, placing them in different locations until you have an arrangement you like.

3. Add the embellishments to the stocking with fabric or gem glue, or hand sew them into place (sew through only the top layer of the stocking.)

4. Cut a 2-inch-by-4-inch strip of fabric and fold in half along the long side. Stitch into place at the side seam to use as a hanger for your finished stocking.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a commercial stocking pattern as a starting point if you are not sure where to begin.

• Use thick, non stretch fabrics like felt, wool, corduroy or velvet for best results.

• Don't hand sew your stocking; it won't be strong enough to hold gifts.

• Don't sew the stocking top closed.

References

• "Sewing with Vintage Linens"; Samantha McNesby; 2003
• "Craftcycle: 100+ Earth-Friendly Projects and Ideas for Everyday Living"; Heidi Boyd; 2009

Resources

• The Christmas Stockings: Stocking Ideas