It’s that time of the year! I recently decorated my fireplace mantle and of course, needed to add some stockings. I grew up with a stocking my great grandmother made for me by hand, so for me, I definitely knew I wanted to have some kind of sentimental stocking that I could use in my home every Christmas. For these stockings, my Mom actually wove the main front panel fabric on her loom, which makes these so special to me. Follow along to learn how to sew a simple Christmas stocking to use for years to come!
Supplies:
- Stocking Pattern (download HERE).
- 1/2 yd Cotton Fabric
- 1/2 yd Velvet Fabric
- 1/2 yd Cotton Lining Fabric
- 1/2 yd Interfacing
- 4″ Piece of Cording / Ribbon
- Scissors
- Rotary Cutter
- Cutting Mat
- Ruler
- Sewing Machine
- Thread
Step 1: Download and Assemble the Free Stocking Pattern
We love a free pattern!
The first step is to download and print out the stocking pattern. It comes in three separate pieces, so go ahead and cut these out and tape the pieces together to form the complete pattern.
Step 2: Cut Out the Pattern Pieces
After you put together the stocking pattern, it’s time to cut the pieces out of your fabric.
You should have four different fabrics: the fabric for the front panel, back panel, lining, and the interfacing.
Cut 1 piece of the front panel fabric.
Cut 1 piece of the back panel fabric. If you are using velvet or a quality that has a right and wrong side, then you will need to flip the pattern piece horizontally and cut the piece that way. If you don’t, the “fuzzy” or the right side of the fabric will be facing the wrong way when you go and put together your stocking.
Cut 2 pieces of the lining fabric. My Aunt helped me embroider me and my husbands names on the lining fabric, but this is of course optional. If you know someone who knows how to do this, I think it makes a great touch!
Cut 1 piece of Interfacing. I would suggest choosing something on the heavier side. The quality I used was also very soft and lofty which I really liked.
Step 3: Attach the Interfacing
When you feel your interfacing, you’ll notice that one side should feel a little bumpy.
That’s the side that you want to press with an iron, face down, on to the front panel fabric. This will help add some weight and stabilize your stocking.
Step 4: Sew the Pattern Pieces
I decided to start with the lining.
If the fabric you chose has a right and wrong side, make sure you place the pattern pieces with right sides together.
Pin into place, making sure to leave the top edge completely open.
Sew around the stocking with a 1/2″ seam allowance.
You will repeat a similar process with the outer shell fabrics of your stocking, but with one little difference.
Place the pattern pieces with right sides together.
Pin into place, making sure to leave the top edge completely open.
So, I mentioned that there is one little difference and here it is! When you go to sew around the stocking with a 1/2″ seam allowance, you need to STOP your stitching about 1″ from the very end.
You’ll see in the video even I forgot to do this – oops! If you forget, it’s no big deal as you can remove an inch worth of stitches with a seam ripper.
Cut a 4″ piece of cording (there are so many options you can choose from at your local craft store) and fold in half making a loop.
Place this loop 1″ down from the top edge on the seam towards the inside of the stocking.
Sew the loop into place by continuing the 1/2″ seam allowance.
Step 5: Trim the Excess Bulk
Next, trim the excess fabric to reduce the amount of bulkiness.
I would suggest leaving the velvet as is because it can be very tricky. I made the mistake of trimming the velvet before, and it so easily pulled away from the stitch line (and I didn’t even cut close to it!).
Trim the front panel fabric and the lining fabric down to be about 1/4″ away from the stitching line.
Step 6: Assemble the Stocking
Next, turn the lining right side out.
Insert the lining into the main body of the stocking.
Align and pin around the top edge of the stocking. It helps to start by matching up the side seams first.
Note: If you do have embroidery, make sure that the embroidery is against the back panel fabric (in my case, it’s the velvet).
Sew around the top edge of the stocking with 1/2″ seam allowance making sure to leave at least a 3″ wide opening in order to turn the whole stocking right side out.
Turn the stocking right side out using the opening you created and shove the lining portion back into the stocking.
Step 7: Hand Stitch the Opening Closed
Align and pin the opening.
Using an invisible stitch, hand stitch the opening closed.
Give the stocking a good press with the iron, and you’re done!
I hope you enjoyed learning how to sew a simple Christmas stocking and feel free to leave a comment below!
-Liz
