As a child, my brother and I adored Christmas decorating, often covering everything in tinsel. My favorite item was always my Christmas stocking, handmade by my granny. She perfectly hand-painted our names and added small decorations and bells, making them absolutely gorgeous.
Being sentimental, I wanted our kids to have something equally special. I may have gone overboard with details, but I’m thrilled with the results! I made the first three stockings years ago when Bunny was a baby, and recently created a fourth for little Buddy, since we missed last Christmas in Australia. I’m glad I kept extra materials to maintain consistency—each stocking is unique yet coordinates beautifully. Want to make one too? Here’s how! // Materials // – Main stocking fabric: Christmas fabric from Jo-Anns, about $5 a yard; 1/4 yard per stocking or fat quarters. – Toe, heel & hanging loop fabric: Christmas fabric from Jo-Anns; a small amount or fat quarter. – Lining fabric: 1/4 yard (not in McCall’s pattern, but I prefer it). – Cuff: Felt from Jo-Anns; fleece or Christmas print fabric also works. – Interfacing: I use felt for fluffiness; alternatives include fleece, quilt batting, or interfacing to stiffen and fluff stockings. – Decorative details: Green felt for leaves, bells, and glitter glue for names. // Make it // – Cut and iron all pieces. – Fold and iron seam allowances on toe and heel pieces, pin to stocking front, and topstitch with gold thread. – For the loop, use fabric instead of ribbon: cut a 2.5″ by 8″ rectangle, fold in half, sew 1/2″ from raw edge, turn right side out, and press. – Place two main fabric stockings right sides together, add fleece/felt/batting on each side, pin, and sew 1/2″ from raw edge; turn right side out. – Sew two lining pieces right sides together 1/2″ from raw edge, then place lining inside stocking.Turn the stocking inside out and pin the loop to the top edge. I prefer placing it on the heel side, slightly towards the back for better hanging.
For the cuff, cut a 10″ x 15″ rectangle. Fold it in half widthwise and sew 1/2″ from the raw edge. Then fold it down to encase the raw edges, ensuring the seams lay flat. Place the cuff over the stocking with raw edges aligned. Pin and sew 1/2″ from the raw edge. Turn the stocking right side out and fold down the cuff to enclose the raw edges. Add decorations! I cut green felt leaves and hand-sewed them with bells, calling them mommy’s stocking alarms—ringing means someone is peeking! Finally, I wrote all our names in gold glitter glue. I absolutely love how these turned out! See all posts in the 12 Days of Christmas series.