For a few years before I met my husband, it was only me and my shadow in my house. I love my family and felt a little alone as I decorated the house for Christmas. It was an adjustment to decorate by myself instead of our family tradition of Christmas music and decorating the tree together.
To beat the blahs, I decided to create a Christmas stocking for each family member and hang them on the wall with 3M removable hooks. For some reason, these personalized stockings gave me a little peace and warmth.
Anyways, enough with the mushy stuff. In this blog I will provide you with the instructions and the pattern to make your own personalized Christmas stockings.
Supplies:
- Christmas fabric - 40 inches wide by 20 inches tall
- Lining fabric - 40 inches wide by 20 inches tall
- Thin batting or fleece - 17 inches wide by 20 inches tall
- Medium weight iron-on interfacing - 17 inches wide by 6 inches tall
- Ribbon - 5 inches long
- Stocking pattern (ensure when printing the pattern that the printer is set to scaling "none" or "actual size" so the pieces print at the correct size. The one inch square should measure one inch)
- Matching thread
- Sewing tools - sewing machine, scissors, pins, etc.
Cut pieces:
- 2 external stocking
- 2 lining stocking
- 2 bands
- 1 interfacing band
- 1 ribbon
Instructions:
1. Quilt fabric.
Before I had my embroidery machine I would place the Christmas fabric on top of the fleece or batting and sew a diagonal line. I would rotate the fabric 180 degrees and sew another line a quarter inch from the line I just sewed - running the edge of the presser foot along the sewed line as a guide. I continued sewing these straight lines until the required area was quilted.
With an embroidery machine
Since I got my embroidery machine, I have been using this stocking project to play around with the quilting features of the machine. I sandwich the Christmas fabric, a layer of thin batting and a layer of whatever cotton fabric I have on hand (this backing fabric will be hidden after the stocking is assembled). I place the layers of fabric in my hoop, select my quilting design and run the machine. Since the machine can't quilt the entire piece of fabric in one go, I have to take it out of the hoop, reposition it and run the machine again. I will do this as many times as needed to quilt the size of fabric required for the pattern.
Since I got my embroidery machine, I have been using this stocking project to play around with the quilting features of the machine. I sandwich the Christmas fabric, a layer of thin batting and a layer of whatever cotton fabric I have on hand (this backing fabric will be hidden after the stocking is assembled). I place the layers of fabric in my hoop, select my quilting design and run the machine. Since the machine can't quilt the entire piece of fabric in one go, I have to take it out of the hoop, reposition it and run the machine again. I will do this as many times as needed to quilt the size of fabric required for the pattern.
2. Once the fabric is quilted, place the stocking pattern (toes facing left) within the quilted area and cut 1.
4. Fold the lining fabric in two, place the stocking pattern on the fabric and cut two stocking lining pieces.
5. Place the band pattern on the fold of the lining fabric and cut. Repeat so that you have two band pieces from the lining fabric.
6. Place the band pattern on the fold of the interfacing and cut.
7. Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of one of the fabric bands.
8. Place the quilted front stocking piece and the back external stocking piece right sides together. Sew along the side, around the toes, the bottom and up the other side. Do not sew the top.
10. Repeat number 8 for the lining stocking. There is no need to notch the curve on the lining stocking.
11. Transfer the center point mark from the band pattern onto the non-interfaced fabric band piece, ensuring that the fold is on the left side.
12. Embroider, iron on vinyl or fabric paint the name on the non-interfaced band using the center point marking to position the name.
13. Place the bands right sides together and sew the bottom.
14. Open the band and iron the seam allowance towards the non-interfaced piece.
15. Fold the band wrong sides together and press. Open up the band.
16. Fold the band in half, right sides together matching the sides and sew.
17. Turn the external stocking right side out and press.
18. Place the lining stocking inside the external stocking, wrong sides together.
19. With right sides together match the edge of the interfaced band with the top of the external and lining stocking. The band side seam should be lined up with stocking side seam (heal side of stocking).
20. Pin together all three layers - band, external stocking and lining stocking.
21. Sew all three layers along the top.
22. Fold the band upwards so that both bands are wrong sides together.
23. Fold over the top edge of the non-interfaced band by 3/8 of an inch (the fold should be at the stitch line done in number 21) and press.
24. Fold down the seam allowance that includes the band, the external stocking and the lining stocking and pin. This step is essentially tucking the seam allowance in behind the band.
25. Fold the ribbon in half and place it between the band and the stocking at the side seam (heal side).
26. Slip stitch the top of the band to the stocking.
27. ENJOY!!!!
12. Embroider, iron on vinyl or fabric paint the name on the non-interfaced band using the center point marking to position the name.
13. Place the bands right sides together and sew the bottom.
14. Open the band and iron the seam allowance towards the non-interfaced piece.
15. Fold the band wrong sides together and press. Open up the band.
16. Fold the band in half, right sides together matching the sides and sew.
17. Turn the external stocking right side out and press.
18. Place the lining stocking inside the external stocking, wrong sides together.
19. With right sides together match the edge of the interfaced band with the top of the external and lining stocking. The band side seam should be lined up with stocking side seam (heal side of stocking).
20. Pin together all three layers - band, external stocking and lining stocking.
21. Sew all three layers along the top.
22. Fold the band upwards so that both bands are wrong sides together.
23. Fold over the top edge of the non-interfaced band by 3/8 of an inch (the fold should be at the stitch line done in number 21) and press.
24. Fold down the seam allowance that includes the band, the external stocking and the lining stocking and pin. This step is essentially tucking the seam allowance in behind the band.
25. Fold the ribbon in half and place it between the band and the stocking at the side seam (heal side).
26. Slip stitch the top of the band to the stocking.
27. ENJOY!!!!
4 comments:
These are so sweet, and such a treat for lucky Cassie, Mom and Jen!
thank you. I couldn't fit the other 9 completed stockings in the picture.
Merry Christmas to you and a very happy new year.
Thank you for the pattern...it was easy to follow especially with all the illustrations!
Joanne Hoffman, you are welcome. If there are any other projects you would like to see on the Crafty Ladies blog, let me know and I will see what I can do.
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