My favourite part of Christmas has always been stockings. Perhaps it’s because we always were allowed to open our stockings first growing up – waiting until after breakfast to tackle the bigger gifts under the tree.
There’s simply nothing better than falling asleep while the stockings hang empty and waking up to the magic of those same stockings overflowing. So much excitement found in the little treasures are stuffed inside. And, of course, you can’t forget the orange stuffed in the toe!
So, considering the love I have for this tradition, it is a little remiss of me to have not crafted up stockings for my husband and myself far sooner. I’ve been promising him a new set of handmade stockings for, I don’t know, probably 5 years now. Of course, I have a handmade one I’ve been using since childhood, but he’s been making do with one we drummed up from somewhere for his first Canadian Christmas four years ago. So, this, this was the year!
If you too are longing for a matching set of Christmas stockings, here’s how you go about making felt stockings. It’s really so simple and you don’t need to be a whiz with a sewing machine – in fact, you could stitch the whole thing by hand. And if you’re not into simple, don’t do simple. Add a monogram as we did or go wild with whatever you fancy. Take these bare bones and add flowers and sequins and fur trim and all the bells and whistles!
The fact is, as long as you have a stocking shape you love and some good quality felt, you’ll be able to whip up beautiful handcrafted stockings.
Speaking of felt, I used lovely merino wool blend felt from Benzies Bazaar. But if you’re looking for pure wool felt, I’ve also heard wonderful things about Felt on the Fly. Either way, you want some lovely thick felt – not the flimsy stuff you find at the big box craft stores.
So, without further ado, let’s get making!
You will need:
- Felt in 2 or more colours (you’ll need a piece approximately 18″ x 18″ to make one stocking)
- Scissors
- Spray adhesive
- Needle & thread / Sewing machine
3. To make the monogram, choose a font which you like and print off the desired letter in a large font size. For these stockings, I used Georgia in size 300 pt.
4. Carefully cut the letter out of the paper. I allowed a thin border all around the printed letter as I cut.
5. Spray the front of the paper letter with spray adhesive. Place face down on the back of the piece of felt you’ll be using as the main letter colour.
6. Carefully cut around the paper letter. I again allowed a thin border around the printed letter as I cut. Peel off the paper letter and trim any rough or jagged edges seen on the felt letter.
7. Pin the felt letter (white)to a piece of felt in the desired background / outline colour (red). Sew the letter to the background. I prefer to do this step by hand – but feel free to machine stitch if you prefer / feel confident with all those twists and turns!
8. Cut around the letter you’ve just sewn to the background, ensuring you leave the desired width of border / outline. I left a very narrow red outline – but you could definitely go thicker.
9. Pin the finished letter to the front piece of the stocking. Stitch around. I attached my letters by hand – but, again, this step could be done by machine.
10. Once the letter is attached to the front of the stocking, it’s time to sew! Pin the two sides of the stocking together, right sides out.
11. Stitch around the outside of the stocking, keeping an even seam allowance. Make sure you leave the top edge open – otherwise how will you get all those delicious goodies inside? Try using a piece of washi tape in a bright colour to mark your desired seam allowance if you have trouble following the marks on your machine. I find the bright colour really helps me stitch straight!
12. To make the hanging loop, cut a strip of felt in the desired colour. Firmly attach to the top corner of your stocking. If you’re worried about the loop stretching, make a reinforced loop by doubling the felt or use a piece of ribbon instead.
And that’s it! Your very own handcrafted felt stockings, ready to be hung & filled with all sorts of goodies come Christmas morn!
Are stockings a part of your holiday traditions? What do you hope to find in yours this year?
Looking for fun goodies to stuff in those stockings? Why not fill them with washi tape, origami paper & cute stationery? Omiyage is offering Oh My! Handmade Goodness readers 20% off until December 15th. Simply enter code OMHG20 during checkout.
