DIY Christmas Stocking Tutorial - Flawed yet Functional

Welcome to Flawed yet Functional! Christmas is almost here which means stockings by the fireplace! As you know, I believe in pursuing fulfilling hobbies as a part of a healthy life. Sewing is a fun hobby for me, and today, I’d like to show you a Christmas stocking tutorial. Our holiday decor was missing enough stockings for the whole family, so I decided to sew them myself!

My husband and I bought two Christmas stockings during Target’s after Christmas clearance eons ago…like 10 years. That’s an eon, right? We loved the faux shearling cuff, and kids were so far off, so why buy more than two?

Fast-forward 10 years and the 4 and 2-year-old are using our old Christmas stockings. There’s nothing wrong with them, but we wanted a matching set for all of us.

I’m not sure I’ve mentioned before, but my husband is a go-big-or-go-home kind of guy. When we do something, we go all the way. So he requested a fully lined stocking with some heft, not the limpy ones that fold in half under their own weight. He would like it to keep its shape while hanging by the fireplace empty.

He also loves plaid, so that was a must when shopping for fabric. We decided on a quilted plaid for the outside of the stockings and a faux fur lining. The faux fur is SO soft, SO plush. It’s lovely. I want to sleep on it!

Let’s sew some stockings!

DIY Plush Christmas Stocking Tutorial

I look up a few tutorials. I ended up following this one on how to put the stockings together.

I deviated from the plan in the shape of my stocking and attaching the loop to the top for hanging by the fireplace. I’ll point out those deviations as I go.

Make the Stocking Pattern

Most Christmas stocking tutorials use patterns that look a bit too small, either too thin of a stocking or too short. Remember, I wanted a substantial stocking?

So I decided to use the shape of the Target stockings we already had. I simply laid the stocking on the fabric (with the cuff unfolded to account for that extra length) and traced it leaving a 1/2 inch seam allowance all the way around.

For the toe and heel, I use my yardstick to measure 1/2 inch from the fabric and put a dot every inch or so. Then I just connected the dots to make the curves.

I used that pattern to cut out the rest of the plaid (outside stocking) and faux fur (stocking lining). Make sure to cut 2 outer fabrics with toes in opposite directions and 2 lining fabrics with toes in opposite directions. You need 4 stocking shapes for each stocking.

Stated another way, when you trace and cut out the additional pieces, cut one with the wrong side up and one with the right side up for both the lining and outer fabric. Turning the pattern over will ensure you get the toes in the right direction.

A note on pattern matching: the stocking will look better if you match the patterns at the seams. I tried, but I didn’t do it right. I cut it out with the plaid lined up exactly. It should’ve been shifted. Don’t be like me, look up how to match patterns correctly before you cut!

Sew the Stocking Liner to Face Fabric

Again, I followed this tutorial, so my instructions will be very similar.

Place the right sides together, toes in the same direction, and sew the lining and the outer fabric together at the top of the stocking. Do this for both side of the stocking.

Now there should be a front and a back to the stocking, like this:

Here is where I deviated from the other tutorial. I sewed my strap into the lining side of the stocking in the next step. I cut a piece of the outer fabric in a 1″x8″ long strip, overedge stitch along the sides, folded it in half, and placed it 4″ down from the top edge of the stocking.

The loop should go on the lining side (faux fur in my stocking) and on the heal side of the stocking. That way when it is hung by the fireplace, the toe hangs down. Don’t put it on the toe side because you will have to seam ripping through faux fur to move it, and that is not a walk in the park. Ask me how I know…

Before you sew the front and back of the stocking together, this is how the pieces should look.

Sew the Front and Back of the Stocking Together

Place front and back of stocking together with the right sides together. Begin by lining up the middle seam between the lining (faux fur) and outer fabric (plaid), then work your way down each side to the toe.

Pin the sides together. I put pins closer together at each curve (toe and heel) especially on the lining side (faux fur). The fur shifted very easily, and since, I’m a beginner sewer, I tend to think more is better in the pinning department.

Lining Side:

Before beginning to sew, mark a space on the lining side of the stocking to leave an opening so the stocking can be turned right side out. The opening will be hand-sewn closed later.

Then start sewing at the green dot and work your way all the way around the stocking, clockwise, ending at the other set of double pins.

I cut my pattern based on a 1/2 inch seam allowance, but at the recommendation of this tutorial, I sewed the lining side at 5/8 inch and the outer side closer to 1/4 inch. I say “closer” because my sewing is not that precise! Doing this will allow the lining to be slightly smaller than the outer fabric which should make it lay nicer once finished. These stockings definitely needed the extra help to lay flat. If your outer and lining fabric are closer to the same thickness, you might not need this adjustment.

My lining is thick. I mean THICK. Take a look…

So I also made my stitch length longer when I sewed the lining side. This seemed to allow the fabric to move easier through my machine. See, it was kind of eating my pressure foot. 🙂

Finished stocking – finished with the machine sewing at least…

Trim Seams and Notch Curves

Before turning it right side out, trim close to the seam on the lining side and notch the curves on the outer (plaid) side.

Turn the stocking right side out, carefully pulling it out of the opening left on the lining side. Voila!

Next, hand sew the opening shut using a blind stitch. This was very difficult to do precisely on the faux fur. It was so plush, I couldn’t tell if each stitch went all the way through! The great thing about putting the opening here is no one will see it! It will be inside the stocking so none will be wiser if your hand sewing isn’t up to par, like mine!

Assemble the Finished Stocking

Carefully work the lining into the outer fabric side. You will likely need to work the lining into the heel and toe to make it nicely rounded.

Turn that cuff over, and you have finished this Christmas stocking tutorial! Revel in the pride of your accomplishment! Now go make one for every member of your family. Ha!

Finished Plush, Plaid Christmas Stocking

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

Take a look at that fur! It goes all the way to the toes! Just stick your arm down these stockings, and you’ll see why I want to wear them. They are SO plush and warm!

One more look…

I am so happy with how this Christmas stocking tutorial turned out! Our fireplace is now symmetrical and complete for our family, and Dan approves wholeheartedly! They are the thickest stockings I’ve ever seen. Much more substantial than anything found in the store.

The total cost of this project was $35 for 4 stockings: $8.75 per stocking. Not bad at all! I bought 1.5 yards of both the plaid fabric and the faux fur for the lining. It was just the right amount too. I have very little waste.

This really turned out to be a simple sewing project, so if you are a beginner, like me, you can handle this Christmas stocking tutorial!