Saturday, August 15, 2009

Make Christmas Stockings

Making your own Christmas Stockings is a great deal of fun, and this is something that each member of the family can participate in. Kids can decorate their own stockings – or at the very least, design their own.

Materials Needed:

· Felt – the traditional color is red, but you can use any color that you want. You will need two complementary colors for each stocking. One color serves as the base of the stocking, while the other color serves as the ‘cuff’ at the top of the stocking.

· Appliqué shapes – You can find a multitude of small Christmas oriented shapes that you can print out for patterns. These can then be sewn and stuffed with cotton. Remember that you need two of each shape to make the appliqué, and you may need various colored materials.

· Beads, ribbon, glitter glue, sequins – These are all used to decorate the stocking and the appliqués used on the stockings.

· A stocking pattern – like appliqué shapes, these can be found all over the Internet and printed out. You will use these patterns to cut the shape of the stockings. Use legal sized paper for printing.

· Letter Stencils – for tracing names on the stockings.

· Other Materials – scissors, needle, thread, glue

Directions:

1. Using the color of felt desired for the ‘foot’ or base of the stocking, cut two stocking shapes from your pattern. Using the appliqué patterns, determine how the appliqués will be placed on the stocking. It is a good idea to take a digital picture of your layout for future reference.

2. Cut out and make all appliqués. Sew them together and stuff them, and decorate them as you see fit. Pin them onto the stocking, using your digital
picture for reference. Sew the appliqués to the front piece of the stocking.

3. Cut the cuff for the top of the stocking. Cuffs are usually about three inches
long, depending on the size of your stocking. The cuff should cover the top and back of the stocking.

4. Sew the two ends of the cuff together. There should be enough room at the top of the cuff for it to fit snuggly down into the stocking once it is attached. The persons name can be stenciled on and filled with cloth letters, ribbon, or glitter glue. This goes on the cuff of the stocking, before it is attached to the stocking.

5. Sew the back of the stocking to the front of the stocking along the edges, leaving the top open. A quarter inch seam should be used, and it should be sewn with the insides facing each other, and then turned right-side-out once it is sewn.

6. Place the cuff of the stocking over the top of the stocking, and pull it down until the name is where you want it to be. Tack the stitched side of the cuff to the stitched side of the stocking. Stuff the top of the cuff down into the stocking to make the top edge of the stocking nice and smooth.

7. Attach a loop just inside the stocking, on the side that you wish the stocking to hang from. The loop can be made of felt, cord, or any other material that you desire. Make sure that it is strong enough to bear the weight of a filled stocking.

That’s all there is to stocking making. Note that you can also purchase stocking kits at craft stores and online that provide everything you need to make your Christmas stockings. These cost anywhere from $20 to $60however.

The overall design of a Christmas stocking is fairly simple and straightforward – it is the decoration used that makes a stocking unique. Get really creative and use the beads and sequins in unique ways.

Note that fake white fur can also be used for the cuff of the stocking, but it is difficult to get a name on the fur. If you want a white cuff, and you want a
name, choose white felt as your cuff material, instead of white fur.
Alternately, you can still use the white fur and put the name on the body of the stocking instead.

Another stocking idea, instead of appliqués, is to transfer a Christmas or winter scene onto the stocking body. The design can then be filled in with cloth paint, glitter, or even needle point or cross stitch depending on the pattern that you have chosen. Again, such patterns can be printed from the Internet for free.

Make sure that you double sew the seams of the stocking. Stuffed stockings can come apart if they are not sewn well. You can use a machine or hand stitches for this – just make sure that you use strong thread, and double stitch it for greater stability.

If your stockings need to be stiffer than the material allows for, use spray starch on the inside pieces of the stocking before piecing it together.

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