My grandmother made a stocking for each of my sisters and I when we were born, and each Christmas when we pull them out the sweet scent of sentimentality washes over us. As I’ve delved into the so-called ‘art of slow living’, I’ve started gifting with more intention, making as much as my talents allow in hopes that the gifts I give are cherished.
This year my sister gave birth to my niece Orla, so I decided to try my hand at the stocking craft myself, to see if I could make her one to last the years to come. I had been hoarding a second-hand shawl I had bought in a garage sale here in Paris since this summer and realized it was the perfect fit for this project. It’s a fairly simple piece, one you can do in an afternoon with ease, one of those gifts that keep on giving both literally and figuratively.
As I was determined to have the stocking last Orla’s lifetime or longer, I cheated slightly and asked for help from my local tailor who was able to sew it in less than 30 minutes while I ran around the park … but if you have a sewing machine you can totally do it yourself.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Sturdy Second-hand Fabric
Embroidery Thread (optional)
Hemp / Linen Thread (optional)
Wool (optional)
Fabric Scissors
Pins
HOW TO
1. Lay out your fabric and line up the stocking so you can avoid wasting fabric.
2. Draw your outline in pencil and cut along the lines. I cut a separate piece of fabric for the cuff as I wanted to have the fringe bit, but you can also just cut your fabric a little longer and do the fringe yourself. You may also want to cut a lining fabric if your fabric is not thick enough or already backed like mine was.
3. Cut a portion of fabric to create the hanging loop and strengthen it by braiding it together with embroidery thread and hemp thread. You can either pin it between the outer fabric and lining, or wait until it is sewn and add it on after (that’s what I did).
4. Pin the fabric together. If you’ve had to cut the cuff separate, pin it to the top of the top of the stocking so it will run up seamlessly.
5. Sew the fabric
6. If you’re creating your own fringe on the cuff (this DIY will show you how)
7. Sew on the pom poms
8. If you haven’t already added the hanging loop, sew it on now. I chose to affix it by hand with multicoloured threads to add a bit of extra design to the creation.
WATCH THE VLOG VERSION HERE
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