Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Holiday Stocking Tutorial

With US Thanksgiving this week, many of us are starting to get into the mood for the holidays! I myself get pretty obsessed with giving gifts. How could I not? Shopping for the perfect present to bring a smile to people I love is just another way I like to spend my time. But maybe you're like me, and you need a place to put those presents?

For this stocking with a cuff and a ribbon loop, you'll need the following:

  • Fabric: 1/2 yard
  • Lining: 1/2 yard
  • Interfacing or batting: 1/2 yard
  • Ribbon
This tutorial shows you how to create a stocking pattern to whatever size you desire, although a quick Google search will give you any number of stocking shapes that you can use!
My ribbon is some single-sided satin stuff I had around, and for interfacing, any lightweight iron-on will work.

I am 60% certain that the interfacing I used was Pellon 950F ShirTailor, and 40% certain it might have been Pellon DecorBond instead. Uhhhh you want a lightweight fusible interfacing. Keep in mind that any fusible you choose will get a little bit stiffer after you attach it, because of the adhesives. You can use a sew-in interfacing instead, or batting. Be sure to baste them to the fabric pieces.

When I make patterns, I use some Swedish tracing paper, which is super easy to draw on and cut. If you don't have any on hand, you can use tissue paper, wrapping paper, or tape letter sized paper together. You want to be able to write on it, and you want it to be flexible enough you can pin it to your fabric for cutting.

1. Create the stocking pattern
Grab a circular object, like a plate. This will be the size of the toe of the foot, so you can use that to judge the size of your stocking. If you decide to use batting, you'll want to pick something larger than the size you really want, because the batting will take up some space.

Although, it's a stocking... you want it to be larger anyway! ():-)

Trace the circle, and measure the diameter.

The size and shape of your stocking is up to you, but here's a roughly symmetrical way to do it.

Mark the centre of the first circle, then draw a straight line from that point, which is the length of the circle's diameter. Draw another line straight up from the end point, then place the plate so that it is right up against both of those lines, and trace a second circle. That will get you a nice matching curve for the heel. That sounds complicated, but it should look something like this:

Next, draw lines to connect the two circles, then draw lines straight up to make the leg. Then, trace 1/2" outside. This will get you your seam allowance. You'll have to double-check your curves in the spots marked below.

2. Create the cuff pattern
Measure the cuff to the width of the leg, plus an additional 1/4". Make it twice the height you want your cuff to be, plus 1".

You don't have to add on an extra 1/2" around for the seam allowance, since it's already built in to the leg pattern piece, and the extra 1" we just added onto the height (1/2" for the top, and another 1/2" for the bottom).

Now you have your 2 pattern pieces!

Draw a line parallel to the sides of the pieces, and add little arrowheads on either side. These will be your grain line markers.

3. Cut your fabric
You'll want the following pieces for the stocking:
Fabric: cut 2
Lining: cut 2
Interfacing or batting: cut 2

Fabric: cut 2
Interfacing or batting: cut 2 (optional)

Cut the interfacing down just under 1/2" on each side, then iron the interfacing onto the wrong side of the fabric pieces. If you're using batting, baste the batting to the fabric pieces.

3.5 Optional: Decorate!
If you're hoping to personalize or decorate your stockings with appliques, do it before you sew anything together, keeping in mind that you will lose 1/2" on each side of every fabric piece.

Sew the fabric pieces together, starting at one side of the leg, going down and around the toe, then back up the other side of the leg. Leave the top opening unsewn.

These pieces have a lot of curves, which means a lot of notching! It can get tedious, but it's worth it. If you've used batting instead of interfacing, you may want to grade your seams, as well.

Pull the fabric layer right-side out. Iron, if you want! (I totally always do. Totally.) Leave the lining layer as it is.

Next get the cuff ready. Sew the two cuff pieces together along the sides, like so. (I didn't use interfacing or batting for this cuff.)

You should have a small tube of cuff fabric. Take the bottom of the tube, and bring it up to meet the top, so that the wrong sides of the fabric are together. It'll be folded on one end, like this.

You'll probably want to mess around with the seam allowance inside, so it lies flat and isn't too bulky.

Grab some pretty ribbon for a loop! Figure out how long you want your loop to be, then double that length and add 1".

4. Assemble the stocking
Now you're ready to put everything together! Stuff that lining into the fabric stocking, matching the raw edges of the top openings and the seams. Then, fold the ribbon in half, and pin it in place on or near the back seam. Last, put the cuff on the inside, matching the raw edges and the seams.

Because the cuff is a little bit larger, it'll get a little bit squishy. That's OK; try to distribute the extra bulk as evenly as possible.

Sew around the top opening, with the cuff layer at the bottom, and a 1/2" seam allowance.

Bring that cuff outside and fold it down, and you have a stocking ready to stuff!

You'll probably want to mush the fabric around so that everything sits properly. If you want, you can edge stitch the top, but it isn't always necessary.

I found a few different ways to make stockings, but this one seems the best if you want a basic cuff. Look out this week for a couple of other posts for cuff-less stockings, and another using an old t-shirt, but the same pattern!

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