How to Make a Christmas Stocking with our Christmas Fabrics!

There’s something particularly lovely about a handmade Christmas stocking. Whether you make one for each member of the family or sew a special stocking as a gift, it’s the sort of Christmas make that can come out year after year.

They’re also surprisingly straightforward to sew. Choose your favourite from our Christmas fabrics, add a coordinating lining and follow our simple guide below to make your own.

What you'll need

You can make your stocking any size you like, so there’s no need for a complicated pattern. You’ll create your own stocking template first and use this to cut both the outer fabric and lining.

How to make a Christmas stocking

1. Make your stocking template

Start by drawing a stocking shape onto a large piece of paper. A simple shape works best: draw a long leg, curve it into the heel and then extend the foot out towards a gently rounded toe.

Remember that your finished stocking will be slightly smaller once the seams have been sewn, so make your template a little larger than you want the finished stocking to be. Cut out your paper template.

2. Cut your fabric

Fold your outer fabric with right sides together and place your stocking template on top. Pin it in place and cut around the template through both layers. You should now have two stocking-shaped pieces facing in opposite directions.

Repeat with your lining fabric so that you have four pieces altogether: two outer stocking pieces and two lining pieces.

3. Sew the outer stocking

Place the two outer stocking pieces right sides together and pin or clip around the sides, heel, foot and toe. Leave the top edge completely open.

Sew around the pinned edge with a 1cm seam allowance. Take your time around the heel and toe curves rather than trying to rush them.

Carefully clip into the curved seam allowance without cutting through your stitching. This will help the curves sit smoothly when the stocking is turned the right way out.

4. Sew the lining

Place the two lining pieces right sides together and sew them in the same way, but this time leave a gap of approximately 8–10cm along one of the straight edges. You’ll use this opening later to turn the finished stocking through.

5. Add the hanging loop

Cut a piece of ribbon approximately 15–20cm long and fold it in half to form a loop.

With the outer stocking right side out, position the loop at the top on the heel side of the stocking, with the raw ends lined up with the raw top edge. Tack or pin it securely in place.

6. Join the stocking and lining

Keep the outer stocking right side out and turn the lining inside out. Slide the outer stocking inside the lining so that the right sides of the two fabrics are facing each other.

Match the top edges and side seams, then pin all the way around. Sew around the complete top edge with a 1cm seam allowance.

7. Turn everything through

Find the opening you left in the lining and carefully pull the stocking through it. Once everything is the right way out, sew the opening in the lining closed with a small machine stitch or slip stitch by hand.

Push the lining inside the stocking, gently shape the toe and heel and give the top edge a good press.

Make your stocking a little different

Once you’ve made the basic stocking, there are all sorts of ways to make the next one your own. Try contrasting fabrics for the front and back, add a cuff at the top, quilt the outer fabric before sewing, or use ribbon and decorative trims for a little extra detail.

You could also embroider or appliqué a name onto the outer fabric before assembling the stocking – particularly handy if you’re making a matching set for the whole family.

Choosing fabric for a Christmas stocking

Cotton Christmas prints are an easy choice because they’re straightforward to cut and sew, but you don’t have to stick to traditional Christmas fabric. Tartan, velvet, corduroy, canvas and other woven fabrics can all give a stocking a completely different look.

If you’d like a softer, padded stocking, add a layer of wadding behind your outer fabric before sewing. You can also finish your stocking with something from our trimmings collection.