Hang Up Your Stocking!

It's CHRISTmas Eve!! When I was a little girl, that meant that Santa was coming AND we needed to hang up our stockings. We never hung them before Christmas Eve. I LOVED those beautiful red and white crushed velvet stockings with big silver jingle bells and white cording hangers. Every Christmas morn our stockings held the same treasures -- a LARGE Red Delicious Apple, a LARGE Naval Orange, some nuts and hard Christmas candies. Such sweet memories of a simpler, maybe less commercial time.

Last year when we hung up our stockings, I realized I didn't like them anymore. I made them in 1995 when youngest daughter was a year old. Our family has been thru many changes since then. I wanted new ones. Thru the year, I kept that thought in mind -- I need to make new stockings. But I wasn't really sure what I wanted. At one point, I decided I wanted to make them from an old wool blanket that I have been saving to use for *some* project. I took that blanket out months ago and added it to my projects pile -- but never felt the LOVE or inspiration to get started. THEN one day I was cruising blog land and I noticed my friend Marianne (Vintage Gal) had posted about her stockings.

Photo Credit: Vintage Gal

NOW I was inspired!! I LOVE chenille. My grandma always had all the beds in her home covered in chenille bedspreads. Chenille ALWAYS reminds me of her and sweet memories of my time with her. Chenille stockings are perfect -- AND I had a ratty old white one I was just saving for *some* project. Totally a *cutter*!

For my stockings, I wanted to use the fringe on the cuff, so I cut it off (4-inch X the length of the bedspread).

The excess fringe will come in handy for other projects. I then cut an 17-inch length for my stocking. My stocking opening is 16-inches around, plus 1-inch for seam allowance.

Double the chenille material right sides together. Pin pattern or template directly to the material (since I really like the shape of my old stockings, that is what I used as my pattern). If your material has a design on it, take that into consideration as you are laying out and cutting your pattern. Mine was a pretty basic bedspread so I pinned and cut based on getting the most from my fabric.


Stitch 1/2-inch all the way around the stocking, leaving the top of the stocking open.
Turn the stocking right side out. Sew the raw edges of the cuff piece with a 1/2-inch seam allowance.

Now you need to fashion a hanger. You can make a hanger by using a 3-inch x 8-inch piece that you sew wrong-sides together (open on the ends) and turn it right-side out OR like me, you can use a piece of the binding edge of the bedspread. I simply *hemmed* the binding edge on the cut side. Pin raw edge of the hanger to the inside seam of the stocking. It will be sewn between the stocking and the fringed cuff.

Pin the fringed cuff to the inside of stocking with the right side of the cuff to the wrong side of the stocking. Be sure to match up the seam of the cuff to the back seam of the stocking. This is the place where the hanger will attach and it will be thick. I recommend you stitch slowly when go over that area. Stitch along opening.
Turn fringed cuff to the outside of the stocking (seam will be on the inside). Press and hang!

I am so thrilled with these new stockings and hope to use them for years to come. I also plan to cut out several more from that old bedspread and put them away for any family members added in the future!