DIY Quilted Christmas Stockings

Every week I receive comments and questions from my audience asking how they too can get into sewing. I love nothing more than helping people explore their own creativity and I’m so happy to be able to share my own sewing journey and experience with you. So where to start? Today I’m partnering with Waverly Inspirations to bring you a beginner friendly quilted project that is so perfect for the holidays—DIY quilted Christmas stockings.

If you’re new to sewing this is such a great place to start because it’s a smaller scale project. And if you’re a little more experienced you’ll love making stockings too as it allows for lots of customization. And I just love the idea of creating something special for yourself, your family or your friends that will be cherished for years to come.

I found all the supplies for this project at Walmart.com. You can also shop your local Walmart store in person to get the fabric for this project along with other supplies to help build your sewing kit. All the fabrics used are fro the Waverly Inspirations collection which features loads of cotton fabric in solid colors and prints that are great for quilting. You don’t need a ton of fabric to make stockings, just a few fat quarters will work! But if you want to really stock up your fabric stash, you can buy each of these fabrics by the bolt at Walmart.com.

Supplies

Step 1

print & assemble the pattern

Download and print the Printable Stocking Sewing Pattern. Make sure you do not scale the pattern to fit the paper and be sure to print it at 100%. Trim the bottom and right sides off each page and use clear tape to assemble the pattern, aligning each black circle to make a shape. Use scissors to cut out the pattern.

Step 2

piecing

Next up is piecing, that simply means sewing together various shapes to create a quilt top. If you want to make stockings in solid colors you can skip this step. If you want to piece together various shapes there are so many methods! I chose to do an improv style of quilting with all the stockings shown in this post. No set plans, just got the fabric in squares, strips, and rectangles and sewed them right sides together using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Place right sides together, align the edges of the fabric, and sew 1/4″ away from the edge. Press the seams over with a hot, steamy iron after every line of stitching. Then one shape at a time, keep piecing together your quilt top.

New to quilting? There are loads of great tutorials available on YouTube! I’m new to quilting myself and this is actually only my third time ever quilting. My favorite beginner-friendly pattern is the basic triangle shape which is actually called a “half square triangle.” Here’s a great video tutorial that walks you through it.

Step 3

quilt the front & back panels

Place your pieced together stocking front on top of one layer of cotton batting. Use scissors to cut out the batting that is about 1/2″ or more larger than your pieced together stocking front. Choose a piece of solid fabric for the back (this will become the inside front of the stocking).

Apply spray adhesive for quilting to the wrong side of the front and back pieces of fabric and carefully place each on top of the cotton batting. You will have a sandwich of the following layer: pieced stocking front, cotton batting, solid fabric. If you don’t want to use quilting spray adhesive, you can also place large safety pins across the entire quilt to hold all the layers in place and just remove them as you sew.

Next is the actual quilting! This is where you will sew all three layers together. The pattern and spacing of your lines is totally up to you. Just keep in mind that you want to start at the center of the fabric and work your way out. This will mean alternating between sewing left and right of the center line each time. This will help keep the fabric layers smooth and prevent any big wrinkling.

Repeat this step quilting another 3 layers of the following: solid fabric, cotton batting, solid fabric making sure your fabric is at least 2″ wider and taller than the stocking pattern. Fat quarters, or fabric precut in a 18″ x 22″ rectangle works perfectly for this.

Note: if you have a walking foot for your sewing machine this is when you’ll want to use it! Though not absolutely necessary, a walking foot it a helpful tool when quilting because it helps the layers of fabric move through the machine easier. Plus it has a metal guide that is helpful for sewing evenly spaced lines without needing to draw them on the fabric with chalk or a marker before sewing.

Step 4

Cut out the stocking pieces

Place the stocking pattern on top of the right side of the stocking front keeping in mind the placement of the pattern in relation to your quilted design. You want to be cautious when you do this so you don’t accidentally don’t include your favorite part of the design. Cut along the pattern using scissors or a rotary cutter. Repeat this with the quilted stocking back by placing the cut out stocking front panel on top of the stocking back quilted panel with the inside facing up (as shown above).

Step 5

Add bias tape to the top edges

Bias tape is strips of fabric cut on the bias, which means at a 45 degree angle. You can purchase ready-made bias tape or use scraps of the stocking fabrics to make your own. Cut 2 strips of fabric slightly longer than the width of the stocking and 1.75″ wide at a 45 degree angle

I prefer using a handy tool called a bias tape maker to help me create the folded shape but it’s not a requirement. You can manually create double  fold bias tape by using an iron to fold the long strip of fabric in half lengthwise. Open it up and fold each long side in so it alights with the center crease. Press again.

Flip the two quilted stocking shapes so the wrong, or inside fabrics are facing up. Open the pressed bias tape and align the raw edge of the bias tape with the raw edge of the top of the stocking. Sew it in place along the first crease (this will be about 1/2″ away from the edge). Press.

Fold the bias tape over the top edge of the stocking and use clips or pins to hold it in place. You want the bias tape to completely enclose the top edge of the stocking. Sew very close to the edge of the bias tape. Trim the ends and repeat with the second stocking piece starting with the wrong (inside) piece.

If you want to add a fun detail like a woven label, this is where you’ll want to do it! I added a metallic gold star label to each of the stockings shown above by placing it under the bias tape before sewing the top line of stitching.

Step 6

sew the stocking together

Place the stocking front and back pieces with right sides together. Sew along the edges using a 3/8″ (1cm) seam allowance. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end to reenforce the stitching.

Use scissors to trim down the seam allowance to about 1/4″. Cut perpendicular notches up to the stitching (being careful to not cut into the stitching) every inch or so around each curved edge of the stocking. This will help it create a more curved stocking shape.

Flip it right sides out and use your hands (I like to use chop stick) to gently push along the seams to create the stocking shape.

Step 7

Attach a loop for hanging

The last step is to sew a loop onto the stocking so it can be hung up. Cut a piece of 1″ wide cotton twill tape that is about 8″ long. Fold it in half to create a loop and place the raw edges just inside the top left edge of the stocking. Sew it in place, backstitching at each end to reenforce the stitching and ensure that it will be sturdy when it’s full of stocking stuffers!

And now you’re done! Once you make the first stocking, the next ones sew up rather quickly. These make beautiful gifts and are such a  lovely way to add a handmade item into your annual holiday traditions. What lovely keepsakes will you create for your family and friends this holiday season?

Here’s a look at the back of each stocking. For two I chose to use a full piece of fabric and for the middle one I pieced together the same stripe pattern on both the front and back. The options are truly endless for this project!