Scalloped Stocking Tutorial

So I got an idea....last week. And I am not one who can procrastinate. So once I had the idea it was just killing me not to finish it out!  Now that Ruby is here it was time for nice matching stockings. The kind that will be used for years and years. I looked online because I wasn't sure that I wanted to make them, but about died of sticker shock. They ranged from $17.99-$49.99 each! Multiply that by 6 and there goes Christmas presents for the kids this year. 

So I decided to make my own! I wanted them be pretty, sturdy, and inexpensive. And I think I accomplished that. You can be the judge :)

Here is how to make YOUR own!

To create a pattern, I traced one of our old stockings onto some craft paper.

I did a simple freehand drawing  about 5" down across the stocking for a scallop pattern. (You will use this later)

To keep it inexpensive, yet sturdy, I used felt. I picked it up for $2.49/yard. Even if it is not on sale, you can usually use a coupon to get it for that price.  You will need 2 pieces of felt cut out from your pattern, and 1 piece of fabric as well for a total of 3. Since I couldn't decide on one fabric for the front, I cut long strips of coordinating red and white fabrics and sewed them together, and cut out my pattern pieces from that.  

I cut out the scallop pattern and used that to cut 2 pieces of felt for each stocking. 1 piece just didn't seem thick enough. Sew the scallop piece along the bottom (scalloped) portion.

Then I went back to my scallop pattern piece and cut out the top 2". This was my bias piece.

Here is what it will look like. I did the lettering the night before.*

I laid the scalloped piece flush with 1 piece of felt and the cotton piece.

Then I used the biased piece (it isn't really cut on a bias, I am just calling it that. For this project, since it is just a straight line being finished, not cutting it on the bias is ok) and folded it in half to press it. Then I opened it up and pressed each side in towards the center fold.

Pressed again...

And had this nice little piece of bias tape.

I pinned it to enclose the other 3 layers (bottom felt, middle cotton, top felt scalloped piece) and stitched across.

Then I added the 2nd piece of stocking felt and pinned it on the 3 remaining sides and stitched around, clipping corners. I turned it right side out and was almost done!

Using some remaining felt scraps, I cut a 2.5"x8" strip and did the same thing that I did for the bias tape (fold sides to the center, then fold again, then stitch up the side, but I didn't iron it) to create a piece for handing**. I machine stitched it into place (it will be THICK, so go slowly as to not break a needle) about 1" down from the top edge and my stocking was done!

**Note: You could easily just use a piece of cotton for the hanging piece as well. Felt is thick. I used felt because it matched and was what I had on hand since I ran out of the red/white fabrics.

What a beautiful stocking for this little gal's first Christmas!

And after a couple of evening of working on them I had a few more matching ones for her admirers...

 *Now, I just free handed these and had pretty good luck getting them all right in one shot, but if you have a friend with an embroidery machine...I'd go that route to avoid any needless aggravation. I used puffy paint instead of hand stitching them because I CAN'T HANDSTITCH to save my soul. It always turns out horrible.

 Hung on the mantel with care. All ready for Christmas!

Total cost for 6 personalized stocking? $8. Well worth the few hours it took to create them and they were a lot of fun to make.