Inside: Use this DIY Christmas stocking template to personalize your holiday decor and make your own stockings with the Christmas stocking fabric and trim accents of your choice.

Little back story here… Growing up, we had these adorable handmade stockings with our names embroidered on them that my great grandma made for us. They were a staple on our holiday mantel, even if mine had my name spelled wrong.

You see, I was born in early December and she rushed to get a Christmas stocking made for me in time for my first Christmas without all the info she needed (like how to spell my name.) But to this day, my mom hangs them up, misspelling and all, and I love them.

When I had my first baby, I knew that for our first Christmas as a family, I wanted to have homemade stockings of our own (that hopefully will have a lot of sentimental value to my kids one day.)

So, using the stockings my great grandma made, I made a stocking cut out and used it as a template for our own homemade Christmas stockings and I can’t wait to show you how to make a stocking too!

I love how much personality they add to my Christmas decor! Any excuse to mix fun fabrics together, right?

Now, I am no master when it comes to sewing, in fact I’m self and you tube taught. If I can do this project, you can too. Trust me, the hardest part will be deciding which  amazingly fun fabrics you’ll use.

What You’ll Need For Your Handmade Christmas Stockings

• stocking fabric (read section below for how much fabric you’ll need)
• lightweight batting (not too thick)
• cuff accents (pom-poms, rick-rack, ribbon, fringe, or buttons)
• thread
• a sewing machine and needle
• scissors
• straight pins
• stocking template (printed out)
• thin sheets of stiff felt for names
• hot glue gun

Choosing Your Christmas Stocking Fabric

It’s totally up to you whether you want all of your stockings to match or for each one to be unique. Either way, you’ll need to select 2 different stocking fabrics for each stocking: one for the boot and the hanging loop, and one for the cuff, or top of the stocking.

I suggest you choose a larger scale print for the boot of the stocking and a smaller scale print for the top of the stocking.

This is because when you add the name to the top of the stocking you’ll want it to stand out, so a small scale print, a print without too much color contrast, or a solid fabric will allow the name to stand out more.

RELATED: 5 Awesome Places To Buy Fabric Online

How much fabric for each stocking?

For each stocking you make with this template you’ll need

• a fat quarter or 22×18 inches for the boot of the stocking and the stocking loop
• a fat quarter or 22×18 inches for the lining of the stocking
• a fat quarter or 22×18 inches of lightweight batting
• a fat quarter or 22×18 inches of fabric for the cuff or topper piece

What is the best fabric for a Christmas stocking?

It’s best to buy a lightweight twill fabric that doesn’t have stretch. If you are new to sewing this type of fabric is similar to that of an inexpensive bed sheet.

Christmas Stocking Template

Print out the stocking template on regular printer paper and cut along the lines of each piece. Then tape the stocking cut out together according to the instructions.

DIY Christmas Stocking Instructions

Step 1: Cut the fabric for the boot of the stocking

You’ll cut out the first boot piece with the text on the template facing up, then a second boot piece with the text on the template facing down so when you sew them together your boot fabric will face outward on both sides.

• Lay your boot fabric out flat, good side facing up, with enough surface area to cut 2 boot pieces.
• Lay the template on top and using straight pins, pin it in place. (Remember you’ll do this once with the text on the template facing up, and then a second time with the text on the template facing down.)
• Cut along the edges of the template giving you the two outter pieces of your boot.

Step 2: Cut the boot lining fabric

Repeat these steps with the fabric for the inside lining of the boot.

Step 3: Cut the fabric for the loop

Using the template, cut the fabric for the loop of the stocking out of the same fabric you cut for the boot of the stocking. (You just need one of these)

Step 4: Cut the batting for the boot of the stocking

You’ll cut the batting for your stocking the same way. Once with the text on the template facing up, and once with the text on the fabric facing down.

Step 5: Cut the fabric of the cuff or top of the stocking

Lay your topper fabric out flat and using the template, cut two cuff/topper pieces of fabric.

Step 6: Cut the batting for the cuff or top of the stocking

Cut one cuff/ topper piece of batting, then cut that piece in half along the dotted fold line on the template. This will give you one piece of batting for each cuff piece.

Step 7: Assemble the pieces of your DIY stocking

First, make 2 stacks for the boot portion.

• Starting from the ground up, your first stack will be the boot lining, boot batting, and the outer boot piece with the right side of the fabric facing up.
• The second stack will be the outer boot fabric (right side facing down,) boot batting, and boot lining.
• Pin each stack together with a few pins just to hold it in place.

Now make 2 stacks for the cuff.

• Take your 2 pieces of topper fabric and lay them out right side facing down.
• Lay your topper batting pieces on top of each one and trim off about an inch from each along the bottom (only from the batting piece.)  
• Then fold the fabric over the batting and then fold the topper in half keeping the fabric tucked around each end of the batting at the bottom edge like you see in the third picture below.

Put the boot and the cuff together

• Sandwich the very top of each boot stack between the folds on your topper (picture 2 below) and pin in place.
• (Optional) Pin in place any pom-pom trim, ric-rack, or ribbon along the bottom of the cuff.
• Sew along the edge of each stack about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the topper to hold everything together. **You’re doing one boot stack at a time here. So in the end you will have 2 pieces with toppers attached like you see in the 4the picture below.

Step 8: Sew you homemade Christmas stockings together

• Now lay the 2 boot pieces one on top of the other, with the outer fabric pieces facing in and pin to hold in place. (It will look inside out at this point.)  
• Sew along the edge of the entire stocking with about a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Step 9: Make a hanging loop for your stocking

• To make the loop that will hold your stocking on the mantle or on a hook take your piece of fabric and fold each long end to the center and then fold in half.
• Sew along the edge to hold it together.

• While your stocking is still inside out, attach each end of your loop to the the topper of the stocking . Be sure not to sew through both layers of your topper but rather attach each end of your loop to one topper piece.

TIP: It’s best to angle your loop a little bit so when it hangs the toe of the stocking  faces down a little bit.

Personalizing your DIY stockings with names or monograms

For the letters on my stockings I love to use felt. You can trace letters that you print off of your computer in any font you like onto stiff felt and cut them out.

As you can see on my family’s stockings, I was able to fit all of our names, because they’re short. For longer names, I usually go with a nick name or a monogram using one larger letter.

Once you’ve cut out your letters attach them to the stocking using hot glue.

 And there you have it! Personalized stockings you just can’t find in stores!

Do you like to buy Christmas decorations, make them, or mix it up?

I like to do a little bit of both. You can see how I mix it up at my Holiday Home Tour. I’d love to hear about some of the projects you’ve made!