Hang out these beautifully embroidered stockings on Christmas Eve to make one of the best- loved Christmas traditions even more special. Make one for each member of the family- they are sure to be treasured for years to come. These instructions are for the Christmas tree design; for all the other designs, follow the method below using the templates on pages 167 and 168*.
Materials (to make one stocking):
- Piece of felt or boiled wool, approx. 54 x 60 cm
- Piece of contrasting felt 24 x 17 cm
- Scissors
- Dressmaker’s carbon paper and pencil
- Red embroidery floss (thread)
- Cream embroidery floss (thread)
- Embroidery needle
- Needle and matching sewing thread
- Sewing machine
- Length of ribbon 52 cm
- Enlarge the stocking template on page 166 to the required size and cut out the front and back pieces from the felt or boiled wool. Copy the Christmas tree shape on page 169 and cut out from contrasting felt.
- Put a sheet of dressmaker’s carbon paper on top of the felt Christmas tree shape with the coloured, carbon side down. Place the tree template on top. Draw over the design with a pencil to transfer the embroidery pattern onto the felt.
- Follow the stitch guide on the template and use double red embroidery floss (thread) to embroider the pattern (see pages 144- 145). When making the bullion knots at the edge of the tree, note that they increase in size as they are worked along the branch. Make the smaller ones by winding the thread twice around the needle and the largest ones by winding the thread four times around the needle.
- Sew the embroidered tree to the front of the stocking using appliqué stitch (see page 145) positioning it 10 cm down from the top edge and centrered on the width.
- Embroider the star and knots (see pages 144-145) around the tree in cream floss (thread) following the stitching guide on the template. Note that the bullion knots increase in size along the outside edge of the branch.
- Place the front and back sections of the stocking right sides together and machine stitch down the right edge to the heel, taking a 13-mm seam allowance.
- Open the stocking out flat. Fold over a hem of approx. 2.5 cm along the top edge. Pin the length of ribbon along the top edge approx. 1 cm down. Machine stitch the ribbon to the middle seam on the front section. Sew a few rows of stitching across the width of the ribbon to strengthen it.
- Fold a loop of ribbon at the centre seam, then repeat the stitching to secure the ribbon on the back section.
- With the right sides together, sew approx. 6 cm of zig zag stitch on the top of the seams to strengthen. (If using fabric that frays, zig zag stitch the edge of the seam all around the stocking.) Trim the seam allowance and clip the curved edges, then turn right sides out and press to finish.
Personal touch: These basic stocking shapes can, of course, be embellished in an infinite number of ways. You can adapt any of the templates given on pages 146-173, or invent your own shapes for a truly personal touch.
*Taken from Christmas Crafting in No Time, published by Cico Books.
