{"title":"How to Make a Christmas Stocking","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/sewing/how-to-make-a-christmas-stocking","category":{"slug":"sewing","name":"Sewing"},"creator":{"name":"Debbie Shore","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCckNZPliaYRx10bUbvVTQCA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvUwVuHAf90"},"tldr":"Draw your own stocking template and sew a fully lined Christmas stocking with a contrast cuff and ribbon loop. Ten steps, straight seams.","totalDurationSeconds":1167,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["sewing machine","fabric scissors","paper scissors","clear quilting ruler","rotary cutter and cutting mat","fabric marking pen","sewing pins"],"materials":["outer fabric, Christmas print (fat quarter or more)","lining fabric, plain cotton","contrast fabric for the cuff","ribbon for the hanging loop","all-purpose sewing thread","paper for the pattern","clear tape"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Draw the Pattern","text":"On a sheet of paper, measure 7 inches across the top and draw a long rectangle down from it, about 16 inches deep.The measurements are not sacred - it is a stocking, not a dress. What does matter is that the top two corners are true right angles, because that edge is what the cuff has to sit flat against later.Watch this step"},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Curve the Foot and Cut It Out","text":"Draw a curve across the bottom to make the foot, then cut the whole shape out.If you want the curve even, draw around a 7 inch plate. Freehand is genuinely fine though - nobody hangs a stocking and inspects the radius of the toe.Watch this step"},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Widen the Ankle","text":"Measure 6 inches up from the end of the curve and mark a line straight across. Cut up to that line but not all the way through, so the pattern still holds together.Open the cut out, tape a spare strip of paper into the gap, and blend the new edge back into the curve. That widening is what turns a narrow tube into something you can actually get a present into.Watch this step"},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Cut the Outer and Lining Pieces","text":"Cut two pieces from your outer Christmas fabric and two from the lining.Fold the fabric double and cut both layers at once so the pair come out identical and mirrored. Plain cotton is the sensible choice for the lining - there is no reason to spend good Christmas print on the inside of a stocking.Watch this step"},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Cut the Cuff","text":"Cut two cuff pieces from a contrast fabric, 7 inches across to match the stocking top and 9 inches deep.The cuff gets folded in half, so the depth you cut is roughly double what will show. Cutting it deep is what gives you a proper turned-over cuff rather than a thin band.Watch this step"},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Sew the Cuff into a Tube","text":"Place the two cuff pieces right sides together with the print running the same direction, and sew down both short ends to make a tube. A quarter inch seam allowance is plenty.Whichever allowance you choose, use the same one for every seam in the project. Consistency matters more than the number.Watch this step"},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Sew the Outer Stocking","text":"Put the two outer pieces right sides together and sew around the edge, leaving the top open.Then snip into the concave curve at the ankle - up to the stitching but not through it - and trim some of the seam allowance away around the toe. Both let the fabric spread instead of bunching, so the seam sits flat once it is turned.Watch this step"},{"number":8,"title":"Step 8: Sew the Lining and Leave a Gap","text":"Sew the lining pieces the same way, but leave a gap of a few inches in the long back seam near the heel. That gap is how the whole stocking gets turned right side out at the end.Make the lining seam allowance a fraction wider than the one you used on the outer. The lining ends up very slightly smaller, which is what makes it sit neatly inside instead of bagging.Watch this step"},{"number":9,"title":"Step 9: Attach the Cuff and the Hanging Loop","text":"Turn the outer stocking right side out and slide the cuff tube down over the top, matching the side seams and lining up the raw top edges.Fold a length of ribbon into a loop and pin it to the back, directly over the seam, with the loop pointing down into the stocking. Tack across the top to hold everything before the lining goes on.Watch this step"},{"number":10,"title":"Step 10: Sew the Top, Turn Through and Finish","text":"Push the whole stocking down inside the lining so all three layers meet at the top, then sew right around that edge with a half inch seam allowance.Pull everything out through the gap you left in the lining, turn it all right side out, then stitch the gap closed. Push the lining down inside the stocking, fold the cuff over, and it is done.Watch this step"}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-09-03T19:46:13.723Z","published":"2026-09-03T19:46:09.167Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}