Mini Stocking Tutorial

Tuesday is my day for the Plum & June Blog Hop so I thought I had better cobble together a little tutorial before my hop day!  Given that I have been making what feels like a zillion mini stockings to sell at the school Christmas Fair, this would seem to be the obvious suspect.

Can I just say at the outset that the fabric I am using in this tutorial is not my choice.  It is some fabric I got given and I used it for my mini stocking prototype.  It doesn't look quite as bad in mini stockings as it does in yardage, but I am struggling to see any other use for it.  So, mini stockings it is!

First, cut 2 stocking shapes - a front and a back - and 2 cuffs.  I drew a stocking shape onto tracing paper and used that as my template.  If I can work out how to upload my template I will do!  Dimensions:  the stocking top is 3 inches across, and from the top corner to the opposite toe it is just shy of 7 inches.  The cuffs are 3 inches x 2.5 inches.

Next, fold over the cuff a little less than half way.  I found this the best way to give the illusion of a full cuff without bulking up the top seams.  Also my stocking fabric here is much darker than my cuff fabric, and folding the cuff up to just below where the seam line will be means that you won't see any of the dark fabric peeking through the cuff.

Pin the folded cuff to the WRONG SIDE of the stocking, with the folded bit facing UP:

... which means that when you have stitched the top seam, you can flip the cuff over and press, and it will have a nice tidy edge:

If you like, you could topstitch this down - however, because they are so teeny, and because they are for the school fair, I haven't done this on these ones.

Place 2 stocking pieces right sides together and pin:

Then sew a narrow seam all the way around, backstitching at the start and the end.  I did about 1/8" because they are so small, and it means no clipping curves or anything at the end.  But you could do a 1/4" seam.  I used cream thread to match the cuff as this is the only bit anyone is likely to see:

Turn the stocking the right way out, and press with an iron.

Next, cut about 8 inches of ribbon, fold in half, and pin to the inside of the stocking at the back seam:

Stitch across just above the pin to secure the ribbon to the stocking with a few stitches.  Again, I used cream thread as the only thing someone will see is a few stitches at the back of the outside of the cuff.

Press well, and:

....ta-daaa!  Ready for the tree!

But while you're making them, you may as well make a few:

Or a few more .... (though you risk it getting a bit like the Muppet Show title sequence....)

So there's my first tutorial!  And possibly my last.  But do pop back Tuesday for my Blog Hop day.

G x