shoe stocking

Create a simple stocking and decorate to your hearts content. You can make one for each member of the family, or better yet enter it into our competition and win a fantastic prize!

MATERIALS
Paper
Pencil
Scissors
Pins
40cm x 140cm fabric
20cm x 140cm fabric
15cm x 15cm felt
Needle
Thread
Fabric Glue
Buttons
Embroidery thread
10cm Ribbon

DIRECTIONS
Print our stocking template onto a piece of paper. Now enlarge it into a photocopier at 200% to make it the right size. Cut out the template. Fold the fabric in half and pin the template to the fabric. Cut out the stocking pieces.
Print the heart motif template onto a piece of paper and cut it out. Pin the template to the felt and cut out the heart to decorate the front of the stocking.
Thread the needle with cotton and tack the heart to the front stocking piece.
Now thread the needle with cotton and work small blanket stitches all the way around the heart. When you have finished remove the tacking. Use a dab of glue to stick the button to the centre of the motif.
With right sides facing, tack the two stocking pieces together. Turn right side out. Thread a needle with the embroidery thread and work blanket stitch all the way around the edges of the stocking, leaving the straight top edges of the stocking open. Press flat using a warm iron.
Take the piece of fabric, fold it half lengthways, right sides together, and stitch the side seams together using small running stitches. Turn right side out and press flat using an iron (it is advisable for an adult to do this).
Turn a 1cm hem to the inside of the fabric and press flat. Tuck about 8cm of the fabric inside the stocking and fold the remainder of the fabric over the top of the stocking, with the hemmed edge on the outside. Sew small running stitches all around the top of the fabric to hold it in place.
Fold the piece of ribbon in half to form a loop, and stitch it to the inside of the fabric at the back seam of the stocking.

TOP TIP
The stocking would work equally well in a bright Christmassy red colour. Other jolly variations would be a star or Christmas tree motif on the front of the stocking. Alternatively you could write on the person's name using a 3D fabric pen.