Victorian Christmas stockings

Hands-on time: Two hours.
Skill: Moderate (with minimal sewing skills required).
Cost estimate: $3 per stocking.

Materials & Tools

• Sharp sewing scissors and shears
• Paper and pencil
• Sewing pins
• Fabric material and remnants in assorted colours and patterns (I used an old pair of denim jeans, shirt, and odds and ends leftovers from a calico quilt)
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Threads to co-ordinate with the fabrics
• Sewing machine with basic to fancy stitch styles
• Lace trim and small appliqué rosettes
• Ribbon in assorted sizes and colours

T'was a couple of weeks before Christmas when the Victorian stockings were made with care. Homespun straight from the heart with simple stitching and gluing of fabric remnants were done with nostalgic flair. Simple stitching and fabric remnants are what it takes to make these nostalgic stockings.

Begin by drawing a simple stocking shape on paper, and cut out. Place the template over and pin onto doubled fabric, then cut the stocking shapes with shears.

Draw simple holiday decals on paper. Shapes such as a Christmas tree, snowmen, Santa's head, a candy cane, or whatever you fancy to embellish your stockings. Also make templates for the cuffs, heel, and toe cap parts and cut out. Place the decal templates onto fabric pieces, pin and cut them out with shears.

Pin the decal shapes, the cuffs, heels and toe cap parts on the front of the stockings and sew them on with simple or fancy stitching of your choice (or you can glue them on with fabric adhesive if preferred). Then glue or tack on decorative bows, ribbon and rosettes.

Pin the front of the stocking to the back part and sew around perimeter with a fancy stitch, allowing a one-inch hem and press. Finish by adding a ribbon loop. Just add the stocking fillers and stuff with style. Hang them with flair on a mantel or chair.

Variations

• Glitter glue can be used to put names onto the stockings cuffs.
• Instead of names or holiday decals, why not put pictures on the stockings using heat-transfer computer print outs, transferred onto white fabric cut out with shears, then simply glued or stitched on.
• Add strands of pearls or beaded fringe trim along the cuffs for extra elegance.