Jean Stockings

It's Christmas in July! My husband keeps asking me why I am working on a stocking in July. I tell you what, though, the last thing I want to be stressed about during the Holidays is finishing a stocking on time! I am getting this project out of the way!

Step 1) Get some newspaper or whatever else you want and draw/cut out an outline of how you want your stocking to look (size, shape). Be sure to include an extra 1/2 in or so for the seam.
~~I already have some, so I turned one inside out and used it for my "pattern."

Step 2) Lay your "pattern" over some old jeans and cut two of them from the jeans. Be sure that one is facing one direction and the other is facing the other direction...does that make sense? Remember that when you finish your stocking, you will have two MIRROR images laying on top of each other, NOT identical images. So, for this whole project, just think through everything carefully and lay things out how they will be in the end so that you make sure to cut/sew in the correct spots.

~~See how one is inside up and the other is outside up? Mirror images.

Step 3) Pick fabrics that you want on tops/heels/toes of your stocking. Pin it how far down you want it, making sure it looks how you want it to look in the end.

Step 4) Turn the stocking over and pin the fabric into the inside of your your stocking. You want it to fold over and inch or so, so that it is well inside the opening of your stocking.

Then lay the other side on top, and do the same, making sure that the lines of fabric match. So that, on the finished product, you have a continuous circle. You want the heels and toes, etc to match up on the back and front halves. Pin accordingly.

Turn over and pin it into the inside again.

Step 5) Go back to the outside of your stocking, and UNPIN THE TOP FABRIC!

PULL THE FABRIC UP, SO IT IS OUT OF THE WAY WHEN YOU SEW THE INSIDE SEAM AND YOU DON'T END UP WITH A RANDOM SEAM IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR PRETTY STOCKING TOP!

Step 6) Sew the inside seam of your top fabric.

Step 7) Go back and repin the outside of your top fabric, then sew it on.

Step 8) Pin your heel/toe fabrics where you want them/how you want them to look in the end. Again, make sure that your front and back halves match up.

Use your first heel/toe piece as the "pattern" for your second. Again, remember that you want a MIRROR image, NOT an identical image, so turn the fabric over and cut it out inside out for the second one.

Step 9) Sew on your heel/toe pieces.

Step 10) Once all the heel, toe and top pieces are sewed on, you can cut out letters to spell the owners name, or "Christmas," or "joy," or whatever else you want...or leave it blank! Sew letters on.

Step 11) Lay the top half of your stocking on top of your back half, so that your stocking is INSIDE OUT. Also, make sure that the top/heel/and toe pieces line up correctly. Pin all sides (EXCEPT THE TOP) together and sew. This is just like sewing a pillow case. You sew it all up, except one side, then flip in right-side out again! Voila!

 

You can do all sorts of combinations. have a heel and a toe, no heel, no toe. WHATEVER YOU WANT! ENJOY AND MAKE IT YOURS!

OH, YEAH! STEP 12) A HOOK! Just take a piece of fabric that matches, sew it to be a straight line, then sew it  on to the back of your stocking! Fleece does not work great as it stretches:

This super soft, bumpy fabric is hard to deal with, sometimes.

But this is a great hook: