Stocking Stuffers, In-the-Hoop

Hang in-the-hoop stocking stuffers on your mantel or Christmas tree this holiday season! A pocket in the front is the perfect place to slip candy, small gifts, and gift cards.

Supplies & Materials:

Supplies

1/4 yard of felt, flannel, or twill
Medium-weight (2.5 ounce) cutaway stabilizer
Tear-away stabilizer
Temporary spray adhesive (such as Gunold's KK100)
7" of 1/8"-1/2" wide ribbon

The design featured in this tutorial is:

Penguin Stocking Stuffer (In-the-Hoop)

Gather Materials:

Each stocking stuffer design has five files. Two are the embroidery files. File A sews the pocket piece of the stocking. File B first sews the body and then stitches the two pieces together. The other three are dieline files. The dieline files are marked with the letters DL. Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the right shape and size. Open and print each dieline file using an embroidery software. If you do not have an embroidery software, take a look at our helpful video on using dielines.

We also recommend Wilcom's Hatch software which comes in different levels depending on what you'd like to use the software for. Hatch Organizer works well to view your designs, print dielines and templates, change design colors, and create basic design layouts. (This is an affiliate link, learn more about affiliate links here)

Three white paper templates with geometric shapes and lines, placed on a wooden surface; shapes resemble mitten and other holiday-themed outlines.

Cut out the first dieline (marked with the letter A). Spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the felt on top. Spray the backside of the paper dieline with temporary spray adhesive and smooth onto the fabric.

Piece of white stabilizer with a sheet of paper taped on top, displaying a segmented semicircle shape with cross lines drawn on it, on a wooden surface.

Cut out the shape and remove the paper. This will be the fabric piece for the pocket of the stocking stuffer.

Hand holding metal scissors cutting a white paper template with lines and shapes on a wood surface.

Repeat this process for the second dieline (marked with the letter B). This will be the front of the body.

Small pair of metal scissors resting on a white felt cutout shaped like a simple figure with a rounded top and small protrusion on the side, on a wooden surface.

To prepare the back piece of the body, spray the backside of the paper dieline with temporary adhesive, smooth it onto the fabric, and cut out the shape.

Hand holding metal scissors cutting a mitten-shaped paper pattern placed on black fabric on a wood surface.

Start Embroidering:

Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer. Madeira E-Zee Tear 1.5 oz. or Floriani Tearaway Medium are good choices. Those brands are more fibrous, less paper-like, and will tear more cleanly.

Embroidery hoop with white stabilizer fabric hooped, placed on a wooden surface. Hoop is rectangular with rounded corners and attached clamp.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the full pocket embroidery design (not the dieline files). Use a size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle, rather than an embroidery needle. A sharp sewing needle has a smaller, finer point than an embroidery needle, so that will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer. Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline, or outline stitch. This marks the area on the stabilizer where we'll place the pocket fabric piece.

Close-up of a sewing machine embroidery hoop with white fabric and green thread stitching an outline shaped like a half-circle or pocket on stabilizer material.

Spray the back of the pocket piece with temporary adhesive. Remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Place the fabric piece right inside the sewn dieline.

White fabric piece with visible green stitched outline, secured in embroidery hoop on gray stabilizer, against wooden surface background.

Attach the hoop back onto the machine and continue embroidering the design. A zigzag stitch tack down will sew next. This binds the fabric in place for the remainder of the design. Once the fabric is stitched in place, all of the inner elements will sew.

Embroidery machine stitching a mitten design with black cuffs and light blue mittens on white fabric inside a hoop. Background is blurred.

Unhoop the stabilizer and gently tear it away. Now that the pocket piece is finished, set it aside to be used later on.

Hand holding a small embroidery piece shaped like a black and white stocking with green mittens stitched on it, placed against a brown surface with torn paper.

Hoop a new piece of tear-away stabilizer. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the full body embroidery design (not the dieline files). Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline, or outline stitch. This marks the area on the stabilizer where we'll place the front fabric piece.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching an oval or rounded shape in green thread on a white fabric hooped in a rectangular embroidery frame.

Spray the backside of the front body piece with temporary adhesive. Remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Place the fabric piece right inside the sewn dieline.

Hand holding a white felt cutout shaped like a mitten or stocking inside a beige embroidery hoop with fabric and stabilizer beneath it.

Attach the hoop to the machine and continue embroidering -- a zigzag tack down will sew next.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching a zigzag teal thread pattern on white felt fabric secured in an embroidery hoop.

Then, all of the inner elements will sew. On the color change sheet, look for the note that says "tack down, outer border." When you get to this section, stop the machine and remove the hoop from the machine. Do not unhoop the stabilizer.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching a cartoon penguin with black wings, white face and body, pink cheeks, orange beak, and a teal winter hat with white trim on white fabric.

Cut a 7" length of ribbon and bring the ends of the ribbon together to form a loop. Use a small piece of masking tape to secure the ends of the loop to the top of the backside of the front piece. Tape the ribbon to the side of the hoop so that it will not be sewn over in the remaining steps.

Close-up of an embroidery hoop holding fabric with a stitched penguin wearing a teal hat with white trim. Blue ribbon loop is taped to the hat for hanging.

Spray the backside of the back fabric piece with adhesive. Turn the hoop over and place the back fabric inside the shape on the backside of the embroidery.

Hand placing or adjusting a black felt piece shaped like a mitten with thumb on white fabric, secured in embroidery hoop on wooden surface.

Spray along the edges of the backside of the pocket piece that you embroidered earlier.

Hand sprays adhesive from a can onto a white fabric piece with teal and black embroidered mittens and black stitching, placed on a wooden surface.

Turn the hoop right side up and place the pocket piece on top of the embroidery. Align the bottom edge of the pocket piece with the edges of the fabric piece still in the hoop.