Christmas Stockings (In-the-Hoop)

This in-the-hoop stocking, with its chilly snowflakes, is just one of many design styles ready to sew for this easy and unique holiday project. 

Make one for everyone on your "nice" list. This one's just the right size for small trinkets and gift cards, and light enough to hang on a wreath or tree. Easy to do and a great way to use the fabric scraps you've saved in your stash!

Instructions:

Make the applique pattern pieces by hooping 3 pieces of regular printer paper, and sewing out the die lines without thread. The needle perforations work great as cutting lines.

Note: The stocking top and the stocking body pattern pieces overlap each other.

Unhoop the papers, and, from each piece of paper, cut out one applique pattern.  Here you see the stocking top, stocking body and stocking back pattern pieces

Use the pattern pieces to cut out your fabric applique pieces: 2 back pieces and one each of the front pieces. 

For the back, we used the 2 pieces of fabric and spray adhesive to make a fabric sandwich so that both the back of the stocking and the area that shows at the top of the stocking will look finished.

Hoop an appropriate-sized hoop with one piece of tear-away stabilizer.

Now load the embroidery design into your machine and start embroidering on the stabilizer. The first thing to sew will be the die line for the stocking body. 

After the die line is sewn, spray the back of the stocking body piece lightly with spray adhesive, and lay the piece down within the die line. Sew the zigzag color stop around the stocking body.

Sew out the die line for the stocking top, and place the stocking top piece in place in the same manner as the stocking body. Sew the zigzag color stop around the stocking top.

Continue sewing out the stocking embroidery.  The decoration on the stocking top and stocking body will embroider next. Embroider until the end of the die line color stop for the stocking back.

Remove the hoop from your machine, but do not unhoop the project. 

Lightly spray the side of the back piece that will face the front of the stocking with spray adhesive, and stick the back to the stabilizer side of the embroidery, using the die line as a guide. Turn the hoop over and press gently to ensure the back will not come off.

Now is also the time to put matching bobbin thread in your machine.  Having matching bobbin thread will make the back of the stocking look matched and finished.

(If you don't have a bobbin winder, sew the satin border with white top thread--its a great way to "cheat" and have a nice finished back side.)

Return the hoop to the machine. Before you resume sewing, fold the ribbon in half, and place the ends so that they will be stitched over by the zigzag stitches. Trim any stray ends before sewing the final satin stitches.

Finish sewing out the embroidery.

Remove the stabilizer from around the outside of the stocking and from the top opening.