The holidays offer a unique opportunity for each of us to spend a little bit of time and energy creating for those we love. If you are a maker, you may innately understand the value of a handmade gift. Creating presents an avenue for you to express your love and admiration in the most personal of ways. Receiving a handmade gift often feels like an honor; you are touched to know that someone cared enough to spend time creating something specifically for you.

We at Alabama Chanin believe that the act of making can move beyond craft, into another space that includes design and fashion – without losing the personal elements of creating something by hand. Our Handmade Holiday collection is one way to embody this philosophy – embracing craft, style, fashion, and tradition. You can choose to make elaborate garments or home décor, or you can opt for a sentimental favorite, like this handmade holiday stocking. Holidays are the centerpieces of so many of our memories. Hand customizing something as traditional as a holiday stocking can elevate something that might otherwise be overlooked to high art.

Our version of the holiday stocking livens up the basic version with some quick embroidered details.  Make some in a variety of colors for everyone in the family (friends and pets, too). Use scraps from your own workroom.

SUPPLIES

Paper to make pattern or a print out of the Alabama Chanin Holiday Stocking Pattern
Paper scissors
medium-weight organic cotton jersey fabric for the outer-layer of the stocking
5/8 yard of 60” wide medium-weight organic cotton jersey fabric for the inner-layer of the stocking
Supplies for stenciling (see page 48 of Alabama Studio Style)
Anna’s Garden Stencil   *Note that any stencil can be used here.
Button Craft thread
Embroidery scissors
Basic sewing supplies: fabric scissors, pins, needles, ruler, rotary cutter
Alabama Stitch Book, Alabama Studio Style or Alabama Studio Sewing + Design: All three of these books contain the basic sewing and embroidery techniques we used to make our version of these stockings.

Prepare your Holiday Stocking pattern. The pattern has two pieces—a stocking body and the stocking cuff.

Cut 2 top-layer pieces from one color and two backing-layer and four cuff pieces from your second color.

First you will need to embellish the cuff of your stocking. Choose your preferred method (quilting, reverse appliqué, negative reverse appliqué) and follow the instructions found in Alabama Studio Sewing + Design.

Once you have finished embellishing the cuffs, you are ready to attach them to the top of your stocking.

Attach the cuff to your stocking body by laying out one of your outer-layers wrong side up. On top of this, you will lay one of your inner-layers wrong side up, followed by your cuff, wrong side up.

Making sure that the top edges of these three pieces are aligned, connect all three layers by sewing along the top stocking line with a 1/4” seam allowance using a double strand of Button Craft thread and a straight stitch—wrap-stitch the beginning and end of your seams.

(Find all of these stitches detailed in our Alabama Studio Book Series.)

Now flip your cuff section over the top so that your completed cuff shows on the outside of your stocking. Lay this aside.

Repeat with your other cuff and outer and inner layers.

To assemble your stocking, you make a stocking “sandwich” by laying one completed stocking side on top of the other completed stocking side so that the inner layers face each other and your outer layer and cuff are showing on the outside.

Check your edges to make sure everything is lined up evenly and pin into place.

While pinning, insert a small loop of fabric in the upper right corner of your stocking and in between the sandwiched layers. This will be your stocking hanger.

Beginning at the top of one side of your stocking, sew your stocking together using a double strand of Button Craft thread and a straight stitch, wrap-stitching the beginning and end of your stocking.

Depending on the color of your stocking top and the main body of your stocking, you may want to switch thread colors as the colors of the stocking change.

Sew around your stocking 1/4 inch from the edge—wrap-stitching the beginning and end of your seams.

You may also choose to embroider the name of the lucky recipient on the front of your stocking.

OUR DESIGN CHOICES:

Fabric weight – Alabama Chanin 100% organic medium-weight cotton jersey
Fabric color – Carmine with Natural
Button Craft thread —Coats & Clark Colors #2 (white), #128 (carmine)
Stencil – Anna’s Garden
Embroidery technique – Reverse appliqué

Happy Holidays from all of us @ Alabama Chanin