How to Make an Elf Christmas Stocking

Project Level: Easy

A christmas elf stocking

About Fabric Love

Established in 2015, we are a small, independent fabric shop in Colchester, Essex, UK dedicated to providing our customers with great quality, affordable fabrics along with fabulous customer service and super fast delivery!

With a combined wealth of over 50 years sewing experience between us, we have a real passion for what we do and enjoy sharing our love of sewing and crafting with our lovely customers!

About Fabric Love

Established in 2015, we are a small, independent fabric shop in Colchester, Essex, UK dedicated to providing our customers with great quality, affordable fabrics along with fabulous customer service and super fast delivery!

With a combined wealth of over 50 years sewing experience between us, we have a real passion for what we do and enjoy sharing our love of sewing and crafting with our lovely customers!

My favourite part of Christmas is hanging up the stockings, for me it marks the start of Christmas. Every family member has a stocking hung on the fireplace filled with traditional gifts that bring back my own childhood memories whilst making new memories with the children.

An apple, an orange, a handful of nuts, a new toothbrush, a twenty pence piece, chocolate, socks and smellies. I've updated this list over the years to include individual things that the girls love but the basics are still there. It's our traditional family Christmas that comes from my Mam's childhood.

I don't make new Christmas stockings often, as with any family, you keep the same ones every year and we are quite attached to them. It's almost like they have a heritage value that is associated with family, happy times and great memories.

That said, I love the curled toe on this Elf stocking, the stuffing gives it definition and the bell on the toe reminds me of Christmas films...that and the fact that I can hear if someone is taking a sneaky peak...!

You Will Need

  • Sewing machine
  • A Metre of Festive Fabric and Lining
  • Toy or pillow stuffing
  • Heat and Bond/interfacing.
  • A small bell (optional)
  • Iron and an ironing board
  • Sharp scissors, pins and corresponding thread

About Fabric Love

Established in 2015, we are a small, independent fabric shop in Colchester, Essex, UK dedicated to providing our customers with great quality, affordable fabrics along with fabulous customer service and super fast delivery!

With a combined wealth of over 50 years sewing experience between us, we have a real passion for what we do and enjoy sharing our love of sewing and crafting with our lovely customers!

Recommended Fabrics & Notions

Gold trees with a metallic effect are printed on a quality, green, 100% cotton fabric
Gold trees with a metallic effect are printed on a quality, green, 100% cotton fabric
Gold trees with a metallic effect are printed on a quality, green, 100% cotton fabric with a cm ruler

Christmas Cotton Fabric - Mini Gold Trees on Green

£2.79
Gold trees with a metallic effect are printed on a quality, navy, 100% cotton fabric
Gold trees with a metallic effect are printed on a quality, navy, 100% cotton fabric
Gold trees with a metallic effect are printed on a quality, navy, 100% cotton fabric with a cm ruler

Christmas Cotton Fabric - Mini Gold Trees on Navy

£2.79
Gold trees with a metallic effect are printed on a quality, red, 100% cotton fabric
Gold trees with a metallic effect are printed on a quality, red, 100% cotton fabric
Gold trees with a metallic effect are printed on a quality, red, 100% cotton fabric with a cm ruler

Christmas Cotton Fabric - Mini Gold Trees on Red

£2.79
Printed holly berries, white flowers and pine branches are printed on this white 100% cotton fabric.
Printed holly berries, white flowers and pine branches are printed on this white 100% cotton fabric.
Printed holly berries, white flowers and pine branches are printed on this white 100% cotton fabric with a cm ruler at the bottom

Christmas Cotton Fabric - Floral Metallic Holly Berry on White

£2.99

Instructions

Download the PDF pattern. Print the pattern ensuring you do not check the box on the print dialogue that says "Scale to Fit" or "Fit to Page" and check that the test box has printed at the correct size of 5cm.

Step 1.

Cut out the pattern on all layers of the fabric. Following the instructions, iron the Heat and Bond onto the wrong side of the outside pieces.

A grid of 16 fat quarter bundles of fabric

Shop Christmas Fabrics

Step 2.

Sew the outside pieces of the stocking together, right side to right side.

Clip around the curved edges.

Turn it the right way and carefully push out the seams. Then press.

If you have glittery fabric press it on the reverse or through a piece of muslin, cotton or linen. I use an old linen tea towel that has seen better days but its great as a pressing cloth.

This will stop you melting the sparkles off the fabric and sticking them to the iron.

Elf boot Christmas stocking

Step 3.

Take the toy/pillow stuffing a bit at a time and push it into the curl of the stocking.

Tip - If you don't have toy stuffing you can use the inside of a cushion or a pillow. I buy economy pillows from a local superstore, it's cheaper than toy stuffing, you get more for your money, it's machine washable and it adheres to all the fire safety regulations.

Pillow or toy stuffing, Elf stocking

Step 4.

Insert your lining wrong side to wrong side and match up the seams. Pin.

Trim so the top is straight.

Step 5.

Turn the outside fabric into the top of the stocking and pin.

Repeat for the lining so both layers are level. Pin both layers together.

Insert lining into a Christmas stocking

Step 6.

Make the Hanging Strap.

To make the strap, follow the instructions in this quick tutorial

A grid of 16 fat quarter bundles of fabric

Shop Interfacings

Step 7.

Stocking Top 1.

Fold the fabric in half lengthways, wrong side to wrong side and press.

Fold the long open side over 10-15mm and press.

attach a cuff to a Christmas stocking

Stocking Top 2.

Put the fabric right side to right side and cut a zig zag pattern.

Pin and stitch the edge of the triangles. Mitre the edges.

Turn your fabric the right way and press.

Turn a hem 10-15mm and press as the photo above shows.

Step 8.

Insert the fold in between the outside fabric and the lining. Pin in place.

Pin the loop to the back seam of the stocking in between the lining and the cuff. 

Stitch in place.

Hand sew the back seam of the cuff and attach the bell to the curved toe.

Now, what goodies are you going to fill your stocking with?

A grid of 16 fat quarter bundles of fabric

Shop Threads

Related Tutorials

Reversible Lantern Shaped Lunch Bag

May 15, 2024 Sharon Stainsby

This lantern shaped lunch bag has lots of space inside, it is semi structured, machine washable and reversible! The box and knife pleats create a beautiful shape. The finished bag is 15cms deep and at it's widest point has a circumference of 84cms. What's not to like?   

How to Make Trousers Easily - No pattern required!

Apr 05, 2024 Sharon Stainsby

Fancy whipping up a new pair of trousers in an afternoon? This tutorial shows how to make your own pattern for palazzo pants or harem pants super quick and just as easy!

How to Make a Pocket Crazy Craft Bag!

May 23, 2023 Sharon Stainsby

A Pocket Crazy Craft Bag... with how many pockets? As many as you like! I managed to make twenty-six of them in various sizes.This is perfect for crafters on the go! It's a standing joke in my family that I can't go anywhere without a crochet hook, several balls of wool, a sewing project and a notebook to write down the creative ideas that explode in my head!What can I say? I'm a crazy lady with crazy ideas and I love pockets in bags!This is a cubed bag that measures 36x49cms, it has a double drawstring closure, two handles and it can be worn over the shoulder. It has been interfaced with Heat & Bond to give it structure and it has a big space in the middle for your latest creation in progress.The pockets are various sizes to hold everything from scissors to bodkins, patterns to pins and the occasional bar of chocolate...you know, for emergencies...Ready?

How to Make a Toiletry Wrap

Sep 12, 2022 Sharon Stainsby

Make a reusable, washable toiletry case with environmentally friendly bamboo towelling. Requires a fat quarter of towelling and a fat quarter of cotton fabric.