Embroidery Library - Machine Embroidery Designs Inspired Project Page

Christmas Stocking Sew-a-Story

Christmas Stocking Story

This Christmas, tell a story with your embroidered stocking. Four stocking story sets will help you tell the nativity story, share the greatest gifts, stitch a merry Christmas, and dream of a white Christmas. Use these themed sets or create your own story -- choose a set of designs that display your favorite Christmas memory, gift, or family tradition. There are thousands of Christmas designs at Embroidery Library that will make your stocking dazzle and your story shine. And, you can choose any stocking project to boot!

Read below for these free project instructions and start telling your story!

Supplies Needed:

**1/2 yard felt (for stocking)

**2/3 yard print quilter's cotton
(for lining)

**Medium-weight cutaway
stabilizer

**Temporary spray adhesive

**Air-erase pen (or other
marking tool)

**Scotch tape

**Ribbon - 1 1/2 inches wide
(optional - for top trim of
stocking)

**Heat set crystals and heat
tool (optional)

**Stocking pattern
- click here to download

Designs used:
Nativity Stocking Top - Unto Us a Child Is Born (Sm)
Nativity Stocking Middle - Angel (Sm)
Nativity Stocking Bottom - Manger Scene (Sm)

Project Tips:
For this stocking, we followed the Sweater Stocking project instructions. We chose a fabric other than sweater knit, added some new decoration, and adjusted the pattern shape ever so slightly to create a whole new stocking look!

Any of the stocking story designs will work great for this project. Or, stitch your own story -- there are thousands of Christmas designs at Embroidery Library you can choose from!

Finished Size:
12 inches wide by 19 inches high

To begin, we printed the sweater stocking pattern and adjusted the shape so it would have a more traditional look. We traced the edge of a ribbon spool at the tip of the toe on the pattern to round it off.

Then, we trimmed the pattern along the line.

Pin the pattern to the fabric, and trace the shape.

Remove the pattern and create paper templates of the designs by printing them at full size using embroidery software. If you don't have embroidery software, you can cut a piece of paper the shape and dimensions of the designs to help with placement and centering.

Arrange the templates on the fabric how you want them. Keep the top edge of the top design about 1 1/2 inches from the top edge of the fabric. Make sure the designs fit well within the shape. There should be at least 3/4 inch of space between the outer edges of the designs and the edges of the shape. We spaced the designs equally apart from one another - outer edge to outer edge. We also centered the top two designs side to side by measuring the width of the stocking shape and dividing by two. We then aligned the center point of the templates at that measurement. Using an air-erase pen or other marking tool, poke a hole in the center of the templates and mark the fabric. Also, mark the horizontal and vertical axis points.

Remove the templates and draw lines connecting the axis points. These lines will be used for hooping.

Spray a piece of medium-weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric (for the first design). Attach the hoop to the machine and load the first design. Move the needle so that it is aligned with the center point on the fabric. Embroider the design.

After the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer on the back of the embroidery. Then, repeat the hooping and embroidering process for the second and the third designs.

We added a ribbon trim to the stocking by aligning it with the top edge of the fabric and stitching it in place before assembling the stocking.

Then, we cut the back fabric piece by laying the embroidered front piece on top of the fabric, tracing the shape, and cutting out the shape. We then assembled the stocking following the Sweater Stocking instructions.

Once the stocking was assembled, we finished it by adding some heat set crystals for extra sparkle and shine!

Choose your favorite Christmas stocking designs to tell a story -- the nativity story (shown above), or click on the three stockings shown below:

Greatest Gifts

Merry Christmas

Let it Snow!

Which ever set your choose, hang your stocking and share your special story this Christmas!

Click here for a printable version of these project instructions.

You'll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you don't have it, you can download a free copy by clicking on the icon above.

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