Embroidery Library - Machine Embroidery Designs Inspired Project Page

Rowdy-Howdy Stocking

Take a trip to the wild west with a stocking perfect for little cowboys and cowgirls. Mix and match colors and fabrics to customize the look for each stocking recipient!

Adorned with rivets, a bandana and faux leather, even Santa will be impressed with this stocking.

Read below for these free project instructions!

Supplies Needed:

**1/2 yard fabric (for front and
back of stocking - we used
suede cloth, or "faux suede")

**1/2 yard sturdy fabric (for inner
lining - we used quilted
cotton)

**Small piece of vinyl or faux
leather (for overlay and heel)

**One bandana handkerchief

Supplies Continued:

**Medium weight cutaway stabilizer

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

**20 inch by 20 inch piece of cotton batting

**8 inch length of cord

**Scotch tape

**Masking tape

**Craft knife and cutting pad

**Double cap rivets and rivet tool (we found ours at Michael's)

**Small hammer

**Needle and thread for some hand sewing

**Stocking pattern - click here to download

Designs used:
Bandana Paisley (Sm)
Bandana Paisley - Left (Lg)

There are lots of fantastic western style embroidery designs that would look smashing on this stocking. To continue the bandana paisley look, click here. We also recommend the Cowboy Couture designs, Simple Cowgirl designs, and the Wild West designs for your stocking project.

Finished Size:
10 inches wide by 16 inches high

To begin, click here to open a PDF of the stocking pattern. There are three pieces of the main stocking pattern that will print on three pieces of paper, and there is one piece of the overlay pattern that will print on one piece of paper, for a total of four pieces. Cut out the pieces and tape them together by following the instructions on the pattern pieces.

Place rolled pieces of tape on the backside of the overlay pattern piece and place it on the fabric (we used vinyl). Trace the shape.

Remove the pattern piece and create a paper template of the design by printing it 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. Position the template inside the shape. Make sure the design fits well within the shape - there should be at least 3/4 inch of space between the outer edges of the design and the edges of the shape. Then, lay strips of masking tape on the fabric under the horizontal and vertical axis lines of the template. Then, poke a hole in the center of the template and mark the tape. Also, mark the horizontal and vertical axis points.

Remove the template and draw lines connecting the axis points.

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 tape. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is aligned with the center point on the tape. Remove the tape and embroider the design.

When the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer on the back of the embroidery and cut out the shape.

Lay the main stocking pattern on top of the fabric (we used suede cloth), pin in place, and trace the shape.

Remove the pattern. Position the overlay piece on the fabric with the top point about two inches from the top edge of the fabric. Then, print a template of the next design. Arrange the design where you want it. We placed the design so that the outer edges of the design are about one inch from the edges of the pattern shape. Using an air-erase pen or other marking tool, poke a hole in the center of the template and also mark the fabric. Mark the axis points as well.

Remove the overlay piece and the template and draw lines connecting the marks. 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. Attach the hoop to the machine, load the design, move the hoop so that the needle is aligned with the center point of the fabric and embroider the design. After the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer.

Cut a piece of cotton batting the same size as the embroidered fabric. Spray the batting with adhesive and smooth the fabric on top.

Spray the backside of the overlay piece with adhesive and smooth it in place on the main stocking fabric with the top point of the overlay about two inches from the top edge of the main fabric.

Top stitch the overlay in place with a 1/4 inch seam around the entire outer edge.

To add the rivets, cut a slit through all layers of the fabric (using a craft knife and cutting pad) about 1/4 inch in from the seam at each point of the overlay. Then, hammer a rivet at each slit by following the manufacturer's instructions.

To prepare the heel section, lay the main stocking pattern on the fabric and trace the pattern starting at the top of the "v" and ending 3 inches up along the left side. Remove the pattern and draw a curved line connecting the ends of the traced line (the line should curve slightly inward to the shape).

Cut out the shape, spray the backside with adhesive, and align the fabric piece on top of the main stocking fabric and smooth in place. Then, top stitch a 1/4 inch seam around the entire outer edge of the shape.

To prepare the back stocking fabric, lay the main pattern piece face down on the fabric. Pin in place, trace, and cut out the shape. Next, align the front and back pieces together, right sides facing, and pin in place. Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the side and bottom edges of the stocking - leave the top edge open for turning. Clip the seam allowance at the "v" in the heel and at the curved edges - be careful to not cut the seam. Then, turn the fabric right side out. This is the completed "outer shell."

To prepare the inner lining fabric, cut two pieces of the fabric (we used quilted cotton), align them together, right sides facing, pin, and sew a 1/2 inch seam along the side and bottom edges - leave the top edge open.

With the inner lining left wrong side out, insert the outer shell inside the inner lining, align the top edges, and pin in place. Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the top edge leaving about two inches open along both the front and back edges at the back corner. Then, pull the outer shell out from the inner lining and insert the inner lining inside the outer shell. Press the seams and fold the fabric of the openings in 1/2 inch and press.

Pin the openings and top stitch a 1/4 inch seam along the entire top edge of the stocking.

To prepare the top "tab", cut a piece of vinyl 1 1/4 inches wide by 6 inches high.

Wrap the tab around the front top center of the stocking. Cut a slit through all layers of the fabric and secure the tab in place with a rivet.

To create the bandana hanger, draw a line between two corners of the bandana and cut the bandana into two pieces. On one of the pieces, fold the raw edge over 1/2 inch to the wrong side and press. Then, sew a 1/4 inch seam along the fold.

Gather the fabric together in the middle and cinch it by tying thread around and securing it with a knot. Then, form a loop, wrap the cord around the fabric about 2 1/2 inches down from the top of the loop, tie a knot, and trim the cord. Hand sew the loop to the top back corner of the stocking

Now that you've finished stitching this wild stocking, hang it for you and all your holiday guests to enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of these project instructions.

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