Project by Stephanie Marsh
Create your own festive fabric Advent Calendar with these adorable mini stockings that you can re-use each year!
You will need:
5 Christmas fat quarters 0.5m white cotton 0.5m sheeting or any other basic cotton Matching thread contrasting thread 4m webbing tape (or cord) 25 small pegs (optional) Christmas Stocking template - download here
Cut Out:
50 stockings from the fat quarters (making sure you have pairs) 50 stockings in the sheeting fabric (cut these out once you embroidered the numbers) ** 50 square 4.25 inches in the white cotton
Instructions:
1. Take the white cotton and using an erasable pen mark out the squares for above **. On 25 of them embroider the numbers one to twenty-five on them as shown in the picture below. I drew a line halfway through 25 of the squares and in the middle of the top half I embroidered the numbers (you may wish to put a small piece of interfacing on the back of the section to be embroidered before you embroider to add stability). When you put the stockings together they may seem like they are upside down, but they are on the inside until you turn the cuff over. If your machine doesn’t embroider numbers you can do this by hand or use some stick on numbers).
2. Trim the tread ends and cut out the squares, 25 embroidered and 25 plain.
3. Take your embroidered squares and sew a patterned stocking onto the edge furthest away from the embroidered number and sew a sheeting stocking onto the opposite side. Repeat with the using the plain square in the middle, but remember the stocking is to face the other way, so you have a mirror image, see below.
4. Press the seam allowances in the embroidered stocking top towards the stocking and on the plain towards the cuff. This will make it easier to match the cuffs when putting together.
5. With right sides together and cuffs matching stitch around the edges, using a 0.25” seam allowance, leave a gap on the stocking lining of an inch and a half for turning.
6. Clip the seam allowance all around or use pinking sheers trim the seam allowance apart from the gap left for turning.
7. Turn right sides out, press the seams and pin gap closed.
8. Overstitch the gap closed.
9. Now tuck the stocking lining inside the stocking outer, with the cuff folded in half. The number will be on the inside, upside down at the minute. Turn the cuff half way over to reveal the number.
10. Using drawing pins pin the webbing tape to the wall in any position you want and using the small pegs peg the stockings, in any random order, to the tape. Alternatively you can hand sew the in place for a more permanent fixing.
Your advent calendar is complete! Fill with yummy treats and start to prepare for Christmas.
To see more from Stephanie, visit her on Instagram @stephanie_j_marsh
Made by Stephanie Marsh for The Craft Cotton Company 2021