Christmas Stockings - easy, lined, and quick!

This is how I have made HUNDREDS of Christmas stockings (not kidding) in the past 20 years or so.  The technique is easy but not what you expect.  I use a fun, tricky turning method that I learned from a quilt shop employee.  Once you try it, you'll be making them, too!  I call it the Gonzo Method because you just keep sewing until you're done and they turn out great every time.  

Here's the trick:  You are going to turn the stocking inside out THREE times. 

Trust me. 

First, gather your supplies: 

Pattern - draw your own!  The one I use is bigger than a fat quarter. 

Stocking fabrics - lining and exterior/theme.  You probably want to use Christmas themed fabric for the exterior but you can use anything for the lining. 

I usually use quilting cottons but I have used other fabrics if I think they work well with quilting cottons. 

Cuff fabric - I like white but you can use anything (I have a lot of white scraps). 

6.5" wide is best for cuffs but they can be a little narrower.  Cut the length as the width from the bolt (about 40") or if you are cutting to size, use twice the width of your stocking plus a couple of inches.  Fold it wrong sides together, the long way, and press. 

Hanging loop - I make my own from scraps of cuff or Christmas fabric (the same way you make bag handles) and they finish at about 3/4" by 6.5".  

You can also use leftover rick rack or ribbon.  

Straight pins, good scissors, and basic sewing supplies. 

Place all four layers of fabric, right sides together, and pin the pattern on top. 

That's right - the exterior/theme fabrics right sides together and the lining fabrics right sides together.

Cut all four layers at the same time with scissors. 

Start sewing 1.5”- 2" DOWN FROM THE BACK OF THE STOCKING (heel side). 

Using a ¼”  or 3/8” seam allowance, sew around the stocking shape (all four layers) up to the top of the other side.

Sew all the way around to the top at the "front" of the stocking (toe side). 

Clip curves.  Trim seam to ¼” if you were sloppy. 

Turn 1:  Reach down into the stocking between the layers of theme/exterior fabric and grab the toe.  Turn completely inside out.  Check the seams to be sure all four layers are caught securely in the seam.  If not, fix it now.  They can shift. 

This is your opportunity to check that all four layers are in the seam. 

Turn 2:  Reach down into the stocking between the two layers of lining fabric and grab the toe.  Turn completely inside out.  Pat and/or press the stocking until the raw edges at the top are aligned.  It’s not important that the toe is perfectly flat at this point.  Lining fabric faces out.  You can trim the top edge if you need to.

Lay the cuff fabric down on the sewing machine, the fold to the left and raw edges to the right.  Lay the stocking down on top of it, matching the raw edges of the cuff, and starting at the back.  Leave about an inch of cuff fabric beyond the edge of the back of the stocking.

Now is the time to add an optional hanging loop at the back of the stocking.  Insert a loop between the lining fabric and the cuff at the rear, ensuring that the ends of the loop extend into the cuff seam allowance.  Give yourself about half an inch from the back edge of the stocking. 

I like the ends of the loop to stick out a little so I can see where they are and ensure they are straight and together.   

Here the "back" of the stocking is positioned over the cuff and hanging loop, ready to sew. 

You can see why we left that bit of seam open at the beginning, 

Sew the cuff to the stocking (two stocking layers, lining and theme fabric wrong sides together) around the entire top opening, with raw edges aligned.

I like to put 4-5 back stitches over the hanging loop to ensure that it won't come loose. 

Go all the way around, rolling the stocking forward as you go. 

Reaching the end, trim off any excess cuff fabric with scissors.  See the half inch or so left in front?  If you used a 6.5" x 40" piece the excess can be used in the next stocking.  If there isn't enough...use the excess to make hanging loops!  About 3" x 6.5" cut and then folded in on itself, pressed, and sewn.  You know how to do this. 

Remove from the machine. 

Turn 3:  Reach down into the stocking between the two layers of theme fabric and grab the toe.  Turn completely inside out.  This is the last turn so it's "pretty side out".  

Extend cuff fabric up away from the stocking.  Stick your finger into the unsewn seam allowance from the very beginning step and PULL out the seam allowance.  Pin if you need to.  

Drop your needle into the spot where the seam allowance sticks out and sew up to the top edge of the cuff (at the fold).  That seam allowance edge will remain raw. 

As you're sewing, “nest” the seam allowances for the cuff at the back (one up, one down).   

This photo shows where to start sewing - where the seam would be if the raw edges weren't sticking out. 

Sew all the way to the top edge of the cuff, nesting those seams.  

DON'T sew the hanging loop into this seam.  Keep it out of the way.

I like to do 4-5 back stiches from the edge and trim my threads there instead of at the very edge. 

If they ever come loose they won't show. 

Trim the cuff seam allowance to 1/4" (or so). 

Nip off that corner (preserving the stitching) so that it won't show when you turn the cuff down. 

This sadly out of focus photo shows a nice "nesting" of the seams between the stocking and the cuff.  

That's what you're striving for but if you are off by a little...it's fine. 

Turn the cuff down and make it tidy all around. 

“Roll” the lining fabric down slightly from the top of the cuff, so that it does not peek up over the cuff (like you learned in pocket construction in Home Ec).  

Give it a hard press with an iron.  

No need to topstitch the cuff.  

Here's your completed stocking!  My hanging loop is leaning a little toward starboard but no one will notice.  They will be too busy unpacking goodies from this clever stocking!

Thanks to all the volunteers in my area who make 250+ of these each year for Meals on Wheels clients.  It is great fun to know we are making their Christmas bright!

Flannel - Fuzzy Love!

I have seen a lot of posts and questions lately about using cotton flannel in quilting – and I used some, myself!

So here are some observations that I have about flannel that you may find helpful.

Cotton flannel is notoriously a low thread count fabric.  Not a high thread count like quality woven cottons that we use for quilting.  Which is why it is NOT recommended for face masks. 

Even the good quality flannels sold at your local quilt shop have a lower count fabric than woven cottons.  Flannels purchased at a discount store are often VERY loosely woven.

Flannel also sheds a lot of fiber/fuzz in the process of using it.  So, it needs special attention when used in a quilt.  The process of making flannel, and making it soft and fuzzy, brushes the fibers to bring up the nap.  So that works both for you and against you.

Prewashing

Cotton flannel shrinks more than high quality woven cottons.  So, it is really important to prewash flannel AND it is a good idea to wash and dry it twice!  Flannel keeps shrinking past the first wash.  It is the hot water/air and the agitation of the washer and the dryer that causes the shrinking.  You want to do as much shrinking (and get rid of any escaping color) before it goes in your quilt.

And guess what?  That means you need to buy a little MORE flannel than you would quilting cotton for the same application.  You’re going to lose some inches in the shrinking process.

Some people recommend a lingerie bag, but I think that severely limits the agitation of the fabric and in this case agitation is good.  Think about fulling wool fabric and the benefits of the agitation in that process.

When you put flannel on the back of a quilt and woven cottons on the front, flannel shrinks more than woven cottons so the back can end up smaller than the front.

Likewise, when you combine flannel and woven cotton pieces on the top of the quilt, flannel will shrink more than the woven cottons and leave your quilt top design askew.

It’s best, if you want to use flannel on the top, to use ALL flannel on the top so it will all shrink at the same rate at the same time, each time it’s washed.

That said, if you want to combine both types of fabric, just be aware of how it will behave after a few washings/dryings.  Most people use patterns with larger pieces when sewing with flannel, just to avoid struggling with tiny, loosely woven pieces and risking the shrinkage distortion. 

Stretchy

The looser weave/lower thread count of flannel will make it much stretchier than woven quilting cottons.  When you press it prior to cutting, take care not to distort the yardage or the individual pieces.  Move your iron up and down as we are taught, rather than scrubbing from side to side.

Should you starch or stabilize with a spray?  Maybe.  It might give you better results, especially if your pieces are getting small.  Try it.  If your flannel is nappy on only one side (as the lower grade flannels are), starch or apply a spray stabilizer from the back.

Seam Allowance

Plan to use a 3/8 or ½ inch seam allowance when piecing with flannel.  The looser weave can cause edges to fray more readily.

If you’re used to making garments with flannel, like pajama bottoms, you’re using a 5/8-inch seam allowance and you don’t notice the fragility much.  And you are likely serging or zig zagging the seam allowance.  But in quilting, the seam allowance stands alone and the loose weave of flannel needs a deeper seam.

Should you press seams open?  I am not a fan of open seams, unless you are bringing a number of seam allowances together in a point – which you are unlikely to do with flannel. 

Press to the side – here’s why:  Any tension placed on the completed quilt, like someone sitting on it on a bed, for example, will put tension on the seams.  If you have pressed them open, the seam can gap and the batting will show through.  With a loose weave like flannel, that damage can be permanent.  If you press the seam allowances to the side, any tension on the seam from above will still cause a little gap but only the fabric in the seam allowance will show through.  And it will be a lot more stable.   

Stitch Length for Piecing

If you make a piecing error, it’s going to be very difficult to pick out the stitches in flannel.  Try it some time.  A longer stitch length could work better for you.  If I’m using larger pieces of anything I usually bump up my stitch length to a 3.0, anyway.   But a longer stitch length also bumps up the risk of fraying.  You make the decision based on the quality of the flannel you’re using.  [And that extra length you bought might save the day if you need to cut a new piece…]

Keep your machine clean

Flannel sheds a lot of fuzz!  Plan to clean the bobbin area in your machine more often than you normally do.  If you can clean it every time you change a bobbin – or at least check that area and give it a quick wipe or vacuum, you’ll have better results.  A clogged bobbin case often leads to broken threads on the top and other wild stitches.

Thread

Using cotton thread for piecing or quilting should be just fine.  If you use polyester, I would stick with a good quality filament poly.   My opinion is that the tri-lobal polys are such a hard, sharp thread, that they could damage the softer flannel fibers. We will see if I am right in 10-15 years when we look at these flannels that are quilted with tri-lobal poly.

Needle

Some people find that they have better results sewing on flannel if they use a new needle.  I always piece and quilt with topstitch needles and change them often.  I like the extra sharpness and the bigger eye. 

Binding

Should you bind with flannel?  I wouldn’t.  Did you know that the binding on a quilt is the part that gets the most wear?  True.  That is why we bind with a double layer of good quality woven cotton.  Back in the day…we used to use a single layer for binding.  In the 1980’s the “French Fold” binding technique became popular; so popular, in fact, that no one even calls it that any more.  We just do it.  So the looser weave of the flannel defeats the purpose of having a durable binding.  Stick with high thread count woven cotton.

Try it!

These are the Threadmonger’s tips for quilting with flannel!  I used it recently for the back of a lap quilt for a wheelchair user.  The flannel on the back keeps the quilt in place more readily because of the grippy nature of the flannel’s nap.   I also used it to line a hand-warming pocket on the lap quilt.  I tested it and found it quite comfy!  There are lots of cute flannel prints available for you to play with and with these tips you’ll be feeling the fuzzy love!

Remembering and quilting

This is a classic album block - 50 of them, to represent my 50th birthday!  Which was some time ago...my friend, Carol Stonecipher made the blocks as a gift for me - from fabric I had collected.  She was sneaky and said she was making a 'test block' for me - then made them all! 

The quilt is huge - 83" x 100". I rarely make quilts this big!

 

I pieced them block-to-block and it was a challenge to make all the points come together.  I love the look of the setting, but it requires patience and some skill to get it just right.  Cleverly, this photo is taken from a distance...

 

It is exquisitely machine-quilted with custom designs by Patti Turner of Washougal, WA.

 

At my 50th birthday party I had the attendees sign the spaces in the centers.  Then I took some of the blocks around to friends in far away places (and mailed some) to collect additional signatures.  Two of the people who signed have since passed away; my godmother, Dolores Gildnes, and my Mom #2, Frances Byford.  I miss them both every day.  That's one of the many things that makes quilting such a special hobby - we can share our lives and remember our favorite people through quilting. 

 

This photo was taken at a very special exhibit in the fall of 2010 when my small quilting group, the Variable Stars, had our own "featured artist" quilt show.  We have been quilting together since 1997 and a few members have come and gone.  But we are still friends, still quilt together, and still share our lives.  The best of times and the worst of times.  But mostly the best.  And quilting.