A Christmas How-To: Finishing a Cross-Stitch Stocking

I am so excited to share this that I am interrupting my very belated and very drawn-out recap of Italy to bring you a little Christmas-inspired "How To" for the inquiring mind.

Based on recent experience, I realized that there is little no instruction or YouTube video about how to finish a cross-stitch stocking.

Backing and framing your finished cross-stitch project? Sure.
Whole lessons on how to do various types of stitches? You bet.
How to turn your stocking from aida to actual stocking? Nope.

I realize this a very niche topic and most people will absolutely not care in the slightest BUT for you lucky person out there that found this post after squiring the internet and finding a blasphemous lack of clear instruction for stocking stitchery, this is for you! To be fair, this post is also 100% selfish as I plan to use it for future reference if I ever make another stocking. If it's on the blog I can't lose it!

So here is how you do it.
For this project you will need:

1. Sewing machine and thread (color doesn't matter because you shouldn't see it at the end)

2. Pins and pin cushion
3. Scissors (any will do but we used Fiskars)
4. Fabric backing (enough for two layers of the stocking)
5. Felt insert (length of stocking)
6. Your completed cross stitch design (which should just be your aida)

Some tips before we start:
1. DO NOT CUT THE FABRIC BACKING YET. Make sure you have enough for two layers but leave them either as rectangular sheets or one long piece. It also never hurts to buy more than you think you will need--in case we mess up. My stockings were only 16 inches so we got a yard of fabric and had plenty leftover.
2. If you did a kit stocking (like the Dimensions Gold Collection I used) your piece of felt will come with the kit Even if you did not stitch from kit I suggest you buy a piece of felt. The felt insert makes the stocking nice and cushion-y and protects the back of the threads that could get snagged or pulled as you are loading/unloading the stocking.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Trim your aida/cross stitch design so that you have about a 1 inch border around the finished stitches. It should look like this:

2.  Flip it over so you are looking at its back. Lay your felt piece on top. So right now you are looking at your stocking (image side down) with felt on top.

3. Take the first portion of your fabric backing. With the good side of the fabric facing UP toward you, lay it down on top of the felt. Generally pin the layers together so the three layers are secured as one unit. It doesn't matter how closely you pin or where you pin it so long as the pins will keep the layers together and stop them from moving around. This forms your "Pinned Package".

4. Flip the Pinned Package over so you are looking at the face of the cross stitch image again. You don't need to trim the felt or fabric to match the aida unless your fabric is so large it's unworkable. Using a sewing machine and any thread, stitch along the perimeter of the stocking. DO NOT stitch across the top where the stocking opening will be. Starting at the top corner of your choice (we always start with the top right) stitch along the perimeter as best you can, following it around the heel and toe, and then back up the other side to the top.

So now when you flip it over you will have a stitched outline of the image on the fabric at the back.

Congratulations. You just made the front of your stocking. Can you see it? You have your cross stitch which is what you will see when it hangs and then you have the fabric which will ultimately become the front of the stocking pocket. Remember when I told you have enough fabric for TWO backings? You need the second one to use as the back of the stocking.

5. Lay what you just sewed on the table with the stitched image facing up. Lay the second layer of fabric good side down on the table: the GOOD side of the stitches should be facing the GOOD side of the fabric. This is very important. The stocking is now inside out so that when you invert it the stitches will be on the inside and hidden from view. Pin all layers generally in place. When you flip this newly pinned package over, you will see the fabric with the stitched outline.

6. Using the stitched outline as a guide, use your sewing machine to again stitch directly over top the first layer of stitches. Again, do not stitch across the top of the stocking.

7. Trim all excess fabric and felt down to match the 1 inch skrim border. If you want you could cut it even closer to the seam but I like to leave a bit of working room in case I decide to change the fabric backing later on.

8. Cut notches around the toe and heel. This will help the stocking lay nicer. The notches should look like this:

9. Now it's time to invert your stocking. Reach in between the two pieces of fabric backing, grab the toe, and pull inside out. Be careful so you don't rip the stitches--though I have never had a problem. Push the toe and heel and finagle the fabric until the stocking lays flat. Steaming the stocking may help.

You now have your stocking but there should be some excess aida, fabric, and felt at the top.

For the top seams:
1.  Separate the front of the stocking (should have three layers: aida, felt, and fabric) from the back fabric piece. Be careful to keep these apart otherwise you will sew your stocking closed.
2. Fold the aida down until it's right at the top of the cross-stitch stocking border. You can trim the excess felt if you want. Flip the excess fabric (only the fabric right next to the felt NOT the fabric that is the actual back of the stocking). Hand stitch the aida and the folded fabric with a slip stitch (invisible stitch). I use a thread that matches the fabric so it's as hidden as possible.
3. Fold over the back fabric so it is even with the front and slip stitch across in the same way.
4. Using a strip of your left over fabric, cording, or a braided floss (mine told me to use braided floss but I just used extra fabric), make the stocking loop so you can hang it on a hook. Slip stitch the loop to the inside of the stocking wherever you like. I typically put it in the top right corner.

Congratulations! You now have your finished stockings. Did you make it??
**Special thanks to my Mom for doing the actual sewing. I don't have a sewing machine (or the knowledge to work a sewing machine) so she was basically the most important part of this equation.