Judah's Christmas Stocking

Well...I finally finished it.  I never got around to making a Christmas Stocking for Judah last year.  (Don't tell Judah he didn't have a stocking for his first Christmas!)...BAD MOMMY!!

So, I was bound and determined to get on it this year.  I originally planned on knitting or crocheting him a stocking, but decided I just didn't have the time to do this.  So, I went and looked at the stockings that were around at the craft and discount stores to see if I could buy one and just embroider his name on it.  I hated every single stocking I saw, plus they all cost $20 or more and that was at 50% off.  So, I decided I would buy the material and make his stocking myself.  That way I could make it how I wanted.  I spent $26 total on everything!  So, pretty much the exact same price I would have spent to get something I hated, not to mention impersonal!

I am not an expert sewer by any means, but my mom taught me when I was young and bought me a sewing machine back before I was married.  I figured I could do this.  I didn't use any patterns, but did watch a video on how to do the lining of the stocking, which I was glad I did.  How I had it figured out in my head definitely wasn't the right way!  It isn't perfect, but I really like the way it ultimately turned out and thought I would share the process with you.

These are the materials I bought...most on sale!

I used Nathan's stocking as a template and traced it on newspaper.  I wanted Judah's to be a little longer then ours, so I added length to the top as well as a half an inch all around for a seam allowance.

The material I chose was really thin, so I decided to add fleece inside.  (They didn't have any black fleece, but I figured you wouldn't see the blue...so it worked.)

Here's the body of the stocking with the cording sewn in the seam.

This is the cuff of the stocking

 

I added some tassels so it would look like mine and Nathan's stockings.

Here you can see the blue fleece inside, because I hadn't added the lining inside yet.

Now the lining has been attached with the cording at the top of the cuff.  (This was the trickiest and most difficult part of the whole thing for me.)

Once I stuffed the lining inside...

...I had the completed stocking.  Well...almost!

 

 I still had to embroider Judah's name.  I couldn't figure out how to transfer the name once I had drawn it out onto the cuff, since it was made of black shiny material.  I had no chalk or anything that would write on it easily.  I started to embroider it without any guide and got the J and the U on it and it looked HORRIBLE!!  So I took all the stitching out and let it sit for a couple of days. 

Finally I thought of a way...
 

I drew out the letters of his name onto tissue paper.  Then I pinned it to the cuff.

I then literally sewed right through and over the tissue paper.  Once I finished I picked all the pieces of the tissue paper out of the stitching.

Here's his name all finished

...and here is the completed stocking!

I like that I made it a little longer.  We'll be able to put more toys and goodies in it for him when it's time!  Doesn't it look fun hung up with our stockings?