How to Make Exotic Holiday Stockings

Design on a Dime design coordinator Charles Burbridge gives the steps for making fun Christmas stockings out of faux fur.

Materials and Tools:

11" X 14" piece of white tag board
black marking pen
scissors
straight pins
various 1/4-yard lengths of faux animal fur
1/4-yard length of white faux fur
a hand-sewing needle and corresponding thread for all fur colors

Steps:

1. Mark out the desired shape of the stocking on the piece of tag board and label one side RIGHT and the other side LEFT.

2. Enlarge this outline 3/4 inches all the way around to allow for the finished sewn edge.

3. Cut out the stocking shape using the outer most line as your guide. This will be your template for cutting out the faux fur pieces.

4. Use the template to trace the RIGHT side of the stocking and then the LEFT side of the stocking on the back side of the fur.

5. Cut out these pieces and pin them together, fur side in, leaving an opening for the top.

 6. Also cut a 6" x 1" band of fur and fold in half lengthwise, again with the fur side facing in, and pin together.

7. Sew the RIGHT and LEFT sides of the stocking together, by hand or using a sewing machine, coming in 3/4 inches on all sides.

8. Sew the 6" X 1" fur piece together and then turn the tube inside out.

9. Sew the ends of the tube together to create the hanging loop.

10. Cut a 6-inch strip of the white fur that is one inch longer than the entire circumference of the stocking opening. Sew the two ends of the strip together, fur side in, to create the white fur band.

11. Place this band of white fur into the stocking opening so that three inches is inside and three inches is outside and tack into place along the top edge of the stocking using the needle and white thread.

12. Turn the entire stocking inside out and fold the outer three inches of the white fur band over like a cuff.

13. Tack the hanging loop into place on the heel side interior of the stocking.