Mini Christmas Stocking Ornaments

Are you ready for some Christmas cuteness? These mini Christmas stockings are super simple to sew from felt, embroidery floss, buttons, and trims from your sewing basket. They make adorable ornaments, obviously, but you can also use them to decorate packages and brighten your holiday place settings.  I used a classic color scheme of red, white, and black, but you can use any palette you like for your stocking collection.

To begin, print out the patterns below to the size you like. My finished stockings are about 3 inches high. For each stocking, cut two stockings from your main color and one toe piece from a contrasting color. (As I do for all my felt projects, I used WoolFelt from National Nonwovens.) Use two strands of embroidery floss and whipstitch to sew the straight edge of the toe piece to one of the stocking pieces, as shown in the photos (this will be the stocking front). Cut a length of ribbon or rickrack slightly wider than the stocking and sew it in place about 1/8 inch from the top edge of the stocking. Sew an arrangement of buttons below the ribbon. 

When you've finished embellishing your stocking, pin the front and back pieces together, folding the edges of the ribbon over and tucking them between the two pieces. Starting at one top corner, sew the two pieces together with running stitch. Sew through the ribbon and curved edge of the toe piece to secure them in place. When you reach the other top corner, stuff the stocking with fiberfill before sewing the top edge closed. If you prefer, you can leave the top edge open and use the stocking to hold a miniature candy cane or other tiny treats. I sewed a jump ring to one corner of my stocking for securing a hanging loop, but you could also sew a hanging thread or ribbon directly onto the stocking.

That's it--your mini Christmas stocking is complete! If you get carried away like I did, here are some ideas for using your little stockings . . .

Use them as ornaments--on the Christmas tree or all through the house.

Tie them on Christmas presents for an extra touch of cuteness.

Wrap them around holiday sweets, then arrange them in a candy dish or on your holiday table.

American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast Dec. 4

I have big news! Pat Sloan, host of the American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast, invited me to be a guest on her show! My interview was recorded a few weeks ago, and it will be available on Monday, December 4 at 4 pm Eastern Time (3 pm Central, 2 pm Mountain, 1 pm Pacific).

I admit, I was mildly terrified, but Pat was super nice. We had a great chat about the WoolFelt projects I've designed for American Patchwork & Quilting and Quilts and More magazines--and other needlework topics. The show features interviews with three other designers too. I'll post a reminder next week with a link to the podcast, so please stop by again.

2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Christmas is less than a month away, so if you plan on making some of your gifts by hand, you better start crafting! To give you some inspiration, I've once again rounded up some of my favorite, gift-worthy projects from the blog. Some are simple; some require a bit more time and skill. Click on the link below to visit each project's original post.

1. Mini Felt Robots: Sew these tiny robotsfrom felt, buttons, and snaps, and give them to a robot-loving kid or a grownup sci-fi fan.

2. "Animal Crackers in My Soup" Pillow: A sweet appliqued pillow for a child's room, even if they're much too young to remember the song that inspired it.

3. Cross-Stitched Summer Cap: The weather may be frightful, but the gardeners on your list are already thinking about planting and weeding.

4. Appliqued Butterfly Picture: For someone special on your holiday list--pretty appliqued and embroidered butterflies that are worth the time and effort they require.

5. Jelly Jar Sewing Kit: This cute sewing kit comes together in minutes and makes a thoughtful stocking stuffer for an aspiring crafter.

6. Seashell Hoop Picture: Know a beach-lover or a fan of seashore decor? Stitch them a pretty appliqued seasell and frame it in a hoop.

7. Pink Retro Telephone Pillow: This fun pillow celebrates the bygone rotary phone--much more interesting than a cell phone, don't you think? Switch up the felt and fabric colors to match the recipient's favorites.

8, Groovy Goldfish Beanbag Bookend: This cross-stitched beanbag holds books in place and requires no feeding. A perfect gift for your pet-less friends.


If you're looking for more ideas, take a peek at gift roundups from previous years:

2016 Holiday Gift Guide

2015 Christmas Gift Roundup

"Give Thanks" Ribbon Banner

When it comes to gift boxes, wrapping paper, and ribbon, I have to admit I'm a bit of a hoarder. When I received a gift last year tied with this burlap wire-edged ribbon, I knew I had to cross-stitch something on it. I stashed it away and waited for inspiration, which came to me this year as autumn approached. The result is this simple "Give Thanks" design, which can be used as a mini banner on a Thanksgiving table. 

The ribbon I used is 22 inches long, 1 1/2 inches wide, and has about 14 strands to the inch. I used all six strands of embroidery floss and worked over two burlap strands, which suited the size and weave of my ribbon perfectly. The finished size of your cross-stitching will depend on the ribbon you use. Experiment with a small swatch until you get the look you want. If you want to create a more refined design, use fewer strands of floss or try working over a single fabric strand. If you're working with a wide ribbon, and you want your individual cross-stitches to be more prominent, try cross-stitching over four fabric strands.

Of course, you don't have to use a ribbon at all. You can use the chart below to stitch a simple Thanksgiving sentiment on any type of even-weave fabric, Aida, or linen. I used DMC embroidery floss in the following colors: #900 Dark Burnt Orange for the lettering, #3852 Very Dark Straw for the acorn bases, #780 Ultra Very Dark Topaz for the acorn caps, and #520 Dark Fern Green for the leaves. 

By the way--I'll be much too busy cooking, eating, and visiting to blog next week. I hope you will all be doing the same! I'd like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving--and to offer my sincere gratitude for your kind support of my little corner of the crafting world.

Please stop back on November 27th to check out my annual Holiday Gift Guide.