Monster Stocking

Hang this on your chimney with care to the delight of your monster-loving boy or girl. Tell them a tall tale about where you got it (damp cave) and how you ever-so-slooooowly peeled it from the sleeping critter's foot! C'mon, it's not like flying reindeer and the guy in the red suit are any more believeable!

This fun project went together so quick...one hour from start to finish. 

I scoured my fabric heap looking for something green and scaley. No such luck. I ended up choosing a rumpled piece of gold velvet and some swanky gold satin as well as a piece of fun fur left from last year's Halloween costume. (https://www.instructables.com/id/Wee-Gnome-Halloween-Costume/)  I wanted something kind of 'glam' as it is a Christmas stocking. I didn't want it too ugly to have hanging around!

I also used some scissors, chalk, pins & thread, a knitting needle, chopstick or other pokey thing for turning the toenails right-side out, and a sewing machine. You could do this by hand, I don't imagine it would be too time consuming.

With your chalk, rough out a stocking outline on the wrong side of your fabric.  Remember to leave enough room for seams that once turned right-side-out, little (or big) hands can find their way to the goodies at the bottom of the stocking. Don't make the ankle too narrow.  Have some fun with the shape!

With fabric right sides together, pin around the edge and cut out two pieces.

Fold toe fabric in half, shiny side in and with chalk, trace a claw/toenail shape. Pin, then place under sewing machine and sew one toe at a time, linking the three toes together. This saves time and thread, if you don't stop in between each toe and cut off thread, then start anew each time.

Cut the toes apart, then trim around each toe, leaving about 1/4-1/8" extra. Using a knitting needle (chopstick, other long pokey thing) turn the toes right-side out and poke out the very tips.

Press.

Open up the toe of your stocking and place the three toes pointing in. Your raw edges will line up; the raw edge of the toes as well as the raw edge of the stocking toe. When you flip it back right-side-out, your toes will be pointing outwards. Tricky, I know.

One important thing to note here!  I nearly sewed through the bottom of the bottom toe by placing it too close to the seam allowance on the bottom edge of the stocking. Be sure that when you have the toenails tucked inside and are preparing to sew,  you don't sew lengthwise over that bottom toe.  See image notes...

Starting at the top, on one side, sew down and around and back up the other side.

Turn it right-side-out and see if you don't chortle like I did! It's impossible not to!

Working with fun fur can be messy, unless you know this trick; Lay fun fur with wrong side up and using scissors, trim with short little snips as close to the 'fabric' as you can, avoiding cutting the 'hair' if this makes sense.  You will still have some hair all over the place, but this cuts down considerably on just how much. 

I just wanted a rectangle of fur trim on the one side. If you want it to go all the way around, you will just have to tweak it a bit at this step.   I cut my rectangle and laid it on the stocking, right sides together. You want the fur overhanging most of the stocking, so that when you flip it back over itself, it drapes down over the stocking. (see image notes...) Pin it in place, folding over the raw edge of the stocking at the same time. Sew all the way around, through the fun fur and velvet layer.

I also cut a long, skinny piece of the gold velvet and looped it to use as a hanger. We don't have a mantle, but we have a doorknob, so I made it long enough for a 4 year old to slip off his own doorknob without too much trouble. :) Sew it on up at the top edge of the stocking, close to the seam at the 'back'.

I hope you enjoyed my Instructable for this fun and quick, festive, monster stocking!