Poinsettia Stocking

Required Materials
*Green Fleece

*White Fleece or other soft material

*Felt in dark green, red, 2 shades of blue, and yellow-orange

*Thread in dark green, red, blue, yellow-orange, and white

*Sewing machine

***Note: I made two separate poinsettia stockings, so if you see duplicated pieces or slightly different colours this is the reason.

***Also the making of the cuff is a little bit complicated, the attached video will help to show exactly what is meant if any parts are unclear as I know it is a bit wordy.

*If you have an existing stocking, this is good to use for reference. Trace it onto some large cardstock paper and cut out. Alternatively you can print an image from Google, or draw the stocking shape yourself.

*The cardstock is your template, and can be used to make many stockings.

*Trace the template onto a piece of paper, or 2 pieces taped together if you don't have a single sheet that is large enough.

*This paper will be where you design your stocking pattern, and this will get cut up.

*I drew a poinsettia using images for reference and added a couple nice swirls and circles. If you don't feel like drawing you can print an image and trace it with tracing paper.

*Number the petals and leaves and take a picture so you can refer back to it as each leaf/petal is a slightly different shape.

*Cut out the leaves from the pattern, trace onto some dark green felt. Extend the lines so that the leaves can be tucked under the flower. It doesn't matter how big or even these extended lines are as they will be completely hidden beneath the flower.

*Cut out the flower as a singular big piece with many points. Trace onto the felt and cut out. If you're using a dark pen flip the pattern over before tracing, this will make it the right orientation when you flip the felt over to hide the pen.

*Next, cut out a few of the petals that would "appear" to be in the background. You will now have a slightly smaller shape with fewer points. Trace this onto the felt and cut out as well.

*Cut out some more petals, leaving only the most central petals left in the pattern. Trace and cut this out in the red felt.

*You now have a flower with 3 layers, with some of the petals behind others.

*Cut out a little circle in yellow-orange felt and notch the edges so it looks wavy.

*Cut out the remaining pieces of your pattern (swirls and small circles).

*I found taping the pattern down was helpful to keep it in place during tracing/cutting.

*Using a zig-zag stitch, stitch all along the edges of your felt pattern with a matching thread. This involves multiple re-threading of the machine, and multiple bobbins is also helpful.

*Keep in mind to work from the back to the front. So anything that is behind or under another piece needs to be sewn first. I found it helpful to set it all in place, and take a picture for reference. Then tape or pin the back pieces to the stocking, and sew right away. Then check that everything still sits in the right place after sewing each piece.

*The order that I sewed everything was as follows: Swirls, small circles, leaves, large poinsettia piece, medium poinsettia piece, small poinsettia piece, poinsettia center.

*Measure the width of the top of your stocking where the cuff will go.

*Measure how tall you want your cuff to be.

*Add a seam allowance to those numbers. So if your seam allowance is 1/2 inch, and you want your cuff to end up as 4 inches tall, then you will need to cut out a piece that is 5 inches tall.

*Cut the material so it is just a bit over twice the width of your stocking top (Because the cuff goes around front and back). You also don't want it to be tight, so add the seam allowance + a little bit extra. Hold the material up to your stocking to get an idea as to where it will sit.

*Cut out 2 pieces that are this size, your cuff will have an inside and outside piece.

*If your pattern goes high and would become hidden by most of the cuff, make the cuff height longer, this will make it so that you can fold it so the cuff adds a bit of length to your stocking and makes it so more of your pattern will be visible. Just make sure to place your handle farther from the top.

*Take one of the cuff pieces and fold it in half and sew along the edge with the good sides facing inwards. You will now have a loop that should fit nicely on your stocking. Test that it fits properly.

*Take a small rectangular piece of fleece that is the same colour as the stocking, this will be the handle. Fold and measure that it will be long enough to hang up. Straighten the material up and fold the opposite way (so that it is more narrow), sew along the edge and flip right-side-out. You will now have a long narrow tube of fleece.

*Take your fleece tube and fold it in half.

*Place it on an angle along the edge of your second cuff piece. Have the fold of the handle coming up above the top of your cuff and facing inwards.

*Fold your cuff in half as was done with the other cuff piece, the handle will now be mostly hidden, pin in place and sew.

*Snip the excess handle ends that are overhanging from the cuff side.

*Now you have 2 cuff halves that are sewn in a loop.

*Make sure the one with the handle is oriented with the handle on the inside.

*Take the second piece and flip it right side out.

*Place the second piece inside of the handled piece, and make sure to line up the seams.

*Sew along the edge of the cuff on the side that is farthest from the handle.

*Now flip the handled cuff so you have the handle on the outside.

*Take the other side of the cuff and fold it inside of the handled one.

*You now have a cuff with the good sides of the material facing "out" and the "wrong" sides touching inwards.

*Now keeping the wrong sides together, flip the whole cuff inside out so the handle is now on the inside, and the good side of the other cuff piece is on the outside.

*Take your stocking and flip it inside out.

*Place your inverted cuff upside down on your stocking, making sure to match the handle to the edge seam of the heal side of your stocking.

*Put the cuff over top of the stocking and pull down so that the un-sewn edges of your cuff line up with the un-sewn edges of your stocking. Tuck down the handle so it doesn't get sewn over. Open the stocking up and make sure all the edges line up nicely, and sew together.

*Flip your stocking right side out, and the cuff should nicely lie nicely on your stocking.

*Set up your stocking, and enjoy!

*The two I made went to my mother in-law and my mother.

*You can also add some beads by hand sewing them into the center of the flower or circles for some extra sparkle.