Argyle Christmas Stockings free sewing pattern

Make beautiful quilted Christmas stockings that will be loved for years with this free sewing pattern!

For more fun projects like this, check out all my free sewing patterns.

Hello sewists… guess what??? Christmas is starting! Okay, well, really your holiday sewing is starting but that’s most of the fun of the holidays, isn’t it…. making handmade gifts for everyone we love? And making festive decorations to put around the house?

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Holiday fabrics are starting to hit the quilt shops and there are so many to adore… like this collection called Christmas Dear by Stacey Peterson for Blend Fabrics.

And I have a confession to make: my family does not have handmade Christmas stockings (well, until now). We have been using a miss-matched set of store bought Christmas stockings because I never plan ahead enough to make handmade stockings. When it is time to put them up, who has time to sew them? No one ever.

So this year I started my holiday sewing as soon as I got my holiday fabrics and I stitched up these beautiful Quilted Christmas Stockings!

Oh, and I found a Christmas tree at the thrift store for $5 so I put it up in my sewing room, lol! I am crazy for Christmas right now and my kids love it.

Anyway – back to the stockings. When I started looking around for ideas, I fell in love with the thought of argyle stockings. Reminiscent of ugly sweaters, but cute instead! There is baby rick rack trimming and a fleece cuff at the top to make them warm and snuggly.

These Christmas stockings are easy to make too! The design uses strip piecing (so no Y-seams), and then foundation quilting (so no basting layers together and quilting at the end). This also means that there is no baggy lining inside to come out and annoy you – all the layers are quilted!

Are you ready to sew a handmade Christmas stocking for someone special? Let’s go…

Argyle Christmas Stockings Sewing Pattern

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You will need:

• 1/2 yard main fabric
• 1/2 yard coordinating fabric
• 1/2 yard fabric for the lining
• 1/4 yard fleece fabric
• 1 yard fusible fleece interfacing or fusible quilt batting
• 7 yards (2 pkgs) baby rick rack
• 7” scrap of rick rack or ribbon
• pen or marker
• long quilting ruler marked with a 60 degree angle line (see below)
• rotary cutter and cutting mat

Cutting:

From the main fabric, cut:

• 4 strips 3 1/2” x 40” (or simply the width of the fabric)

From the coordinating fabric, cut:

• 4 strips 3 1/2” x 40” (or simply the width of the fabric)

From the lining fabric, cut:

• 2 rectangles 16” x 20”

From the fusible fleece (or fusible quilt batting), cut:

• 2 rectangles 16” x 20”

From the fleece fabric, cut:

• 1 rectangle 9” x 19”

Preparation:

1. Apply the fusible fleece (or fusible quilt batting) to the back of the lining fabric rectangles.

2. On the other side of these pieces, trace the stocking pattern using a pen or marker that does not bleed through. Trace it once right side up and once right side down so the images are reversed.

Working with the fabric strips:

1. Sew the 8 strips together in an alternating pattern with a 1/4” seam allowance. Press the seams open.

2. The next step is to cut 3 1/2′ strips from this strip set at a 60 degree angle.

The first cut can be anywhere on your sewn strip set, but should intersect all of the strips.

Line the 60 degree angle line up with the bottom of your sewn strip set and cut all the way across to the top.

Turn each piece so that you can easily cut 3 1/2” strips of diamonds as seen above. Cut up all of the strip set. It will yield 6-7 complete strips (with 8 diamonds) and a bunch of smaller strips that you will also use.

Foundation quilting:

1. Start with the piece of fusible fleece (or batting) with the stocking toe pointing to the left. This one will require 3-4 full strips (the other piece only needs 1 full strip set).

You will need to sew strips to the fleece to cover the traced stocking completely. Don’t worry about covering the entire piece, just the traced area.

2. Lay a full strip across the left side of the stocking so that the top diamond is cut in half by the top of the stocking (see first photo above). The strip should also cover part of the toe.

Lay the second strip down next to the first so that the top diamond is also cut in half by the top of the stocking. Fold the second strip over onto the first and pin the strips to the batting at each seam.

Tips: notice that the red diamonds will be sewn to the coordinating diamonds – like fabrics are not sewn together. You will need to offset the strips by 1/4” so that the seams meet at the corners. Do your best but don’t stress this part – it’s impossible to be perfect. 🙂

3. Sew the strips together on the fusible fleece with a 1/4” seam allowance. I like to sew a little bit further than my traced area to give me wiggle room when I cut out the pattern later.

4. Open the second piece and press it flat against the fusible fleece (1st photo above). Isn’t that pretty?

Pin and stitch a third full length strip against the one you just pressed in the same way as before.

4. Continue pinning and sewing strips until the traced stocking is covered. You will only need partial strips after the first 2.

Note that there are 3 red diamonds across the top of the stocking. Keep that in mind when you start the other piece. 🙂

5. Pin the stocking pattern over the foundation quilted piece. Cut out one side of the stocking. Isn’t it cute?

6. Cover the stocking that is traced on the other piece of fusible fleece in the same way:

• Start at the left side – you will only need a partial strip.
• Let the top 3 diamonds be cut in half by the top of the stocking.
• Don’t worry about covering the whole piece – just the traced shape of a Christmas stocking.

7. Pin the pattern piece in place (reversed) and cut out the other side of the stocking.

Trimming:

Sew pieces of baby ric rac down the middle of each row of diamonds in both directions (not along the seams). This is for a traditional argyle look. Of course you can do it differently if you like!

Finishing the Quilted Christmas Stocking:

You are almost done!

1. Pin and stitch the two stocking pieces right sides together with a 1/4” seam allowance, leaving the straight edge at the top open. Clip to the stitching along the curves to help it turn nicely.

2. Finish the raw edges together with a zig zag stitch or a serger. You could also bind the seam with bias binding if you like. I used my serger.

3. Fold the 7” piece of ric rac or ribbon in half and sew the ends together at the top of the stocking – right over the back seam. This is sewn on the INSIDE of the stocking.

4. Fold the 9” x 19” piece of fleece fabric right sides together, lining up the 9” edges. Stitch the 9” edges together with a 1/2” seam allowance to make a fleece tube. Finger-press the seam open.

5. Fold the tube with the long edges of the fabric together and the wrong side of the fleece on the inside. This should make a cuff as seen above. Pin or baste the raw edges together if desired.

6. Pin the raw edges of the cuff around the top of the stocking, still working on the INSIDE. The cuff will cover the hanging loop – that’s fine. Align the seam in the cuff with the back seam on the stocking.

Stitch around the top of the stocking with a 1/2” seam allowance to attach the cuff. Use the free-arm feature on your sewing machine if you have one.

Finish this seam with a zig zag stitch or a serger, if desired. It is under the cuff and won’t show.

Turn the stocking right side out and fold the cuff down. Now it’s time to make another!

Ask for the adorable Christmas Deer fabrics at your local quilt shop now!

Here’s a sneak peek of another Christmas project I have in the works! What do you think it is? 🙂

Update: my secret Christmas project is ready: its a Christmas Tree Skirt Pattern!

Happy holiday sewing,

p.s. Come get 35+ Favorite Christmas Sewing Projects – All Free!