Today’s contributor is Jill from Snugglebug University. All posts written by Jill for Make It and Love It can be found HERE.
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Hi, it’s Jill from Snugglebug University. Today, I’m so excited to share with you my latest project, a mini stocking Advent calendar!
When I was little, my grandmother made my mom and her brothers a different mini stocking every year. She’d hang them on her tree, and I always loved trying to guess what each year’s stocking would look like. Last year my mom gave many of these stockings to me. I thought about hanging them as ornaments, but ultimately decided that they’d be great for an Advent calendar!
In our house we fill our Advent calendar with little notes specifying some special activity for us to do as family each day. You can read about our calendar and some of my family’s favorite family traditions here.
Here though, are all the lovely stockings that my grandmother made:
I didn’t have enough stockings though for a whole Advent calendar, so I made a few stockings of my own to add to the ones from my grandmother. I have a template for you, so you can make your own mini stockings!
You’ll love the fake lining on these little stockings. They make them look so professional. Another bonus is that these stockings are relatively simple to make, so it’s not super painful to have to make 24 of them.
I like how they all are a bit different, but I also think that the Advent calendar would be stunning with 24 identical stockings…especially those little velvet red ones!
I made a simple wooden tree to hold all of the stockings, and I’m looking forward to sharing the tutorial with you today.
The tree came together very quickly with a miter saw. It’s just made with simple 45 degree cuts! I always tell my friends that if they can use a sewing machine then they can use a miter saw. Truthfully. It’s easy! I promise!
Little tacks hold all of the stockings. I haven’t added numbers yet, but I’m thinking that I might just add them behind the stockings so that they don’t distract from the stockings themselves.
I have so many favorites! They are all so unique!
For the Wooden Tree:
For the Stockings:
Begin by using the template to cut out all of the stocking pieces. If you are using a lightweight fabric for the stockings, I recommend using fusible fleece for the front piece to give the stocking a bit more weight. The stocking will hang better, too.
Iron the bumpy side of the fusible fleece to the back of the stocking front.
Fold 1/8 inch of the lining piece under, and iron in place.
Then you can fold the end over again, hiding the raw edge.
Sew along the fold, securing it in place.
Repeat for the other lining piece, and then place the right sides of the stocking together. Sew along the top edge of the stocking, securing the lining to the stocking front and back.
Take a small piece of ribbon and fold it in half. Place it right at the junction where the lining is attached to the stocking.
Pin it in place.
Next, you’ll place the stocking front on top of the stocking back so that the right sides are together. Sew all around the edges, leaving the top open. (Pay special attention to the lining here. The lining is stretched upward so that the sides of each lining are attached to each other).
Cut away the seam allowance so that there is less bulk. Be careful not to cut the seams!
Turn the stocking the right side out, and fold the lining inside of the stocking.
All finished! See how nice the lining looks?
I made the tree from some scrap wood that I already had on hand. The “trunk” was actually cut from an old twin Ikea bed leg! It’s not quite a 2×2, but substituting a 2×2 should work well! My tree branches came from some leftover wood that I had used to make picture frames. The pieces for the tree are as follows (the inch measurements below are for the top, shorter edge of the branches).
All of the cuts were cut at a 45 degree angle with a Miter saw.
Lay out all of your pieces and use wood glue to glue the branches on where you want them. Let them dry overnight.
I used a drill to drive the screws into the branches. This more securely attaches the wood branches to the “trunk” of the tree.
I used a slightly longer screw to attach the base of the tree to the base piece of the tree.
That pretty much finishes up the tree! All that is left is adding the tacks!
Position out all of the stockings where you want them, and then use a small hammer to pound in the tacks.
That finishes the tutorial!
Thank you so much for having me here on Make It and Love It! If you liked this post you might like some of my other Christmas tutorials, like these Christmas pillows!
Happy sewing everyone!
–Jill
You can follow Jill on her blog (snugglebuguniversity.com), on instagram, on pinterest, and on facebook.
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Advents help the magic of the holidays stretch out all month long! Check out a couple more cute advent ideas here:
Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!
