The stockings have been hung by the chimney with care, and here’s how I did it. As I wrote in my original post, I had McCall pattern M5778, but I only loosely used it.

Really you just need a good stocking template. You can trace a stocking you already have, buy a pattern, or draw your own if you think you have a good eye for the shape. I started by using the McCall’s pattern to cut out the lining and back fabric for each of my stockings. The back fabrics and one half of each lining should have the toe facing left. The other piece of lining fabric for each stocking should have the toe facing right. For my lining I used a white fabric that said “Believe” all over it. For Adam’s it’s a red fabric that says “bah! humbug!” The back of his is green and mine is red.

Once I’d cut out those pieces, I made the back sections of each stocking. Cut a piece of batting to fit the stocking. Make a quilt sandwich with The back fabric and the lining fabric right sides together, then the batting on top of the lining fabric.

I wanted the toe of both of my stockings to point left, so I had to be careful to pin the right ones. For the back section of the stocking use the lining piece where the toe points left when you look at it the right way.

Sew almost all the way around the sandwich, leaving an opening of 3-4″ (I did mine at the top) to turn it inside out. Turn it inside out, push out all the sides with an orange stick or knitting needle, and close the remaining hole. My lining fabric had lines of text, so I quilted across the piece in straight lines about every 3rd line of text. If yours has a pattern, quilt in straight or diagonal lines across the piece in whatever spacing works best for it. Trim all loose threads.

Now it’s time to make the front of the stocking. I strip pieced the patchwork design at random. Select your fabrics for the stocking front and cut them into strips of the desired width. I varied my widths to make the stocking a little more interesting, and I used 6 fabrics for each stocking front. Starting from the toe, sew each strip to the next, pausing to lay it down and place the lining piece on top to make sure you’ve left enough fabric to cover all the sides.

I angled mine diagonally, but you can lay yours out whichever way looks good.

One of my fabrics had text, and I decided I wanted the text to be oriented straight across when I looked at the stocking. So I cut that piece at different angles to the others to allow the text to face the right way. For this stocking above, I already had a semicircular piece cut for the toe. So I had to turn this piece several times until it fit the shape I’d already cut in the lining piece.

Once your piece is big enough, put it on top of your batting right side up. Lay your lining piece on it right side down (the lining piece should face right when you look at it the right way). Pin all around and cut out the stocking shape.

Sew it closed just like you did the back piece. Turn it right side out, push out all the corners, and sew the remaining hole closed. I quilted my front piece by stitching in the ditch between the strips. Cut all the loose threads.

Once both the front and back pieces are sewn and quilted, pin them together with the lining pieces facing out (back and front should be facing in towards each other). Cut a piece of bias tape or ribbon, make a loop, and pin it the top corner away from the toe.

This next part is tricky, and there’s probably a better way to do this. But this is how I taught myself to sew 2 quilted pieces together, and so far it’s worked pretty well. Starting at a top corner, sew through all the pieces. Sew all the way around the stocking until you reach the other top corner. Leave the top of the stocking completely open. When you sew over the ribbon loop, make sure to backstitch so it stays firmly in place.

Turn the entire stocking inside out and push out all the corners. Trim all the loose threads and hang.

Happy Holidays!