How To Make Personalized Christmas Stockings with Stick and Stitch Embroidery

Christmas stockings are a timeless tradition that adds an extra touch of excitement to the holiday season. While store-bought stockings can be super cute, crafting your own stockings can be a delightful way to add a personal touch to your holiday decor and create memories that will last for years to come.

One way to personalize your stockings is by using stick and stitch embroidery. You may be asking yourself, “what is stick and stitch?” Well… Stick and Stitch is embroidery designs on thin sticky stabilizer stickers which are dissolvable in water. You just peel the back, stick it to your fabric, stitch, and dissolve it in water at the end. For more information read my blog on stick and stitch!

This charming technique allows you to easily embroider intricate and beautiful designs directly onto your stockings.

Materials You’ll Need

Before we dive into the step-by-step instructions, let’s gather the essential materials you’ll need for this project:

1. Christmas Stocking: You can either buy plain stockings or make your own.
2. Embroidery Floss: Choose festive colors that match your holiday decor or plain black for that stand-out look. Metallic or glitter threads can add an extra touch of sparkle.
3. Embroidery Needle: A needle with a large eye that can accommodate embroidery floss is ideal.
4. Embroidery Hoop: This helps keep your fabric taut while you work, making it easier to create precise stitches.
5. Embroidery Scissors: Sharp, small scissors for trimming floss and fabric.
6. Stick and Stitch Name: You can free-hand draw your names or visit my shop for personalized stick and stitch that will ship to you.
7. Water-Soluble Stabilizer: Wether you free-hand draw your name or use my patterns, you will need self-adhesive water soluble stabilizer. My favorite brand is sulky! Click here to shop: https://shrsl.com/4d91u

Step-by-Step Instructions

Now that you’ve gathered your materials, let’s get started on creating beautiful stick and stitch embroidered Christmas stockings:

1. Prepare Your Stocking: Lay your Christmas stocking flat and ensure it’s clean and free of wrinkles.
2. Select Your Design: Decide on the design you want to embroider. Classic options include personalized names, or fun icons like snowflakes, holly, or reindeer. I have digital stick and stitch patterns if you want to print yourself!
3. Peel off the design and place it on the stocking where you want it to be embroidered.
4. Thread Your Needle: Cut a length of embroidery floss, usually about an arms length, and thread it through the needle’s eye. You can use a single strand for a delicate look or multiple strands for a bolder appearance.
5. Secure the Floss: Knot the end of the floss, leaving a tail of about 6 inch. Start your embroidery from the inside of the stocking to hide the knot.
6. Begin Stitching: There are various stitch options for stick and stitch embroidery, including backstitch, satin stitch, or split stitch. Follow the lines of your pattern and make even stitches.
7. Change Colors as Needed: If your design includes different colors, simply knot off one color and start with another, being sure to secure the new color with a knot on the inside of the stocking.
8. Finishing Touches: When you’ve completed your design, secure the floss with a knot on the inside of the stocking. Trim any excess thread.
9. Dissolve the Stabilizer: Fill a bowl or basin with lukewarm water (or just use your kitchen sink.) Immerse your embroidered stocking in the water, gently swishing it around. The stabilizer will dissolve completely, leaving your beautiful stitches intact.
10. Dry and Finish: Gently squeeze out excess water from your stocking once all of the stabilizer has dissolved, then lay it flat or hang it up to air dry.
11. Hang and Enjoy: Once your embroidered stocking is dry, your stockings are ready to be filled with holiday goodies. Hang them by the fireplace or wherever you display your holiday decor.

Stick and stitch embroidery is a wonderful way to add a personal and festive touch to your Christmas stockings. Whether you’re decorating for your own family or creating cherished gifts for loved ones, transforming plain stockings into beautiful holiday keepsakes is a craft that will be treasured for years to come. So, this holiday season, pick up your needle and thread, and create stockings that radiate the magic of Christmas.