Free Sewing Pattern for a Victorian Silk Christmas Stocking

While there are many Christmas stockings available for purchase out there, it's fun for a crafter to create their own Christmas stocking from materials at hand. This particular stocking, made for a child, used leftover scraps from a family wedding and bridesmaid's dress. The luxe silk fabric and braided trim suggests a Victorian Christmas, and the history of the fabric guarantees that this Christmas stocking will be a family heirloom. Decorate your mantel in traditional Victorian finery and create a row of these Victorian-style stockings for your loved ones for a memorable Christmas. When sewing this Christmas stocking, all seam allowances are ½".

Materials for each Victorian Christmas Stocking

1/3 yard burgundy dupioni silk
1/3 yard lightweight lining
1 yard 1 ½" wide embroidered trim
1/3 yard ½" wide braided trim
6" x 8" piece of white dupioni silk
Thread, scissors, pins, sewing machine
Pencil, brown paper bag

Draw a Christmas Stocking Pattern

The stocking pattern is drawn on the brown paper bag, using the rough outline of your foot and lower leg. Cut the brown paper bag apart and lay flat on the floor. Put your foot and lower leg sideways on the bag in a slightly flexed position and trace around it, leaving extra room around the ankle and going up to mid-calf. Adjust the pattern as needed so you have a stocking-shaped tracing, about 16" tall, 12" long from heel to toe, and 8" across at the top of the calf.

Cut Out the Christmas Stocking

Fold the burgundy silk in half, matching selvages. Pin the stocking pattern to the silk and cut out the stocking body. Repeat with the lining.

Sew the Victorian Trim to the Stocking Front

Pin, then baste the white silk across the top of the stocking, matching edges. Pin and baste two rows of the wide embroidered trim. One row of trim is placed across the bottom of the white silk, covering the lower raw edge. The second row of trim is placed with the edge ½" below the top raw edge of the stocking. Stitch the embroidered trim in place.

Pin, baste and stitch a 7" piece of the narrow braid trim in a curve over the heel of the Christmas stocking. Pin, baste and stitch a 6" piece of braid across the toe of the stocking.

Sew the Christmas Stocking

Matching raw edges, stitch around the sides and bottom of the lining. Place the burgundy silk stocking body pieces together, right sides facing. Pin and stitch around the sides and bottom. Trim and clip the curves, and trim the excess braid in the seam allowances. Turn the silk stocking body right side out and press.

Turn under ½ inch and press along the top edge of the silk Christmas stocking body. Turn under ½ inch along the top of the stocking lining, pressing towards the seam allowance. Place the stocking lining inside the silk stocking body, matching the pressed edges. To make a hanging loop, cut an 8" piece of the wide embroidered trim and fold in half. Tuck the raw edges between the lining and stocking body and pin in place. Stitch firmly to the body of the stocking, just inside the seam allowance.Pin the stocking and lining together and then sew by hand, using a whip stitch. The Victorian Christmas stocking is complete and ready to grace your mantel.

Variations on the Victorian Christmas Stocking

Before sewing the silk top on, embroider or cross-stitch a name on the stocking to personalize it.

Use a rich velvet fabric for the stocking body. The second illustrated stocking has a black velvet body, white silk top and red satin lining for a would-be magician.