How to Make a Swell Stocking

It's Thanksgiving week - are you ready for Christmas yet? Feeling crafty? Want to make something swell? Well I want you to make something swell - that's why I'm sharing this free pattern for a holiday stocking.

The pattern is just the basic template - the swellness comes in what you do with it. You can start simple with some rickrack or ribbon stitched across the top of the sock.

Easy peasy - and so cute!

Or you could get all daring and sew the trim on the other way - up and down. Oooh - creative!

Don't limit yourself to rickrack and ribbon. How about some fancy beaded trim?

Or a bit of a feather boa? Oooh la la!

Or maybe you want to go Raggedy Ann-style with some eyelet trim. The sky is the limit folks!

 Do you have a bunch of buttons just hanging around in jars? I think they multiply when I'm not looking and I'm always looking for something to sew them to. You can add just a few buttons in a nice neat row. . .

. . . or a kajillion scattered over the stocking all willy-nilly.

Sometimes I like to sew on buttons with the knot and the tails visible on the finished piece. I'm a rebel.

I can hear you laughing now at how many stockings I made - but this is just the tip of the iceberg folks! Tomorrow I'm going to post a free ornament pattern - and show you how you can combine the ornament and stocking pattern to come up with all kinds of new stockings. You think I'm kidding? Take a look at this gallery of swell stocking inspiration for a little sneak peek.

Crazy, eh? And - it's a public group so after you make your own swell stockings you can post them in the same group for all the world to see and be inspired by. How's that for some holiday spirit?

Make sure you come back tomorrow!

P.S. In 2011 I'll be launching the Shiny Happy Sewing School - offering weekly video tutorials for beginning sewists of all ages. Sign up for my newsletter or "like" Shiny Happy World on Facebook now so you don't miss a single thing! And if you know someone who wants to make "Learn to sew" one of their New Year's resolutions - please forward them the link. Thanks! And happy sewing!