DIY Felted Wool Sweater Stocking Pattern with Embroidery

Where I live in Italy, Santa doesn’t leave gifts in a stocking on Christmas Eve, but a friendly old witch does during the night before Epiphany (January 6). So I decided to create a pattern for a general winter-themed stocking, instead of a Christmas one. And so I created a felted wool sweater stocking pattern with simple, yet pretty and elegant, snowflake embroidery.

One of my very favorite sewing and crafting materials is the gorgeously thick and textured cooked wool that you get from felting wool sweaters in the washing machine. I collect old wool sweaters from anyone who has them, and buy them for next to nothing in thrift shops.

I find that embroidery really stands out well against solid-colored felted wool. I designed a free pattern with three simple snowflakes that even beginners can embroider. The spaces between them are accented with little silver stars. So pretty!

Who wouldn’t love to find a beautiful, handmade wool stocking like this, filled with goodies on Christmas morning?! I know I would! (Even better if the gifts are wrapped with furoshiki, too!)

(Speaking of which, do you struggle to think of non-junky things to put in your kids’ stockings each year? Then don’t miss my collection of the 42 best stocking stuffers for crafty kids!)

Have you got a red sweater and you’re ready to turn it into something amazing? Watch the video below or continue reading!

Materials

• printable Stick ‘n Stitch*  
• fabric shears*
• red wool sweater, previously felted (see this post to learn how to felt a wool sweater in the washing machine)
• white DMC embroidery floss*
• silver DMC embroidery floss*
• embroidery scissors*
• embroidery needles*
• powdered chalk roller*
• universal needles size 110* (if machine sewing)
• polyester thread* to match the sweater (if machine sewing)
• walking foot* (if machine sewing. See this post to learn how to use a walking foot.)
• FREE printable Christmas Stocking pattern and stocking embroidery pattern (My free patterns are available to all Cucicucicoo Newsletter subscribers. The Newsletter is sent out every two weeks and you can unsubscribe whenever you want. Sign up for the Newsletter here for access to dozens of free downloads, templates and patterns! If you are already subscribed, just look at the bottom of the last Newsletter you received for the link and password.)

GET THE FREE PATTERN!
Sign up for the Cucicucicoo Newsletter. You’ll receive an email with a link to click to confirm your subscription. After you click it, you will receive another email with the link and password to the private area with the free downloads.
If you’re already subscribed, click on this link and insert the password. You can find the password in your Newsletter welcome e-mail or at the bottom of any Cucicucicoo Newsletter. If you still cannot find the password, send an e-mail to lisa@cucicucicoo.com from the e-mail address you used to subscribe. Write “Password” in the subject box, and I will send it as soon as I can.

(If you’d prefer receiving the free pattern and newsletter in Italian, just sign up here instead!)

Print out these instructions!
Scroll down to the end of this post and click “Print”.

Prepare the felted wool sweater stocking pattern

This tutorial has two free downloads. (See the link and information under “Materials”.)

The first is the actual stocking pattern. Trim off the right margin from the first page and tape the pages together, matching up the triangles to form diamonds. Then cut along the stocking shape.

The second download is an embroidery template. Print it onto a sheet of Stick ‘n Stitch*, then cut out along the lines of the stocking. The very top and bottom of the stocking are cut off, so just leave those edges as they are.

This is what the stocking pattern and embroidery template look like once they are printed, assembled and cut out.

Stick ‘n Stitch* makes it a lot easier to embroider the snowflakes and stars, but isn’t totally necessary. If you prefer tracing or transferring the embroidery design in another way, do so from the pattern file and ignore the embroidery template file.

Embroider the felted wool sweater

1. Before starting, felt the wool sweater and let it dry completely. Then cut along the side, sleeve and shoulder seams to separate the front and the back.

2. Position the stocking pattern on the sweater front (with right side up) to make sure that it fits on. You need a little extra (at least 1 cm) around all the edges. (A)

3. Peel the front off of the Stick n’ Stitch and hold it above the pattern so that the edges more or less match up. (B)

4. While holding the Stick n’ Stitch above, slip the pattern out from under it. (C)

5. Press the Stick n’ Stitch firmly onto the felted sweater. (D)

6. Embroider the snowflakes with white embroidery floss*. I used all 6 strands of floss. This post on how to embroider snowflakes walks you through how to embroider each one of these three snowflake designs. Or watch the video below to learn how.

7. Embroider the stars with silver embroidery floss*. Here I used only 3 strands of the floss for a more delicate look. First embroider four stitches in the shape of a cross, meeting in the same hole in the center (black arrows). Then embroider the four diagonal stitches, again meeting in the center (red arrows).

8. One star is partially cut off from the template (the arrow to the right above), and another is totally cut off (the arrow to the left above). Just embroider them on yourself, referring to the stocking pattern to get an idea of the positioning.

Remove the Stick n’ Stitch

Stick ‘n Stitch* is water soluble, but it’s best to first remove as much as possible.

9. Gently pull up the edges of the Stick ‘n Stitch and trim off the excess with regular scissors (to avoid gunking up your good fabric ones). Be careful not to cut into the fabric or embroidery!

This is what the fabric looks like at this point.

10. Rinse off the Stick ‘n Stitch under running warm water. Gently rub the stitches with your thumbs to work it all off. It first gets slimy, and then dissolves completely.

11. Lay the sweater fabric out flat to dry, then press it with a hot, steam iron. Use an ironing cloth to protect your embroidery. (I love this sheer pressing cloth*.)

Sew the felted wool sweater stocking

12. Position the stocking pattern over the embroidered sweater and trace around it with the powdered chalk roller*. (A)

13. Cut AROUND (not on) the traced line, leaving at least 1 cm extra outside the line. (B)

14. Position the embroidered piece on the back piece of the sweater, wrong sides facing. Make sure that the top edges are lined up perfectly and pin the layers together. (C)

15. Cut the bottom layer of fabric, following the cut shape of the top layer. (D)

16. Fold a scrap piece of felted wool in half and cut a strip about 1 cm wide. This will be the stocking’s hanging loop.

17. Unpin the top corner of the stocking and insert the ends of the hanging loop so that they go INSIDE the traced chalk line (marked by the arrows). Then pin the side up again, this time with the loop in place.

18. Sew ALONG the traced chalk lines. Sew a few times back and forth at the top, especially on the side with the hanging loop.

19. Trim the excess fabric so as to leave a small seam allowance.

Be VERY careful when you get to the hanging loop. Trim the front layer first, then the back, making sure to trim enough without cutting into the loop.

20. If your sweater fabric has gotten excessively fuzzy during the felting and rinsing processes, lay it flat and put a pair of sharp fabric scissors against the surface. Open and close the scissors without cutting into the fabric or embroidery. This will “shave” off extra fuzziness.

And you are DONE! Now all you need to do is hang up the stocking and fill it with goodies!

(Check out my list of my 40+ favorite stocking stuffers for creative kids! Wrap them in furoshiki for an extra colorful look!)

Isn’t that poinsettia in the picture above pretty? Click here to find out how to use the scraps from your felted red sweater to make a no sew felt poinsettia to decorate your home or hang from the Christmas tree!

Make sure you check out my list of the 40 BEST stocking stuffer ideas to stimulate your children’s creativity! I have been filling my kids’ stockings with these creative supplies for years!

Oh! And if you loooove making your own stockings, check out this great roundup of 12 DIY Christmas stocking sewing tutorials!

Do you want all the new sewing techniques and cool modern sewing projects, as well as the FREE sewing and embroidery patterns for this handmade sweater stocking? Then sign up for the Cucicucicoo Newsletter here for access to dozens of free printables! 

Click here to save this holiday tutorial on Pinterest!

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