Dressing the Mantle - Sweater Stockings

Thanksgiving always gets me excited about Christmas. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this time of year? To kick off the holiday decorating, I tacked a  project that's been in my "to do" pile for almost two years! Since we have decided to stay put this holiday I decided I couldn't put it off any further. It all started with the discovery that moths had eaten holes in many of my husbands and my favorite sweaters. As I was looking through the sweaters to see if any holes could be repaired, I was struck with inspiration and decided that they could be transformed into Christmas stockings. I think put this project off for so long because I thought it would be difficult. When I finally set aside some time to work on them I was surprised at how easily they came together.

To make your own sweater stockings you'll need:

• Sweaters. thin wool sweaters work best. If you haven't had a recent moth invasion, any Goodwill should have plenty of sweaters to choose from. One large men's sweater will yield two stockings. I used materials salvaged from other sweaters for embellishing.
• Yarn
• Craft needle. A large needle with an eye large enough to thread yarn.
• 1 1/2 - 2 yards of fabric to line the stockings. I used my husbands old shirts and was able to line three stockings with one large flannel shirt.
• Sewing machine.

Step 1: Wash all of the sweaters in hot water and dry them on high heat. This will felt the sweaters and keep them from fraying and unraveling when you cut them.

Step 2: Cut the sleeves off and cut them open along the seems, cut along neck line and one side of body so that you have  flat pieces of sweaters.

Step 3: Use an old stocking to trace or free hand your stocking pattern onto the flat pieces of sweater.

Step 4: Get creative and sketch out designs for your stockings. I went with a woodland theme that will match the rest of my Christmas decorations. My advice is to keep it simple.

step 5: Cut pieces to applique onto the stocking out of the sweater scraps and sew them on using a whip stitch.

Step 6: Use a sewing machine to sew stocking sections together  and line with fabric (this will keep them from stretching out).

We had so much fun, that we couldn't stop at stockings. Our au pair and Elliot used the sweater scraps to make turkey finger puppets. Click here for the pattern.