Over the years I’ve discovered that tea towels are an unexpectedly useful material for small sewing projects. They often feature attractive colors, patterns and textures, and their size is ideal for making items like stockings. I also use tea towels for styling and dyeing projects.
This season I went through my growing pile of kitchen linens and decided to turn several tea towels into handmade holiday stockings.
Below is a straightforward tutorial in case you have a few extra tea towels you’d like to repurpose. Each stocking takes less than an hour to make. Give it a try and let me know how yours turn out.
Materials
- 1–2 tea towels per stocking (depending on desired size)
- Scrap fabric or old cloth napkins for the lining
- 3/4-inch wide leather strip for a hanging loop
- Paper, pencil and scissors for creating a template
- Thread and a sewing machine (or needle and thread if sewing by hand)
Instructions
1. Create a paper template in the shape and size you want for the stocking.
2. Start with the lining: fold the lining fabric in half so you cut both pieces at once. Pin the folded fabric, trace the template leaving about a half-inch seam allowance, and cut both lining pieces together. Set aside.
3. Trace the template on your decorative tea towel fabric, again allowing for a seam allowance, and cut one piece for the front. Repeat to cut the second piece for the back of the stocking.
4. Place the two decorative pieces right sides together (good sides facing) and pin them vertically so you can sew without removing each pin as you move along.
5. Sew around the outer edge of the stocking, leaving the top opening unsewn. Be sure to also leave a small gap along the long side where you will attach the leather loop later.
6. Pin and sew the two lining pieces the same way, but do not leave a gap for the loop on the lining. Set the finished lining aside.
7. Insert the leather strip for the loop into the gap left on the outer stocking fabric, hold it in place, and topstitch over it to secure. Turn the outer stocking right side out so the loop is visible on the outside.
8. Turn the lining right side out (so its seams are hidden) and place it inside the outer stocking. The lining will conceal the loop edge and give the inside a neat finish.
9. Tuck the raw edges at the top of both layers inward: fold about 1/2 inch, then another 1/4 inch, pin around the opening, and sew slowly to join the lining and outer fabric together. Press if desired. Your stocking is complete.
I love these so much they’ve already replaced my old Christmas stockings. If you don’t have tea towels on hand, regular fabric works just as well—repurposing is just a bonus if you want to use what you already own.
Sewing: Liz Scoper
Photography and styling: Brittni Mehlhoff
What do you think? Do you have a stack of tea towels that could be turned into holiday stockings? Do you hang stockings at home during the holidays?