Upcycled DIY Needlepoint Stocking Ornaments

If you love the look of DIY needlepoint ornaments – but don’t love the labor or cost involved – let me show you an easy idea for upcycled DIY needlepoint ornaments!  Pop into ANY thrift store and I’m sure you will see many abandoned, typically framed, needlepoints.  You can often find them at yard sales for so cheap.  My Mom started collecting them, a long time ago, for a different DIY idea but this year I found myself inspired by them for holiday decor.  I cut some of them apart and made small scale (but functional!) needlepoint stocking ornaments.

I’m thinking of taking a few to hang on my media cabinet (because I don’t really have a mantel), with some felt letters, to make a cute garland.  But I originally intended these for ornaments.  I sized them to fit a gift card as well (the finished stocking is 7″ L x 3.25″ W) – but I think they’d be perfect for little treats, like chocolates and mini candy canes.  Or, well, maybe a (tiny) lump of coal if that’s the kind of year you’ve had.  Mom and I made a few extra, that I listed in the shop, but keep reading to learn how to make your own DIY needlepoint stocking ornaments from upcycled needlepoint art.

Supplies:

• Needlepoint art (check thrift stores, garage sales, etc)
• Fabric for the back (in a similar, sturdy weight like wool/felt/linen – velvet was awful)
• Lining material (we used silk scraps, you want something thin)
• Thin ribbon for hanging
• Permanent marker
• Cardboard (to make stocking stencil)
• Sharp scissors
• Sewing Machine
• Coordinating threads
• Hand sewing needle
• Sweater shaver (optional)
• Iron/ironing board (optional)
• Eucalan (optional)

How to Make Upcycled DIY Needlepoint Ornaments:

1. Remove the needlepoint from the frame (if applicable) and Febreze or launder as required (just a gentle soak in Eucalan, if you really need to wash it).
2. If fuzzy, use a sweater shaver to clean the surface of pills and fibers.
3. Gently press the needlepoint with an iron, on a low (wool) setting – you can also lay down a tea towel, as a press cloth, on top.
4. Make a stocking template from cardboard (mine is 7″ long and 4″ wide).
5. Choose where to place your stocking template, in case there are certain areas you’d definitely like to capture.
6. Draw the outline of your stockings with a permanent marker, tracing around the template.
7. With a sewing machine, stitch along the permanent marker line with very small stitches (this will keep the wool from unravelling when you cut it out).
8. Cut the stocking out, adding 1/2″ seam allowance.
9. Cut out the backing fabric the same size as the stocking (remember to leave the same seam allowance on this fabric as well).
10. Place the backing fabric good side down on the front of the needlepoint cut out.
11. Sew the needlepoint cut out and backing fabric together, using the 1/2″ seam allowance you have left.
12. Remember to leave the top of the stocking OPEN.
13. Trim the seal allowance to about 1/4″.
14. Turn the stocking right side out.
15. Press gently with an iron, on low heat again.
16. Cut out a lining fabric (two pieces) using the same stocking pattern and the same seam allowance, but adding an extra 3″ at the top.
17. Turn down a “cuff” on both pieces of lining fabric to the wrong side, iron it flat, then sew together the two pieces of the lining with right sides together (leaving the top open).
18. Trim the lining seams to 1/4″.
19. Slip the lining into the stocking with the “good” side facing inward (a small whisk or wooden spoon can help push it inside).
20. Fold over the top of the lining, to make a cuff over the stocking.
21. Tack the lining down by hand sewing a stitch or two on either side of the stocking to secure the lining in place.
22. Add a ribbon hanger at the back of the stocking, on the seam, with a few stitches.

Detailed Tutorial on How to Sew a Needlepoint into a Stocking!

Clean + Prep the Needlepoint:

Remove the needlepoint from its frame (if applicable).  If it’s framed, you’ll likely need some pliers to remove the staples/nails securing it to the frame.  Launder only if desperately required – you have to be gentle with these, as they can warp.  I recommend a good airing in the sunshine and a fabric spray (like Febreeze/Lysol) if needed.  If you MUST launder, try a gentle soak in a wool wash, like Eucalan.  It need not be rinsed.  Then try to lay it flat on a towel, being careful not to stretch it out of place.  If it’s fuzzy, use a sweater shaver to clean the surface of pills and fibers – this is optional, and will depend on the fiber content of the needlepoint.  Finally, gently press the needlepoint with an iron, on a low (wool) setting – you can also lay down a tea towel as a press cloth on top.

Trace + Stitch + Cut Out the Stocking Shape:

Choose where to place your stocking template, in case there are certain areas you’d definitely like to capture.  I created my template so I could trace inside – this way I could see what area I was capturing from the needlepoint.  Draw the outline of your stockings with a permanent marker, tracing around the template.  Stitch along the permanent marker line with very small stitches, to keep the wool from unravelling when you cut it out.  Cut the stocking out, adding 1/2″ seam allowance beyond the permanent marker line.

Cut Out Backing Fabric + Sewing Together:

Cut out the backing fabric the same size as the stocking (remember to leave seam allowance on this fabric as well).  Place the backing fabric good side down on the front of the needlepoint cut out.  Sew the needlepoint cut out and backing fabric together, using the 1/2″ seam allowance you have left.  Remember to leave the top of the stocking OPEN.  Trim the seal allowance to about 1/4″.  The velvet we used was SO slippery and awful, I don’t recommend it for this project.  The needlepoint stockings we made with wool felt and synthetic felt were so much easier to sew!

Turn the Stocking Right Side Out + Press:

Turn the stocking right side out.  Press gently with an iron, on low heat again.

Cut Out the Lining Pieces + Sew Together:

Cut out a lining fabric (two pieces) using the same stocking pattern and the same seam allowance, but adding an extra 3″ at the top.  Turn down a “cuff” on both pieces of lining fabric to the wrong side, iron it flat, sew it down to keep from rolling up, then sew together the two pieces of the lining with right sides together (leaving the top open).  Trim the lining seams to 1/4″.

Insert the Lining + Tack:

Slip the lining into the stocking – a small whisk or wooden spoon can help push it inside – with the “good” side facing inward.  Fold over the top of the lining, to make a cuff over the needlepoint stocking.  Tack the lining down by hand sewing a stitch or two on either side of the stocking to secure the lining in place.  At first we hand sewed inside, all the way around, but later realized a few quick stitches on either side is enough.  Add a ribbon hanger at the back of the stocking, on the seam, with a few stitches.  I also added a little bit of edge beading to the silk, just for a little extra sparkle.  You can customize these upcycled needlepoint stockings however you’d like!

The Finished Handmade Upcycled Needlepoint Stocking Ornament:

And that’s it!  You can make these upcycled needlepoint ornaments any size – you could even follow these steps to make full sized ones for the mantel or really tiny ones.  If you’d like some inspiration, check out our needlepoint stocking ornaments in the shop…

Shop Handmade Needlepoint Stocking Ornaments: