How to Embroider a Name on a Stocking

Lately, I’ve been getting lots of questions about stockings: where to get them, how to make them and how to add a child’s name to the top of a stocking.  

There are, of course, lots of answers to these questions. But I thought it might be helpful to put together a little tutorial on the subject of stockings, specifically, how to embroider a name onto a stocking.

And before I start I just want to state this very clearly–this is very simple and easy to do, seriously.  

Even if you have very minimal embroidery skills or experience, even if you have terrible handwriting (like me), you can do this and make it look beautiful.  

It just takes a couple of supplies, some time, and patience.  

And a beautiful person who needs a stocking.

Here’s what you need:

• Completed or bought stocking, with space to embroider at the top.  If you are making your own stocking, embroidery the name before attaching the back.  If you are stitching on a pre-made stocking, pin down the back so you have access to the front to add the name.
• Tissue paper
• pen
• computer screen
• pins
• embroider needle
• embroidery thread

As a first step, head to your computer and open PicMonkey, or a similar program.  

Then, select “design” from the top menu, and on a white screen, pick a font and write out the name you wish to embroider.  

Picmonkey offers several free fonts, but I opted to use a font I purchased. I am making a special stocking for my sweet little Josie, who joined our family in May.

Resize, using the zoom in or out on your screen, until the name is a size that will fit nicely on your stocking.  

Then, take your tissue paper and tape it to your computer screen.  

Next, trace the letters onto the tissue paper.

Carefully remove the tissue paper from your screen and grab your stocking.  And then, center the tissue paper and pin it in place, near the top of the stocking.  

Then, take your embroidery thread and needle.  Using 2 threads in a contrasting color, stitch a backstitch along with each letter of the name.  

As you can see in the photo below, you will be stitching through the stocking, as well as through the tissue paper.

The backstitch is one of the simplest stitches.  It is just a straight line, one stitch after another.  

My only advice with this step is to take your time and do small careful stitches.  

It might take longer, but you are creating a family heirloom here, right?  

Something that your child will look forward to pulling out and hanging up year after year.  It’s worth it to do it right.

After the stitching is done, it’s time to remove the tissue paper.

Very carefully rip the tissue paper and pull it off in pieces, making sure to get all the little bits. And, once you add the back to your stocking, you are all done!

See, that was pretty simple, right?  Even you (and I) can embroidery pretty names on stockings!

And in case you are looking for a few stocking patterns, here are the four I offer:

As you can see in the image, you can also add a name to the stocking with felt letters, cut out and stitched on.  

Those instructions and patterns come when you purchase one of the patterns pictured above.  The stockings can be purchased together for $9 or separately for $3 each.

The links below will take you to the Etsy listing if you are interested.

• All 4 Patterns  
• Nativity 1
• Nativity 2
• Tree
• Santa

I hope that was helpful.  

And, if you purchase a pre-made stocking from Target and add a name with puff paint there is NO SHAME IN THAT.  

Please believe that.  

Christmas is not about stuff like stockings and trees and presents.  It’s about Jesus.  And that’s it.

Blessings on you and your family this season!

Nancy