The seam allowance
Switch it on and the template prints two lines: the solid finished shape and a dashed line 10mm outside it. Cut the dashed line, sew the solid line. Most free stocking templates give you one line and leave you to guess, which produces a stocking a size smaller than you wanted.
The allowance is adjustable between 6mm and 15mm. Ten is standard for felt and cotton. Six is enough for felt if you are oversewing the edges rather than turning them.
The cuff
A separate rectangular cuff piece sized to the stocking top, printed with its own fold line and seam allowance. A stocking without a cuff looks unfinished and the raw top edge frays. The cuff is the one extra piece worth cutting.
For felt there is no need to hem the cuff. For cotton, the fold line gives you a double thickness that takes a hanging loop without tearing.
Full size and tiling
Four hundred millimetres is a proper stocking that holds presents, and it needs four A4 sheets with the tiling option. Tape the sheets, cut once, then flip the template to cut the second side so you get a mirrored pair rather than two identical halves.
That mirroring step is the thing people forget. Two identical sides sew into a stocking that twists.
Questions
- Does the stocking template include a seam allowance?
- Yes, optionally. It prints a dashed cutting line 10mm outside the solid sewing line, adjustable between 6mm and 15mm, so you cut the dashed and sew the solid.
- What sizes are available?
- 120mm for tags and cards, 220mm for a decoration, and 400mm for a stocking that holds presents, which tiles across four A4 sheets.
- Is there a cuff piece?
- Yes, a separate rectangular cuff sized to the stocking top with its own fold line and seam allowance. On cotton the fold gives a double thickness that takes a hanging loop.
- Why does my sewn stocking twist?
- Because both sides were cut the same way round. Flip the template before cutting the second piece so you get a mirrored pair.