Where do you buy stockings from?

[IamNotaCactusPerson]

Dd is 2.5 so we are going to do a stocking. Needs to be small/ big enough for some trinket type toys. The one I had as a child lasted 20 years (!) so I would like to get a nice one, preferably made ethically. Not on the high street have some but they are very very expensive! Does anyone have any other ideas?

Matalan have lovely big cable knit ones with appliqued initials for £6.

Mine was from Woolworths about 30 years ago. DH's was 99p from Card Factory, and our girls' stockings are both fancy Minnie Mouse ones from the Disney Store.

Thanks - I will take a look. Sadly no chance of going to woollies though!

The white company have lovely ones.

Another vote for matalan they are lovely

I went all round the shops but they were the best

Can you sew? I'm very cack handed, but managed a stocking for DS, really pleased with it!

It's a bit like the one kirstie allsopp makes on her programme, but i just sort of winged it, and it worked! You draw around either an existing stocking or a template, you need three cut out stockings - one for the back, two for lining, and one from wadding.

Then for the top, you get lots of bits of pretty christmassy fabric, ribbons etc, and just sew them together higgledy piggeldy, to make the shape of the front of the stocking. You then put them together (wrong sides together, takes a bit of thinking about!) then sew them all together, then sew some ribbon round the top and to make a hanger, and then you can be all smug!

It sounds complicated but i promise its not. For the fabric, buy a 'fat quarter' of fabrics that you like from a sewing shop.

There's a tutorial here, but i think the fabric that kirstie chose was much nicer, see here

As above, very easy to make or look on etsy. Hundreds to choose from on there

Some lovely ones on Amazon at the moment. We got 3 embroidered felt ones from there for £12 but they had lovely ones from £6 for padded character ones.

I'm on the hunt for new stockings too as the decades old felt ones have fallen to pieces. I looked on NOTHS but they wanted ££££'s for one and I need 5 [santa]

I got stockings from the Dusney store in a 3 for 2 about 15 years ago and they are still beautiful, like brand new and my teens still love them - even my 21 year old son is thrilled to see his Winnie the Pooh one each year! Other ones I have bought haven't fared so well, even the John Lewis one.

I made them for my DC - I am terrible at sewing, and they were nowhere near as complicated as Pootles ones sound (which do sound v impressive!)

Mine don't have lining or wadding or anything - I just cut up an old red jaquard tablecloth that we always used to have on the table for Christmas dinner in my childhood, so it was a very christmassy fabric to me.

I think I folded it in half and made the folded edge be the back of the stocking (I drew it on ), so I only had to sew around the foot bit and the front side. And then stitched I white felt round the opening at the top, and names down the length in white felt too.

Didn't bother with a hanging loop or anything, as we just lie ours on the end of the bed. They do sound a bit rubbish rustic, but I was pleased with them! And if you make your own you can choose exactly what size it is - mine are wide enough to fit an annual or picture book, whereas lots of stockings you can buy are too narrow.