How to upcycle old jeans into stockings

Surprise your loved ones with upcycled old jeans stockings this Christmas!

My sister and her family are coming from Poland to visit me for Christmas, and I’m super excited! I want to make their stay extra special because it’s not often we see each other in person.

One of my surprises is making stockings for everyone with their names embroidered. It happened that I had a bunch of old jeans that I had hoarded over the years to use for a bigger project. So, now it’s the perfect time to repurpose them, and as you may already know, I love to give good old jeans a second life.

My other favorite posts about upcycling are DIY easy denim Christmas ornaments and how to turn an old denim skirt into a tote bag.

 

Let’s start with upcycling old jeans into stockings!

 

I have to make six of the stockings in a short amount of time. So, I came up with the simplest and easiest way to make them, and they look great.

One pair of jeans is good to make one stocking. If you’re short on a pair or two, you can always go to a resale shop to get more. I had to get one pair, so I got the ugliest, most out-of-fashion one, so as not to have the guilt of cutting up a decent pair of jeans.

If you have access to an embroidery machine, you can get the names nicely embroidered. I used embroidery floss and a backstitch to embroider the names for my stockings. At first, I wasn’t sure it would look good if I did it by hand, but I think it turned out awesome.

Also, to make the letters, I wrote them with a white pencil, and I used stencils I made, so they would look nice and even. You can buy stencils or make them yourself. If you are very talented, you may not need any stencils! Well, I need them. I will show you how to make your own stencils below. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you a penny more)!

 

What you need to make upcycled old jeans stockings.

 

 

As you see in the picture, all edges of the old jeans stockings and the name tags have a fringy finish. I like it that way; it gives any project a unique look.

 

Are you ready to upcycle old jeans into stockings?

Step 1. Cut both legs of the jeans, about 23” from the bottom, or as long as you want the stockings. You can add an inch or two to the top of the pattern to make the stockings longer.

 

Step 2. Cut the front of each leg piece in half vertically and iron both of the cut pieces. Align the jean pieces left side together and cut out the stockings using the pattern.

 

 

Now, it’s a good time to sew on the name tag on one of the stocking pieces. Just scroll down to learn how to make the name tag.

What I did was: I sewed together the stocking pieces with the jute cord first, and then I sewed on the name tag. Which is doable. You just need to get the opposite side of the stocking out of the way by turning it out. See the picture below.

 

Step 3. Cut a 12” long jute cord, fold it in half, and make a knot on the cut side. Pin it on the angle and of course on the top and back of the stocking, between the two pieces. Stitch together, except of course the top of the stocking.

 

Step 4. Now, it’s time to machine wash and dry your stockings to give them the fringy look. Cut out excess, long threads.

 

 

Let’s start now with name tags for the upcycled old jeans stockings.

 

Step 1. Cut an 8”x3.5” rectangle out of the leftover pair of jeans and a 7”x2.5 rectangle out of interfacing.

 

Step 2. Iron the interfacing to the back side of the jean rectangle, about 0.5” from the jean edges. It will give a space for the fringe to form after washing, and the interfacing will make the jeans stiffer and easier to embroider.

 

To make your own stencils, you need a digital document-making program like Microsoft Word or any design program.

Step 3. Write the name using a simple font about 2-2.5” high. I used the AMGDT font, while making sure the letters in the name fit a 7” space.

I used nicknames that, of course, are shorter in letters. Only my son didn’t agree to it and had to embroider his full name. DAN would have been sooooo much easier and faster to do for me ?.

Step 4. Print out the sheets with your written names and use a seam ripper to cut along the letter’s lines.

Put the stencil on top of the jean rectangle and use a white wash-out pencil to follow the lines.

 

 

Here are my pretty, beat-up stencils after using them.

 

 

Step 5. Using embroidery floss and a backstitch, follow the letter lines to have the names hand-embroidered.

 

 

 

Here is what the embroidered name tag looks like on the back.

 

And, a finished stocking before washing and drying.

 

Since I don’t have a mantel, I hung my stockings on the curtain rod. I used hangers for a bathtub curtain, and I think it looks perfect.

 

I hope you had fun upcycling old jeans into stockings and that they will decorate your home this Christmas. But most importantly, they made your family feel loved and happy. It sure made my family so. If you would like to share a picture of your stockings, please post them on my Facebook page.

 

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