Cheerful wool-felt birds and luxurious mohair and cashmere fabrics make these stockings as special as the gifts inside them.

Tools and Materials
Bird Stockings templates
Mohair and cashmere fabrics
Pins
Wool felt
White craft glue
Feathers
Sequins or beads

Bird Stockings How-To
1. Enlarge the stocking template 200 percent. Using it as a guide, cut out the body, cuff, and hanging loop for the front of the stocking from the fabric. Flip the template over, and cut out another body and cuff for the back side of the stocking.

2. Pin the stocking pieces together, right sides facing, and sew along the perimeter, 1/4 inch in from the edge. Leave the top open. Carefully notch along the curves, to allow the fabric to bend. Pin the two cuff halves together, right sides facing, and sew along the short edges. Fold the hanging loop in half lengthwise, and sew along the long side.

3. Turn the body right side out. To attach the cuff, tuck it inside the top of the stocking so the edges are flush and side seams face inward. Sew along top edge; turn cuff upward as shown. Steam the open seam. Roll cuff down so that it covers the seam between the cuff and the body. Fold the loose edge of the cuff under, and hem stitch. Turn hanging loop right side out, and sew it to the interior of the cuff at desired length.

4. Enlarge the templates for the large and small birds 200 percent. Cut out the body and wings from the felt. Using white craft glue, glue each wing to the body (with the upraised wing on the back and the downturned wing on the front). To adorn the wings and tail with feathers, strip the down from each feather and glue the feather to the felt. Attach a sequin or bead to make the bird's eye. Tack each bird to a stocking with a couple of stitches through its upraised wing.