Mermaid Stocking (Free Christmas Sewing Pattern)

DIY mermaid stocking

This unique mermaid tail stocking pattern makes for a great sewing project for Christmas! It’s free, easy to make and can be sewn pretty quickly. While this pattern can be made by beginners you will need to be able to sew curves to make it.

I love that sewing my own stockings allows me to personalize them even more that just putting a name on it. Although I can still do that as well! I found the cutest mermaid scale fabric at Joanns for these and I even made one mermaid stocking out of sequin fabric from cali fabrics. (Pictured below.)

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Mermaid tail stocking made from fleece and faux fur.

I seriously love the aesthetic of these mermaid stockings so much! They are so unique and so interesting to look at. Traditional stockings definitely still have their place, but these stockings are just so fun!

If you like the mermaid stocking, also be sure to check out this shark stocking that I made to compliment it.

Finished mermaid stocking measures approximately 16″ from top to center of tail end, 20″ from top to tail ends, 16.5″ from tail end to end and approximately 6″ at the body’s smallest section.

Supplies for Mermaid Tail Stocking

Fabric Requirements for Mermaid Tail Stocking

Based on 60″ wide fabric.

Tail pieces – 3/8 yard
Body Pieces – 1/2 yard
Cuff – 1/4 yard
Tab – Use scraps from tail or body fabric.

Fabric Types

You can use a variety of fabrics to make this mermaid tail stocking. The type of fabric you use will affect how it hangs. Some of the fabrics I used where flannel, felt, fleece, and cotton. Cotton will not hold its shape as well, but can still be used. You can also use velvet and faux fur. (I used these for the cuff.) Make sure that the fabric you use for the body and the tail pieces does not have much stretch.

Mermaid tail christmas stocking — Tail made with felt, body with fleece, cuff with faux fur.

*Note: I did make a stocking using sequins. However, I do not recommend sewing with sequins for beginners. If you are a more experienced sewist you could give it a try, but you will need to use another fabric as a liner so the sequins don’t catch on the items you put in the stocking.

Mermaid tail stocking made with sequins and faux fur.

Get the Pattern Here

Download

Click on the pink button to download the free mermaid tail stocking PDF Pattern.

Don’t like the ads? Get an ad free printable version of this mermaid stocking tutorial and pattern in my Etsy shop.

Don’t forget to take a peek at the shark stocking as well!

*This Pattern is for personal and commercial (up to 50 times) use only.

Three mermaid tail stockings hung on a fireplace mantel.

If you like these Christmas stockings, be sure to check out these cute DIY holly hair bows and easy candy cane ornaments.

Pattern Assembly Instructions

This is a no trim pattern. Just line up each page to the gray line of the other page and tape or glue it together.

Sewing Prep for Mermaid Tail Stocking

Prewash and iron the fabric before cutting to eliminate any wrinkles or folds. Cut your fabric using the pattern pieces. When you are done cutting you should have two body pieces, two tail pieces, one cuff piece and one tab piece. All seam allowances are 1/2″ unless otherwise stated. Remember to backstitch at the start and stop of each seam.

Tail and Body Assembly

Put one tail piece on top of one body piece, right sides together. match the notch and pin together.

Tail piece placed on top of body piece, right sides together and pinned together.

Sew the pieces together with half an inch seam allowance. Repeat on remaining body and tail pieces.

sewing the tail to the body on a sewing machine.

Iron the seam allowance down towards the tail.

Using a iron to press the seam allowance down towards the tail.

Trim the seam allowance down to 1/4 of an inch. Repeat with remaining body and tail piece.

Trimming the seam allowance down with scissors.

Lay one mermaid tail on top of the other mermaid tail, right sides together. Line them up and pin them together on all sides excluding the top.

Placing one mermaid tail on top of the other, right sides together.

Both mermaid tails pinned together with the top open.

Sew the mermaid tail sides and bottom with half an inch seam allowance, leaving the top open.

Mermaid tail sewn around all edges except the top.

Snip right up to the stitches on the very center of the tail bottom. Make sure you don’t cut through the stitches. Cut an upside down “V” in the seam allowance at the same spot.

Clipping the center of the mermaid tail — Snipping close the the stitches.

Triangle cut from the seam allowance in the mermaid tail. — What it should look like after you’ve cut the “V”.

Trim the seam allowance down to about 1/4″ all the way around the seam you just sewed. (Do not cut through any stitches.)

Turn the mermaid tail stocking right side out. Use a pen, chopstick or some other object with a blunt end to get the corners fully turned.

Iron the seams flat so your mermaid tail keeps it’s shape and doesn’t bubble.

Ironing the seam allowance so the mermaid tail keeps its shape.

Cuff and Tab Assembly

Take the cuff piece and fold it in half with short ends meeting. Pin together and sew with 1/2″ seam allowance. The cuff piece will now be a tube.

Trim the seam allowance down to 1/4″.

using scissors to trim the seam allowance.

Fold the cuff piece in half, wrong sides together, with long ends meeting to align raw edges.

Folding the cuff in on itself to keep the circle and have both sides showing the right side.

Find quarter points of the folded cuff by marking the seam with a pin, then mark the side opposite of the seam with a pin.

Pinning the seam allowance and opposite side of seam allowance. — Seam allowance is marked at the top, opposite side is being pinned at the bottom.

Fold the cuff in half so the two marker pins are stacked on each other. The crease is the quarter point so put a pin on each side of the crease. So you’ll have a total of 4 pins spread evenly around the cuff.

Matching the first two pins up to find the other quarter points.

all quarter points marked with pins on cuff. — This is what you should have when all quarter points are marked.

Find quarter points on the mermaid tail in the same way you did for the cuff.

All quarter points marked on top of the mermaid tail. — This is what you should have when all quarter points are marked.

Set the tail and the cuff aside and get the tab piece. Fold the tab piece in half, right sides together, with long edges meeting.

Folding the tab in half long ways with right sides together.

Sew down the tab’s side with a 1/4 “ inch seam allowance leaving the ends open, making a tube.

Use a safety pin or turning tool to turn the tab right side out.

Turning the tab piece right side out with a loop turner.

Iron the tab with the seam allowance on the backside of the tab.

Attaching the Tab and Cuff to the Body

Fold the tab in half so raw edges meet. Placing it inside the mermaid tail stocking upside down, line the folded tab up with the seam on the longer side of the mermaid tail body. Pin them together.

Placing the folded tab inside the mermaid tail stocking.

Showing the tab pinned to the side seam of the inside of the mermaid tail stocking.

Put the cuff piece inside the mermaid tail, upside down, matching up the quarter points and raw edges. Pin them together.

Showing cuff and mermaid tail aligned at quarter points and pinned together.

The tab piece will now be sandwiched between the cuff and the mermaid tail on the inside.

Cuff pinned to the mermaid tail stocking, tucked inside and ready to be sewn. — This is how it should look when you have the cuff pinned to the mermaid tail. (You can use more pins if needed.)

Sew the cuff to the mermaid tail using 1/2″ seam allowance. Be careful when sewing over the tab piece. There is a lot of fabric in your machine at this point and you may need to use the hand wheel on your machine to sew through the tab section.

Sewing the cuff to the mermaid tail stocking.

Pull the cuff out of the mermaid tail and fold over to the outside.

Pulling the cuff out of the mermaid tail stocking.

The mermaid tail stocking is now finished! If you want to personalize it, you can add a name with vinyl or fabric paint and stencils.

I hope you enjoy this free pattern and get some good use out of it. Thank you for reading and have a Merry Christmas!