Shark Stocking Sewing Pattern for Christmas

DIY Christmas stocking that looks like a shark!

Learn how to make an awesome shark stocking for Christmas! Last year I made a fun mermaid stocking pattern, and everyone seemed to love it so much that this year I made a shark stocking pattern to compliment it. Sewing your own stockings is a fun holiday project. This pattern is sure to add a little spice to Christmas sewing!

three shark stockings hung over a fireplace.

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Here are the things you need to make the shark stocking. Also don’t forget to go check out the mermaid stocking if you haven’t already!

Supplies for Shark Stocking

Fabric (See fabric types for recommended fabrics.)
Thread
Mid-weight fusible interfacing (optional but recommended)
Scissors
Pins or clips
Iron
Ironing board
Safety pin or turning tool

Fabric Types

You can use a variety of fabrics to make this shark stocking. The type of fabric you use will affect how it hangs. Some of the fabrics I used are 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.

Gray shark stocking hung over a fireplace.

Fabric Requirements

To make the shark stocking you will need 3/4 yard of the main fabric (will fit all pattern pieces if desired,) and if you want a separate fabric for the cuff you will need 1/4 yard for that. (All based on 43 inch wide fabric.)

Get the Pattern Here

Download Shark Stocking

Click on the button above the get the free files.

*These files are for personal and commercial use (up to 50 times) only.

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Finished stocking measures approximately 8″ at opening, 18.75″ from top to center of tail fin, 23″ from top to tail ends, 16.5″ from tail end to end and approximately 6″ at the body’s smallest section.

shark stocking and mermaid stocking hung over a fireplace. — Shark stocking next to the mermaid stocking.

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 Shark 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 dorsal fins, two small fins, one cuff piece and one tab piece. If using the optional interfacing, you will also cut one each in the interfacing of the dorsal fin and small fin.

All seam allowances are 1/2″ unless otherwise stated. Remember to backstitch at the start and stop of each seam.

If you are using the interfacing, now is the time to fuse it by ironing it to the wrong side of one dorsal fin and one small fin.

Note: I highly recommend using the interfacing. It makes such a difference in how the fins lay!

laying interfacing on the wrong side of one of the shark fins.

Sewing the Shark Stocking

Lay one small fin on top of the other with right sides together. Sew on outside edges using 1/4″ seam allowance. There is no need to sew the edge with the notch. Repeat with the Dorsal fin pieces.

Snip the tips off of the top of each fin. Trim the seam allowance down around the tip to reduce bulk.

Turn the fin pieces right side out and iron them down. (Don’t skip the ironing, it will help you have proper placement.)

Using the notches, line up the dorsal fin and the small fin on the right side of one body piece. Make sure both fins are pointing down. Baste in place.

Fins pinned in place and ready to be sewn.

Lay one shark tail on top of the other shark tail, right sides together. Sandwiching the two fins. Line the tail pieces up and pin them together on all sides excluding the top.

Laying one shark body on top of the other with right sides together.

shark bodies pinned together, right sides together.

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

If you are using a fabric that will fray, zig-zag stitch around the stocking stitching as close as you can to the first stitches you made.

zigzag stich next to original stitching. — Example of zig zag stitching.

Snip the tips of the tails off right up to the stitching, but not through it.

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

Trimming the seam allowance down to 1/4th inch.

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

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

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.

Cuff piece folded and pinned. — This is the side of the cuff you need to sew.

Turn half the cuff right side out so that the wrong sides are together, with long ends meeting to align raw edges.

folding the cuff to align raw edges. right sides out and wrong sides together.

Find quarter points of the folded cuff’s raw edges by marking the seam with a pin, then mark the side opposite of the seam with a pin. Fold the cuff in half so the two marker pins are stacked on each other and lay it flat. The creases on the sides are the other two quarter points so put a pin on both of the creases. You’ll have a total of 4 pins spread evenly around the cuff.

Find quarter points on the shark body in the same way you did for the cuff.

Set the shark body and cuff piece aside and get the tab piece.

Fold the tab piece in half, right sides together, with long edges meeting.

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

Use a safety pin or turning tool to turn the tab right side out. (I use a loop turner for this.)

Turing the sewn tab piece right side out.

Iron the tab with the seam allowance on the backside.

tab piece pressed with seam on the back side.

Attaching the Tab and Cuff to the Body

Put the cuff piece inside the shark body, upside down, matching up the quarter points and raw edges. Pin them together. (I like to match the cuff seam to the stocking’s back side seam, the side with the dorsal fin.)

cuff piece inside the shark body ready pinned and ready to sew with quarter points matched.

Fold the tab in half so raw edges meet and the seam is on the inside.

Folding tab piece in half. — Folded tab piece.

Placing it inside the shark stocking upside down, center the folded tab on the seam of the longer side of the shark stocking body. (The side with the dorsal fin.) Pin them together.

The tab piece will now be sandwiched between the cuff and the shark body on the inside of the stocking.

Tab piece inside the stocking. — Adding the tab to the back seam of the stocking.

cuff piece matched to shark body with tab piece sandwiched between them. — Shark body lined up with tab and cuff piece.

Sew the cuff and tab to the shark body 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.