12 stocking stuffers to sew (most take 30 minutes or less)

The quickest stocking stuffers to sew are an elastic bookmark (about 10 minutes) and a scrunchie (about 15). Seven more take about 30 minutes: a sleep mask, an eye pillow, a puffy wand trio, a Christmas ornament, a drawstring bag, a collar bandana and a dog treat pouch. The last three, a zipper pouch, a needle book and a quilted bow, take 45 to 60 minutes. All times are the Sewzy app's estimates for one finished item.

TL;DR

• 12 small sewing gifts from the Sewzy app, sorted by time. Nine take 30 minutes or less, and only the bookmark and the scrunchie take under half an hour.
• Three are free patterns: the Scrunchie, the Drawstring Bag and the Zipper Pouch. The other nine are Premium.
• One fat quarter goes a long way: a fat quarter of each fabric makes 2 eye pillows, one fat quarter makes all 3 Large puffy wand shapes, and one fat eighth makes 3 Small needle books.
• Four sample stockings below add up to 60 to 90 minutes of sewing each, so one evening is enough for a stocking.
• Need bigger gifts? See 60 Christmas sewing projects and last-minute gifts to sew in an hour or less.

What makes a good stocking stuffer to sew?

A good stocking stuffer is small and flat enough to sit in a stocking, quick enough to make several, and useful enough that someone keeps it. Every project here has a small size. A few also come in bigger sizes, such as the Large drawstring bag at 16 x 20 in, so choose the smaller size for a stocking. They are also easy to make in multiples, because each uses one or two fabrics and a handful of supplies.

Before you cut, compare the finished size with the stocking you plan to fill. The stocking in our Christmas stocking guide, made from a free template, is 18 in tall.

Which small sewing gifts can I make in 30 minutes or less?

Nine of the 12 take 30 minutes or less. Here are all 12 in order of time, with the sizes the pattern offers.

What are the 12 stocking stuffers to sew?

Under 30 minutes

• Elastic Bookmark, about 10 minutes. It comes in a Paperback and a Hardcover size, with a front pocket and a loop of ¾ in elastic. Use quilting cotton scraps, linen, cork or faux leather for the outer, plus stiff interfacing so the pocket keeps its shape. It is the fastest gift in the list, so it is an easy extra for a book lover.
• Scrunchie, about 15 minutes. A free pattern in Regular and Oversized. It uses satin, silk, cotton lawn, linen, velvet or jersey scraps and ¼ in elastic, 8 in for Regular and 9 in for Oversized. Make three in different fabrics as a set.

About 30 minutes

• Sleep Mask. A fat quarter of silk, satin or cotton makes the outer and lining, with padding of batting, felt or flannel and ⅜ in soft elastic. Choose the size by head circumference. The Adult strap is longer than a fat quarter, so you join two strips.
• Eye Pillow. An inner bag filled with flax seed or rice and 1 to 2 tbsp of dried lavender, inside a washable cover. One fat quarter of each fabric makes 2 pillows in any size. It pairs well with the sleep mask.
• Puffy Wand Trio. A star, a heart and a moon on a dowel with ribbon streamers. One fat quarter makes all 3 Large shapes. You also need a hardwood dowel, six ribbons of 18 in, fiberfill and fabric glue. It suits a child's stocking or a party favor.
• Christmas Ornaments. Stuffed fabric ornaments in Mini (3 in) and Classic (4½ in), with a hanging loop, an optional ribbon cuff and an optional name or year. They are a good way to use scraps.
• Drawstring Bag. A free pattern. The Small size (8 x 10 in) takes ⅓ yd of quilting cotton, linen, canvas or light denim and ¼ in cord. Slip a smaller gift inside and it becomes the wrapping as well.
• Collar Bandana. A reversible bandana that slides onto a pet's own collar. The Classic and Scallop styles take about 30 minutes, and the Bow style takes about 45. One fat quarter covers the outer and lining for Cat through L.
• Dog Treat Pouch. It finishes at 5 x 6 in with a boxed base, a snap and a D-ring or clip. One fat quarter of outer and one of lining make two pouches. Line it with laminated cotton, PUL or ripstop so crumbs wipe out.

45 to 60 minutes

• Zipper Pouch, about 45 minutes. A free pattern. The Small size (7 x 5 in) takes ¼ yd of outer and ¼ yd of lining and a nylon coil zipper. It becomes a makeup bag, a pencil case or a cable pouch.
• Needle Book, about 45 minutes. Quilting cotton outside and inside, felt pages, a pocket and a button or elastic loop. One fat eighth of each fabric makes 3 Small, 2 Medium or 1 Large. It is a gift for anyone who sews.
• Quilted Bow, about 60 minutes. A gift topper, a wreath bow or a hair clip. The Mini needs 3 charm squares of each of two fabrics, and the Medium needs 2 layer-cake squares of each. It is the slowest stuffer here, so make one as the gift on top.

How much fabric do I need for a dozen stocking stuffers?

Most of these need only a fat quarter, a fat eighth or a scrap, so you can sew several from one cut of fabric. These amounts come from the patterns:

The scrunchie, bookmark and ornaments use scraps. Their fabric amounts are on the pattern pages. A fat quarter is 18 x 22 in, and a fat eighth is half of that.

How can I sew a whole stocking in one evening?

Add up the app times for the items you choose, then plan for a little less if you cut everything first. These sample stockings use the times in the table above.

To save time, wash and press all the fabric first, cut every piece of one design in a single go and sew the same seam on every piece before you move on. For a dozen gifts, choose three or four designs and repeat them rather than making one of everything.

What should I tell the person who gets it?

Add a small tag with care and safety notes. These come from the patterns, and the last two are our recommendations.

• Eye pillow: wash the cover only, on gentle and cold. Never wash or wet the inner bag.
• Collar bandana: it is decoration only. Take it off, collar included, when the pet is unsupervised, and use a breakaway collar for a cat.
• Puffy wand: it has a dowel and ribbons, so offer it to a child who is old enough to play with it, with an adult nearby.
• Anything with small parts: leave off buttons, bells and beads on gifts for young children.

Make it with Sewzy

All 12 of these are in Sewzy, a sewing pattern app for iPhone. 3 of them, the Scrunchie, Drawstring Bag and Zipper Pouch, are free, and the other nine are Premium. Each pattern has every size listed above, so you can sew a Small and a Large of the same gift without buying anything extra. Print the letter-size PDF at home or take the A0 file to a copy shop, then follow the step-by-step guide. Many pattern pages also have short how-to videos for tricky steps. For more holiday makes, see the Christmas sewing patterns, or get Sewzy on the App Store.

Free printable: wrapping your handmade gifts? Get our free Christmas gift tags, with a "Merry & handmade" embroidery design.

Related guides: how to sew a needle book, how to sew a sleep mask and embroidery hoop Christmas ornaments.