My First Bucilla Felt Stocking Kit: How to do Cording

A Bucilla kit construction question I often get asked is how to make and tack cording on to a kit. There are quite a few Bucilla kits that require cording either in the design or as hangers for ornaments.

The Answer

You make cording by twisting up the floss provided in the kit. To do this well, you will need:

• Scotch tape
• An ink pen with an arm on it
• A full, 36” length of floss (all six strands)
• A table, or other hard surface

Step 1

Knot the end of one 36” length of floss. Tape the end with the knot to the edge of a table.

Step 2

Twist the floss tightly by turning it. I twisted it many, many, many times to make it tight.

Step 3

Holding the twisted floss taught in one hand, I hooked the arm of the pen on the floss and slid it to the middle, folding the floss in half and hold both ends of the floss together on the table.

Step 4

Keep hold of the ends and let the pen go. The weight of the pen should twist the two halves of the floss together.

Step 5

Once the pen stops twirling, pull it out (Keep holding the two ends together).

Step 6

Knot the two ends of the floss together.

An example of finished cording:

Most felt stocking kits will tell you the lengths of cording you will need. For instance, the Bucilla Over the Rooftops kit requires a 2", a 7", and a 9" length of cording. Make sure you make TWO KNOTS before cutting a length of floss or it will unravel!

Now, how do you attach this cording to your stocking? If you want to hide the knots, I have heard of folks using a large-eyed needle (like a chenille needle) and actually threading the cording (like you would any floss) through the back of the felt and back down like you might any straight stitch. Be cautious! This large needle will make a bigger hole in your felt, so it is important to go slowly and get it right the first time. You might also be able to hide the knots between two layers of felt before stitching them down. (For example, you could hide the knot for the beginning of the reigns on the Over the Rooftops Bucilla Christmas stocking kit underneath Santa's mittens).

Once you have the cording in the location you want it, use one strand of the same color floss as the cording to make some small tack stitches along the cording to hold it in place. These stitches should blend right in with the cording. I hope these tips help you make your crafting experience even more fun! -Kirsten