Getting started

Instead of blathering on incessantly on fb, I'll get started blogging about my sewingprojects.

stockingmaking continued

 

If your feet are similar in shape you can use the same pattern for both, just flip it over. I chanced it and it worked fine for me.

onwards with the stockings

 I prefer my patterns not to include seam allowance since I never remember how much I added. I therefore cut away all excess fabric and ended up with this:

getting the stocking off

Now comes another interesting step – getting the stocking off. If the stocking is nice and tight around the ankle your foot won’t get through, but you want it to be as tight as possible, since the stocking will be less wrinkled in that area. Carefully try to take the stocking off the leg and move the pins in the ankle area (marked with red dots on the image)

Move the pins very little every time ‘til you can wiggle and carefully pull the sock off. When the sock is off take the pen and trace where the pins are. Remember to do both sides before you remove the pins!
 

Bloody sole

Put the sole back underneath your foot and pin it to the leg fabric. This is where my pattern got baptized in blood. When you’re trying to pin this close to a living, breathing thing there might be a few accidents…

When the sole is pinned all the way around you should be left with two triangular holes, one on each side. What I did was to approximate the size and shape of the hole and cut out a slightly larger piece that I stuffed in the hole and then I traced the edges. I ended up with two pieces like these. Remember to mark which piece goes on the inside of the foot and which on the outside. I also drew arrows showing me which was down and which end points towards the toes.

a fitting leg

Continue pinning all the way down to the floor and cut the slits as long as needed to let the fabric become as smooth as possible. You will have some wrinkles – accept that cloth isn’t as stretchy as modern knits! Cut away most of the excess fabric. You should end up with something similar to this

On the bias

We then started on the leg pattern. Take the fabric and put it on the bias around the leg. Ordinary fabric (non-knit) is stretchier on the bias and it helps with the fit if the fabric does have some give to it.

 

Adding image that explains the difference of bias and straight.

 

I was wearing Capri leggings so we pinned it at the top just below the knee cap. This is not necessary but was helpful for my friend who’d never done anything like this since the fabric didn’t “escape” before she put in those first pins. When you star putting in the pins make sure you do it as tight as snug as possible, the tighter the better. You start pinning the fabric in the middle of the back of the leg, just like those vintage stockings has a seam in the back. Start at the top and work your way downwards. As yo get to the ankle the fabric gets more and more wrinkled andyou will have to do the side splits. Those should be made on both sides of the foot approximately where the anklebone protrudes: I’ve marked the proper spot on the image.

sole cutting

Cut out the sole with a generous seam allowance – mine was around an inch. You should end up with something similar to this, just with more seam allowance:

How I made my stockings or Stocking-making for beginners

I’m trying to make a “how-to” that even a beginner can follow that can be used in classes or just to hand out to beginners so I’d appreciate feedback. I will replace and add images when I hacve acces to a scanner. I do not do drawings on the screen well…

 I started out with a big piece of fabric. Choose a fabric that behaves similarly to the fabric you plan to use in the real stocking. I used wool that is so unpleasant to wear but in all other ways is as thin and stretchy as the wool I’m later using in my stockings. Thin wool is usually more stretchy on the bias than linen so you may have to make a different pattern for linen stockings if you’re making both.

 The first thing we did was the sole. I stood on the fabric and my friend traced the foot with the pen slightly angled in under the foot. If you don’t angle the pen the pattern becomes larger and its harder to get that nice tight fit, plus that the seam will end up higher:

Figur 1

Adding image of the angled pen