How I made my stockings or Stocking-making for beginners - Part One

Moved and updated my stocking making blogpost from my old blog.

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:


Fig. 1

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:




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.

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.



 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: