Firstly, I'd like to apologize for my absence. Going back for my final year of university means I have almost no free time - let alone time to sew large, time consuming relics of the past! I will make an effort to start sewing again in a month or so, when my schedule is less hectic.
In the meantime, I have a couple of finished pieces I still haven't gotten around to sharing!
If you can recall from my construction post, I hated making these stockings. Knit fabric, a fiddly pattern and terrible embroidery does not make a happy Victoria.
When I first tried them on I was terrified something would come apart or stretch in the wrong place and all my work would be ruined. I'm very pleased to say that they are quite robust, and despite the thin fabric they're warm too.
The toes are cut on a slight angle, so there is a left stocking and a right stocking. I'm not sure how accurate this is, I haven't seen or found any sources talking about it. Since shoes weren't made with a left and a right, I would make an educated guess that stockings wouldn't have been either. If you have any more information on this don't hesitate to tell me!
The fit is quite good, the measurements seem to be accurate even if the toe area wasn't when I was making them. Having a fitted ankle felt very different from the stretchy tubes of fabric we call stockings nowadays.
My one fit complaint is that the tops are to big. My garters are great at holding them up, but the tops of the stockings ended up too big and sag down to my knees. I'll probably cheat and add some elastic to the inside to keep them up, as it's very annoying when you're trying to walk.
The embroidered clocks are a pretty touch, although they go so far up I doubt you'd see a flash of them underneath all my petticoats. Maybe if I make a walking length dress in the future they'll have their time to shine. Either way i'm not going to stop monogramming various pieces of underwear.
Despite how horrible these were to make, i'm happy I have them. It's the
little details like this that I enjoy adding to my wardrobe, and I can
avoid the classic costumer panic of "But what am I going to wear on my
feet?!".
I have all the things I need to bleach the remaining knit fabric and make one or two white pairs, which will hopefully be finished faster and with less tears than these. Speaking of footwear, i'll also be posting my finished 1770's cream shoes sometime in the near future, so keep checking back!
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