Creating your own stocking pattern
IQ Booster — Creating Your Own Stocking Pattern
This booster will lead you through the steps to create your own pattern without digitizing a single point. You will be using circles and arcs from the Geometric catalog. Keep in mind you're creating a stocking as you go through these steps. Also please keep in mind that a block is simply a reference box, and you can place your patterns anywhere inside or OUTSIDE the block — it doesn't matter. IQ simply needs a box to know where on the screen to place patterns. You can then move them wherever you want.
- Design/Sew Quilt
- Start New
- Block Pattern
- Enter Rectangle Manually — pick a size, doesn't really matter
- put a circle from the Geometric catalog in the block
- copy the circle so you now have 2 circles that are the same — size doesn't matter but they need to be the same
- position the circles so that one will be the heel and one will be the toe
- Add Pattern — Block Pattern — Use Current Block
- choose Arc from the Geometric catalog
- move the arc such that one end point is snapped to the bottom snap point on the toe circle
- Stretch the arc, using the newly snapped end-point as the anchor. Snap the other end of the arc to the bottom snap point of the heel circle. This arc is now the arch of the stocking.
- touch Update. This resets the 0,0 position of the arc to the current location and will allow you to flatten the arc.
- use the Height button to flatten the arc so that it looks like an arch of a stocking. You'll have to move and stretch again to get it into position after flattening it.
- touch Finished when the arc is sufficiently flattened and positioned.
- Split Pattern — we will now split the circles to create the heel, foot, and toe of the stocking. First split the toe circle where the arch arc intersects it. We want to remove the bottom section of the circle that is no longer needed. To do this, split the circle at both arc intersections, and use Delete Pattern to remove the excess circle segment. Next split the heel circle at the arc intersection on the bottom of the circle, and again about where the heel is going to become the leg. Split the toe circle about where it will need to become the front leg. Delete excess circle segments, and touch Finished when you're done. (note: if you leave extra bits in the pattern, that's ok. just go back and split & delete where necessary to remove excess bits.)
- Add Pattern — Block Pattern — Use Current Block
- choose Arc from the Geometric catalog — this arc will become the back of the leg
- Move the arc endpoint so that it snaps to the heel endpoint at the top of the heel. Use Stretch, with the heel/leg endpoint as the anchor, to pull and scale the arc so that it becomes the back of the leg. Touch Update.
- Change the width of the arc so that it is flat enough to be the back of a leg. A good width to start with is 0.55".
- Touch Finished when you're happy with the back of the leg.
- Add Pattern — Copy Pattern — copy the back of the leg arc.
- Flip X to turn it around so the new arc will become the front of the leg. Position it properly for whatever width stocking leg you like. It may or may not touch the toe circle. If it doesn't touch the toe circle, Copy this front leg arc. Move and stretch it to bridge the gap between the toe circle and the front leg arc.
- At this point you have a rather choppy looking stocking with an open top.
- Combine Patterns — select the individual elements in the order you want them to stitch, swapping start and end points where necessary to avoid jump stitches
Now for the magic
Smooth Pattern
- select the stocking pattern
- touch Smooth, and change the value to 50%. The green line indicates the new pattern. Adjust the smoothing percentage until you get a nice smooth stocking with a good shape. Touch Finished when you're happy with it.