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Fully Fashioned
Stockings which are knitted flat then sewn together, having a seam and a small
circular 'keyhole' on the back of the welt.
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Stockings are knitted from thigh to toe, so the first part of the stocking to be knitted
is the welt. The under or shadow welt which was around an oldinch long came next it bridged the gap
betwen the thcker yarn of the welt and the sheer leg.
Fashioning occurs above and below the knee and at the ankle, the small 'marks' can be seen on either
side of the seam which are where the stitches have been knitted together to reduce the width
of the stocking. There are different styles of foot which are usually reinforced in some measure,
either by a thicker yarn or adding a cotton fibre.
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Fashioning marks on either side of
the seam
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The stocking being run through the
seaming machine
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Making up the stocking is the next part of the process. Each stocking is seamed on a machine,
the seam may run from toe to welt or from heel to welt with the underfoot
being knitted together so there is no seam to aggravate the wearer. Seams start inside out at the toe,
then up the leg and ends on the lower edge of
the outside of the welt. As the welt is already double thickness this means
that one side of the machine ends up on the inside of the stocking which is why there is the
keyhole on the inside of the welt to allow the stocking to be removed from the machine.
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After seaming the stockings go through various quality control measures. Some minor flaws
are mended others are relegated to the 'seconds' department. Next the stockings are sent to be dyed, usually
in a different factory. After that they are given an 'anti-snag' bath and are then dried and put onto
leg shaped boards to be heated. After they are dry they are pressed and are ready to be returned to the
hosiery factory. There they go through a final quality check, they have the manufacturers transfer
ironed on to the welt, and are paired and packed for the retail market.
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Two knitting machines for fully fashioned stockings. Each machine
can make
30 stockings at one time. The average time taken to
make 30 stockings is 50 minutes.
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