I will be using a royalty free Victorian Santa that I got from Victoriana's but you can use your own tubes
or whatever you'd like.

Please remember to SAVE often.
 

1. ) Open a new canvas, 350 X 450 transparent.

2.) Set your foreground color to a pretty Christmas color you'd like your cording around your stocking to be.
I'm using #B10F0F. Set the color a couple shades lighter than you want the finished color to be. You'll
understand why in a bit.

3.) Set your background color to a nice contrasting color. (set the color a couple shades lighter here also.)
I'm using #649664.
Note: the background color doesn't really matter if you plan to use an image like I have done to flood fill it with
later.

4.) Let's do some vectoring!!  Set your preset shapes to Oval, antialias and create as a vector checked,
Line Width set to 4, Line Style set to solid.

5.) Close to the bottom of your canvas draw out an oval like this...

Use the center handle to rotate the oval downward to the right slightly.

6.) Click on the Object Selector and then right click on your canvas, choose Node Edit.
Add 2 nodes between the top middle node and the left end node like in the screenshot below..

7.) Pull up on the two nodes you added to form the top of your stocking....you should have something like this..

8.) Now use the "toe" node to shape the end of the foot a little more. Adjust the other nodes until you have
something like this...

Convert layer to Raster. Rename to stocking foot if you wish.

9.) With the same colors that you used before, make a top cuff for your stocking.

Preset shapes set to rectangle. At the top draw out the cuff. Convert to raster, rename as cuff if
you wish.

10.) Turn off your foreground color and use the same preset shape setting as you used for the cuff and make a hanger tab
for your stocking. Rotate the tab so that it is slightly tilted toward the back. Convert to Raster and rename as tab.
Move this layer below your cuff layer. This is what you should have now....

 

You know have a simple stocking. You can duplicate this and save as a psp file or merge the layers
visible and export as a tube for later decorating ideas.

For this tutorial though we will be turning this stocking into a needlepoint.

10.) Make your stocking foot your active layer. Go to Selections, Selection All, Selections, Float, back to Selections,
Modify, Contract by 4. Add a new layer naming it stocking image. On this layer you want to place your tubes or flood
fill with your chosen image. Do not Deselect.

11.) With your stocking image layer still selected go to Effects, Texture Effects, Blinds and apply these settings...
Use a darker color of your stocking color for you Blinds color.

12.) Once again apply the Blinds filter but this time uncheck Horizontal. Deselect your layer.

13.) Make you stocking foot your active layer. Use the wand to select only the border color you used on your stocking.
Apply the same two Blinds steps to the border as you did for the stocking image, change the Blinds color to a darker color than
what you used for the border. Do not Deselect.

14.) Go to Effects, 3D Effects, Inner Bevel and apply the Frame preset or the settings below..

Select None.

15.) Make your cuff layer your active layer. Go to Selections, Selection All, Selections, Float, back to Selections,
Modify, Contract by 4. Apply the two Blinds steps using a darker shade of the color used for the cuff. Deselect.

16.) Use the wand and select only the border color used on the cuff. Apply the Blinds steps twice using a darker color.
Do not Deselect.

17.) With the border color still selected apply the above Inner Bevel. Deselect.

18.) Make your hanger tab your active layer. Apply the two Blinds steps once again to it using a darker color.

19.) Apply an Inner Bevel to your hanger tab with these settings...

20.) Make your top layer your active layer. Add a new layer, on this layer you can add a name to your stocking
using whatever font you like best. Once you have your name on the layer, apply the Blinds settings to the name.
Then you can also add a slight drop shadow to give it some depth if you wish.

21. Hide Layer 1 and your hanger tab layer. Merge all layers visible. Now select your merged layer like we've selected
all the other layers. Go to Effects, 3D Effects, Cutout. Apply a cutout using these settings...

Apply a second cutout but change the horizontal to -3 and the Opacity to 45. You can adjust the brightness on your hanger tab
layer if you need to make it a little darker.

Merge your layers visible, crop and export as a tube or whatever you wish to do with it!!

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and it will inspire you to do lots more with this needlepoint technique.

Happy Holidays...God Bless!
Until next time,
Connie