Luxurious curtains from the royal residence of Sandringham House have been given a spectacular second life, expertly crafted into a collection of bespoke Christmas stockings for a charitable auction.
The Royal Transformation
A dedicated sewing bee, based at the stately Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, has meticulously repurposed the historic fabric. The group, which meets weekly, spent months working on the material, creating 25 individually numbered, unique stockings. Each festive piece required over six hours of intricate work, employing traditional techniques like hand embroidery, piping, and precise seam matching.
Twenty-four of these special stockings are now available in The King’s Foundation’s 2025 Christmas Charity Auction, which is open now and concludes at 5pm on Friday, December 12. The final stocking from the collection is set to be a personal Christmas gift for the King himself.
Community and Craftsmanship at the Heart
The sewing bee is a key initiative of The King’s Foundation, an organisation headquartered at Dumfries House that focuses on teaching practical heritage skills. The group has been a fixture there since 2016 and strongly emphasises sustainability in its work, reflecting the foundation's broader mission.
The project has had a profound impact on its members. Christine Wilson, 72, a retired finance officer, and Andrea Middlemiss, 63, who works in a cafe, both from Cumnock, had never sewn before joining the bee. Ms Wilson joined at its inception, with Ms Middlemiss signing up six months later after discovering the group online.
"It’s been absolutely great," Ms Wilson remarked. "It’s a great atmosphere in the sewing bee, a great group of friends, and we do a lot for charities as well."
Ms Middlemiss expressed her pride in the royal project, stating, "It’s an honour to be doing it. Because of the curtains, because of where they’ve come from and the story behind it."
A Legacy to Treasure
Sarah McClymont, 31, the lead tutor for the bee, described working with the Sandringham fabric as an "exciting project" and a "real honour" for the members.
She added, "The sewing bee transforming the Sandringham curtains into 25 luxury Christmas stockings really demonstrates The King’s Foundation’s commitment to craftsmanship, responsible design, and sustainable fashion and textiles. We hope that whoever is lucky enough to win one of the stockings at auction will pass it down as a family heirloom to be treasured for decades to come."
The auction is now live, offering a chance to own a unique piece of royal history while supporting vital charitable work in heritage skills and sustainable practices.
