Stocking quality patterned her senses (9)

I believe the answer is:

sheerness

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'stocking quality' is the definition.
'sheerness' can be an answer for 'quality' (I have seen 'Stark quality' mean 'sheerness' so perhaps 'quality' could also mean 'sheerness'). I am unsure of the 'stocking' bit.

'patterned her senses' is the wordplay.
'her senses' anagrams to 'SHEERNESS'.
However, I'm not sure how the anagram is indicated.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sheerness that I've seen before include "Kent resort" , "Verticality; N. Kent town" , "Perpendicularity; Isle of Sheppey town" , "port" , "Feature of cliff" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.