A while back CK posted a wonderful post on tips for smocking. You can find the tutorial here. In the post she mentions that you can find pre-shirred (is that how you spell it?) fabric from the fabric store. But for those of you who want to learn how to shirr your fabric yourself, I'd like to direct you to another tutorial I found.
The wonderfully talented Kathleen Frances from Grosgrain created a video showing how to shirr your own fabric. It's incredibly helpful and easy to follow. Click here to find the tutorial on her blog.
I also found it's link on youtube and posted it below.
Its amazing what that last step with the iron does to the fabric. At the beginning of the video the material was so flat and smooth. But in those last thirty seconds, the material becomes so spastically scrunchy and all the little horizontal ribs become so tight and wonky*. Shirred material looks so complicated but now I know it is just a product of multiple strait sewn lines using elastic thread!
*This post has been linked up to the Word of the Week (WOW) at A Belle, A Bean and a Chicago Dog for our use of wonky.
i LOVED watching that video!!!!! i need something to smock (when i get the time!) very, very cool.
ReplyDeletehow could anything that sweet and delicate ever be wonky?!? :)
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, how beautiful. I love smocking, but I'd never be able to do it. I admire you so much for having the talent to do so!
ReplyDeleteBest regards,
Gloria