Smocking Secrets- REVEALED

My good friend, Bianca, is a professional seamstress.

So when she offered to teach me a little smocking,

how could I pass up the opportunity?  

I always thought smocking was some kind of magic.  

And, in some ways, it is!

{I swear it takes magic to have the patience needed to get the tension 

consistent in each stitch!}

But after a few practice sessions I see that there are a few basics that make smocking so much more comprehensible.

Lesson 1:  Smocking begins with a pleated piece of material that you can make by machine or buy at the store.

 

My material was pleated by machine and if you look closely you can see that the folds make a series of what can be referred to as the hills and valleys:

Lesson 2:  For basic designs, the needle wraps around the hills and comes up between the valleys

Lesson 3:  For the basic wave stitch, the needle always moves from right to left, wrapping the trailing thread around two hills and then passing up between them through the valley.

The trailing thread always stays either above or below the needle, depending on which way 

the wave is going.

Here's my first design:

{Yes, I know I need more practice in order 

to get that magic!}

For more basic videos about smocking check out here!

For easy-to-follow diagrams check out here!

And now I present you with some

of the most beautiful hand made smocking designs ever!

This is my baby's blessing handmade blessing dress:

Even the little roses and ribboned hand cuffs are handcrafted.

Thank you Bianca!!!

-CK

This post is linked to:

Sew Can Do