July 25, 1997
e-Mail: mainfairy@smockingbooks.com
Website: Garden Fairies Smocking & Needlearts Catalog
Smocking Newsletter - Beth-Katherine Kaiman, copyright 1997-2004, all rights reserved. Please respect my creativity and hard work and ask permission before you copy something from these newsletters for your non profit goup, I always ask that you quote me correctly and give me credit with a way for people to get back to me. Thank you. IF you wish to quote me in a venture for profit please contact me separately concerning royalties.
In This Issue:
From Our Readers
Cute Patterns Stop at Girls' Size 8, what to do?
Oh yea, I have a question. It seems that all the cute patterns stop at size 8 or smaller. My daughter is 7 and wears a 7 or 8. She is not the largest in her class. She loves my smocking because her teachers parade her around. Her friends ask if her Mommy can make them a dress too! I love the smocked overall. I can't figure out how to measure for an insert in The Overagain Overall by Little Memories. Can you help?-- Judi
Dear Judi,
I'm sorry for taking so long to answer your question about the smocked insert. Doesn't the pattern tell you how to do it? I mean isn't it part of the pattern? If not the way to go is to make a pleated swatch of the fabric you are going to be using. After you have pleated a 7" long piece take it off the needles and spread it out and count how many pleats there are to the inch. When this is done you can easily calculate how many inches of fabric is needed to cover the insert place.
One of the things I have found about smocked inserts is to make sure that I center the design and have the design go all the way to the edges with no blank fabric showing on the edges, the design seems to wrap around to the back.
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Smocking for the Older Girl Question
Hi,
First, let me say that I love the newsletter. I sometimes have difficulty getting on-line to participate in the chats, so this is a fabulous way for me to get good information. Thank you again. I do have a question. My oldest daughter is 11 (going on 21) and thinks that most of the smocked clothing looks "too baby". I have smocked for all three of my children since they were babies and don't want to give it up. Do you have any suggestions for patterns/styles that she might enjoy and actually wear? She doesn't like anything with a high waist or anything "heirloom looking". This child couldn't possibly be mine! LOL Help! Jamye Cooper
I thought I would answer both of your questions at the same time. On the patterns for older girls there are several cute ones out there. A couple that come to mind is by B & B Blueprints Tea Time sized 6-14. Which has the smocking coming from a deep yoke and is smocked to the waist. You have your choice of four different styled collars from a peter pan, round collar, square or triangular. Very elegant dress. Contessa's New jumper pattern is sized Girls 4-12 + Misses 4-22 in one pattern. Chery Williams has a couple of elegant young ladies designs. The first that comes to mind is the Princess Line Dress 4-6x; 7-10; 12-16 which is a princess bodice and four styles of collars including two smocked, one of which is called the Edwardian Smocked collar which is panels of smocking in between lace insertion. There is also the Coat Dress sized which is classy, button down the front and smocked at the waist. Nice square collar can be dressed up or down, sleeves or sleeveless. Love and Stitches by Debbie Glenn has some different designs that I think your daughter might really like, especially since she's approaching the age of "No more smocking mom". The first is the Dropped Waist Dress with your choice of three different panels of criss-cross tucks, lace insertion and medallions or lattice (North American Style Smocking) smocking. It also has three choices of sleeves, regular short sleeves, short sleeves with a touch of smocking at the hem, and long sleeves with a smocked panel down the front fore arm. School Days Jumper has three views: View 1, wrap back with applique on front; View 2, Dropped Waist with wrap Back; and View 3 Smocked at the waist with a wrap front. Debbie has also designed Blouses Basics with a jewel neckline, back button blouse with 3 collar and 4 sleeve variations. You have your choice of smocked caps, smocked panel insert or smocked banded cuff. Three types of collars.-- Beth
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Edging used as Insertion in Christening Gown Inspirations #12
Dear Beth,
I am making the Christening Gown out of Inspirations 12 and ordered edging as the instructions said but now that I look at it I am wondering if they made a mistake?-- Andrea
Dear Andrea,
I just went through my shop and looked closely at the Christening Gown you are making, how gorgeous and simple, and found that it wasn't a typo they really did mean to use an edging in place of an insertion at the hemline. This is a technique that I have seen used in antique garments as a way of either adding a special touch or else the original seamstress ran out of insertion, LOL-- Beth
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Dear Beth,
In Vol. 1, No. 10a of your smocking newsletter, Josephine expressed her preferences for girls' dress patterns. She also wrote: (On pattern fit, though I have yet to find a better set than Elizabeth Travis Johnson's basic blocks.; the trick to me is in adding the ease.) Could you give us more information about Elizabeth Travis Johnson's basic blocks and where we might find them? Julie jfisher@olemiss.edu
Unfortunately those basic block patterns are out of print. I am on the trail of other basic blocks.
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How to Pleat More than 24 rows on your Pleater
Beth, I am almost (yeah!!!!) with my first yoke dress. I think it will turn out nice even though I had to figure out the construction.
My question is this: Suppose one wanted to pleat more rows than what one's pleater has needles. For example, I saw a pattern for 32 rows. Now the only pleater I know that has many rows is a 24. Do you run the fabric again from the last pleated thread? --Barbara
7/13/97 AOL Smocking Chat - Town Square-Member Room- Smocking
Smockingroom: Beth, have you pleated a piece twice before? |
More in issue #12 about pleaters and pleating and a reveiw on the wonderful book The Pleater Manual by Sarah Douglas.
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Thank you! Thank you! You just made my vacation!
Being physically challenged now I do not feel safe in boats even though I did in the past sooooo - when they went fishing all day I read (and re-read) wonderful newsletters and smocked all day. After 10 days in the mountains with only solar power for electricity (which BTW doesn't like computerized sewing machines) I have a lot of projects to finish. Before we left I had pleated several pieces to practice on and also several pockets from material I had for shirts. Also brought up some gingham remnants to try a little counterchange smocking. Now just have to get those shirts and my sampler board made.
For us newbies - What is "Tessellated" smocking? (as referred to in the newsletter). Have not heard of this term.
Even have almost a perfect bullion mastered but the last sentence (in #6) indicated you would "talk about different placements...roses & buds" in the next issue. Couldn't seem to find thru 10a that I took with me - can you tell me where I missed out? Guess I rambled long enough...looking forward to the next newsletter(s)-- Sandy in Colorful Colorado
Dear Sandy,
I am glad that this newsletter is helping you, this is one of the main reasons why I have done it. Thank all of you for reading it.
I am sorry about the bullion confusion - LOL I need to read from issue to issue what I have written from now on and keep the continuity going. Look for more bullion information in issue #12.
Tessellated Smocking is a term coined by Judith Brandau and refers to a pattern that is the same on top and below. M.C. Escher's works are typical examples of it. If you are interested I still have the Tessellated smocking Chat Log and Handout available from the Friday Night Special Chat that Judith gave a couple of months ago. Just let me know and I'll mail it off to you.
A word about smocking chats on AOL. For those of you on different internet providers who would like to attend the Friday Night Special Chats that I have organized on AOL may I make a suggestion to you. AOL offers 50 free hours that don't have to be used up in a month, if you wanted to come in and sit in on a chat without paying first that is a way for it to happen. The chats meet at 9PM EDT in the Craft Niche Conference Room (keyword: Exchange) and go for two hours. Please contact me for further information if you are interested in attending and would like to see a schedule.
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Do you know of anyone who publishes patterns for either a smocked hairbow (I understand that Smocking, etc. used to print one, but no longer), or a smocked sash (similar to Strassbourg's ready made "Sash dress" which is a basic dress with interchangeable smocked sashes)? Any help with locating these items would be appreciated!
Anyone with suggestions?
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Here are two responses to the person who wanted to know about pockets:
I want to respond to the person in your newsletter about my favorite way to apply smocked pockets. I take a circle about 15 inches in diameter and cut it in half. Pleat a few rows along the straight edge, pull your pleats up to about 5 1/2", and smock a pattern to complement the other smocking on the dress. I then loosely gather the curved edges until it is the shape of a pocket and apply piping around the entire pocket. Fold the raw edge to the back and whip stitch the piping to the wrong side along the top (smocked) edge. Apply the pocket to the dress by stitching in the ditch next to the piping. Kids love these pockets because they are very roomy and they can put treasures in them! -- patty
and another suggestion:
I made a tennis skirt with a pocket once. It was just a rectangle that I smocked 6 half space rows one inch from the top. I used a monogram design on the smocking part. When I sewed it on the tennis skirt, I rounded the bottom edge. Laura
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And something else on Chery Williams patterns:
As my daughter has chubby arms, those CW patterns never fit. Her children must come from Biafra! I always make the arm band larger and often a little wider. I am not so great at the 1/4" seams so I add about 1/8-1/16 on the sides to make up for my more generous seam allowance. The tiny little bit makes it easier on the second part of the seam. I am improving, tho!
I love the newsletter.--Judi
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Hello GarFairies,
Thank you for your so interesting newsletter - it took me some time to read through the back issues - and now I want to thank you for this informative *magazine*.You must know,here in Germany, smocking is as good as unknown (I even did not know, that one could smock patterns...) and materials are not available(never seen a pleater ) so it may take me some time to learn ,how to do it._my_ christening gown has been smocked, but it seems to be done mechanically ,and after looking for books or leaflets here in bookshops, I had to give up...
As I have started my own business (on designing embroidery charts) recently, I am short of time anyhow. But I'd like to get your newsletter continuously — thank you again, for making it .And your daughter will grow out of puberty, and get *human * again :))) greetings, Martina
Chatelaine Duisburg /Germany
Dear Martina,
Thank you for reading the newsletter and I hope that this helps you in understanding smocking and I appreciated your comments on my pubescent daughter. I would like to recommend two books on smocking which are excellent self-teachers. The first is On English Smocking by Ellen McCarn and the second is the Photo Book of Smocking Stitches by Sandy Hunter. Both of these are reviewed on my web site. Shipping to Germany by Global Priority mail would only be $10.50 shipping, which is not bad. You can stuff about two pounds of merchandise in an envelope for that price. If you are interested let me know and we can chat.
"One can't complain. I have my friends. Somebody spoke to me only yesterday ~Eeyore