August 13, 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
From Our Readers
Time to Buy The Pleater Manual is before
"Beth, The time to buy the Sarah Douglas pleater manual is *before* you buy a pleater--not after. I bought the book before I bought a pleater and found it extremely helpful in deciding which pleater to purchase. Granted, you're spending money on a book before you have the machine, but with the cost of pleaters being what it is, not many people can afford a mistake. And, of course, the book is a great reference once you have your chosen pleater in your hot little hands! Julie jfisher@olemiss.edu"
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"8/8/97
Hi Beth:
I was wondering if you sell used pleaters - for less than let say - $50.00 or so dollars? Please let me know. I may buy one - but used price would be nice. Jean"
Does anyone have a pleater in good working order that they would like to sell? If so please let me know and I'll pass it on.
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Dear Beth-Katherine,
I also thought of something else after I sent out my survey answers back to you. I don't have a smocking machine and would like information on "setting up the rows" or whatever it is called, by hand. If I really get into this, then I wouldn't mind spending $100 on a machine, but not right at the moment. Sharon W.
Dear Sharon,
Setting up the rows is much easier these days with the invention of smocking dots. Grace Knott Company puts out two versions, regular spacing or pleater compatible - designed specially for the smocking patterns today, in two colors, yellow for dark fabrics and blue for light fabrics. They are also so reasonably priced, $2.50 per package of two large sheets, it's not worth wasting your time drawing little dots onto your fabric when you could be smocking. There is also a little booklet out by the same company called "How to Smock Dot Method" which gives complete instructions for making up your pleats by hand. However if counterchange smocking (an evolution of North American Smocking worked with dots and on striped fabric - it is a bit looser than English Smocking) appeals to you, there is a ruler available for counterchange smocking by Ann Hallay which is used for marking the dots. I don't see why you can't utilize this ruler for making pleats as well.
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And I couldn't resist putting this one in:
"Wow! I so very tickled to find you and your wealth of knowledge, sense of humor and common know-how as a fellow smocker! Your newsletters are GREAT! The word is out in Vermont! We just started a SAGA chapter, The Snowflake Smockers- it is amazing how far some will come to thread a needle and chat! Thanks a bunch, already!! Emily Houston"
Emily this is great, the second new chapter in the Smocking Arts Guild of America that I have heard about this month. The word must be getting out. Smocking is such fun!!!!! Anyone interested in SAGA just let me know and I'll pass on the information.
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To smock under the armhole or not
"At this time, I have just finished my first smocked garment. The dress is a basic yoke and I smocked it straight across. Is there something I should have done to extend it beyond the yoke to the armhole or do you just smock the area where the yoke is attached? Debra Dirks"
Dear Debra
This is a problem of basic yoke dresses that smocking women have been wrestling with for decades (yes decades - I like that word). Some feel that the smocking should go all the way to the underarm seam which means that you have to cut the armhole out of the smocking - a bit of an evolved process. Others feel that it's not worth the effort and just have the smocking extend to the sides of the yoke and feel that it is balanced enough. It is really a design choice as to what looks good to your eye, and a sewing choice as to what is easier for you. It is not a given that you'll be great at sewing even if your smocking is gorgeous. Sewing takes practice but if you remember consistency with the width of your seam allowances, sewing slowly and evenly (just because your sewing machine goes fast doesn't mean you have to run it fast), and understanding basic construction rules (shoulder to shoulder, side seam to side seam) you will become a sewing expert.
I will go through sewing a basic yoke dress step by step in the next edition as it has been requested by several readers. If you readers have any tips to send in please by all means do. --> Beth
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"I am having difficulty putting the material through my pleater straight. I have a Martha Pullen Pleater. It came with a video which looks easier than I find it to do. Is there a secret to this procedure? Lillian"
Ah yes the joys of the pleater. I have found that it can be a very tricky process one which is determined by how tightly you wind your fabric onto the pleating dowel. You have to be careful not to stretch your fabric by winding too tight, as well as not winding too loosely. I even have resorted to scotch taping my fabric to the dowel to guarantee that first couple of winding are nice and snug. As you may have 'gathered' by now in the article I re-printed by Sarah Douglas in the last issue you don't just feed the fabric into the pleater and turn the crank, there are tricks to keeping the fabric straight.
I strongly suggest that you get a copy of Sarah Douglas's pleating manual it is an investment that you will never regret. Sarah has spent time and effort looking into every possible problem with pleaters and pleating and has written all about it in the manual. One more thing after you get your fabric onto the dowel is to pleat slowly and evenly and not be afraid to guide your fabric by adjusting the tension of the feeding in of your fabric. Now are you totally confused? Get the Manual, you'll never regret it.
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Q: I have made several bishop dresses now for my little girl (age 2). After pleating the dress, I just lay it out flat on the ironing board and adjust the neckline to the width it's supposed to be when finished (i.e. 11" or whatever). I do not lay it in a circle, but rather just lay it out like an insert would look (with the neckline going in a straight line). Then I tie off the pleating threads to 11" and then SLIGHTLY fan out the lower threads and tie them off. Then I take off smocking! So far, this has worked fine. However, I keep hearing of 'blocking' and 'starching' and I'm confused and how and why this is done. Am I doing this wrong? Thanks!!! Vicki"
Dear Vicki,
No you are not doing it wrong, you seem to understand the principle quite well. However, there is this nifty little notion called the bishop pleating guide that might make your life a bit easier. It comes with the book by Jane MacPherson "The Complete Bishop Dress Book". This guide is shaped like our necklines and has several sizes to block your bishop to. The book by the way is great. It was been around for quite a while and is considered a classic must have for your smocking library, much like The Pleater Manual, as it tells you everything you need to know about smocking and pleating a smocked bishop dress.
Another new nifty notion is by Ellen McCarn called the "Ellen McCarn's Smock and Block Bishop, Yoke Collar Guide". This "is a versatile aid to use from the start to finishing of the smocked garment, but it Bishop or Yoke, Collar or Insert. &Neckline sizings are from 18" doll, Preemie/Newborn up to Adult. Actual size is 14" x 14". Also included is a Scallop Guide for Hems and Collars for scallop sizes 1", 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/2", 3", 3 1/2" 4".
"The fabric is a heavy weight and durable non-woven pressed fiber that is stretch-resistant. It can be pinned on basted to. Put it in an embroidery hoop for smocking on the guide if desired. Instructions are included."
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"Thanks for getting the newsletters to me so fast, they're great. Okay, for my first question, the obvious. What kind/brand pleater would you recommend for a beginner? (Is that something you can answer???) Thank you! Susan"
Dear Susan, The type of pleater to get depends greatly on the type of smocking you will be mostly doing. If you feel that you will be mostly smocking for children and dolls and never will want to smock more than 16 rows then I recommend that you get the Amanda Jane 16 row pleater. If you feel that at some point in time you will want to smock more than 16 rows, ie 24 rows then the 24 row Amanda Jane or Sally Stanley pleater is the one to get.
Both of the pleater brands that I have recommend are wonderful machines. The Amanda Jane is a bit handier than the Sally Stanley in that 1) the needles are available almost all the time (Stanley needles are almost non-existent - we have to use generics which are OK but not perfect); 2) The Amanda Jane has a unique system of needle changing in that you only have to pull out two pins and then the roller comes right off and you can easily change the needles - on the Sally Stanley (and other pleaters) you have to unscrew two little screws which have been known to fall on the floor or get lost in the carpet.
The Amanda Jane also has a wider bracket through which you place the rolled up fabric to be pleated. This makes pleating corduroy so much easier.
So all in all I would recommend the Amanda Jane pleater because it is the most recently designed and therefore has corrected the mistakes of the previous pleaters and incorporated all of the changes that women wanted.
Beth-Katherine
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"It isn't as if there was anything very wonderful about my little corner. Of course for people who like cold, wet, ugly bits it *is* something rather special." --Eeyore
"The work of love is not always easy or graceful, nor does it make those who attempt to do it look saintly or benevolent. Love does what is required. Real love is the capacity to meet the needs and requirements of the moment. Putting love into action takes courage, for we may have to risk our position, prestige, friendships and security to speak the truth. This is the reason that great lives are not easy ones. Great lives demand the truth." -- Alan Mesher, "Journey of Love"
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