SMOCKING NEWSLETTER VOL.1 ISSUE 7a
May 17, 1997
Website: Garden Fairies Smocking & Needlearts Catalog
Smocking Newsletter - Beth-Katherine Kaiman, copyright 1997-2007, all rights reserved. Please respect my creativity and hard work and ask permission before you copy something from these newsletters, I always ask that you quote me correctly and give me credit with a way for people to get back to me. Thank you.
Please drop me an e-mail when you get there and let me know what you think,
comments, suggestions and grammar corrections are always welcomed.
In This Issue:
From Our Readers
Beginner's Corner
Clips from Chats
From Marsha "Do you know what Italian smocking is, there was a reference to it in the last issue of creative needle? I have e-mailed Creative Needle but have not received an answer. Any help would be appreciated."
I am wondering if they are referring to Italian Shirring which is a technique that goes back to the 17th century. In issues 2 & 3 I dived deep into the history of smocking, wondering how it all began and one of the readers suggested that Italian shirring was it's forerunner. It is basically a running stitch, much like our gathering stitch we do to form the pleats. There is no embroidery on top of the pleats but the way you gather the fabric, in patterns, creates many different effects. In Japan you see the technique known as Shibori, but they gather up the fabric in different patterns, dye the fabric and then remove the stitches. In Italian, it was also done in other countries as well, shirring the stitches are left in. -- Beth-Katherine
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"Hi Beth. Thank you so much for the back newsletters, I am enjoying reading them and learning. Betty"
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From Betty Reid: "Beth, you are an angel to do all this work. First I want to say, now I know why my eyes would water when I went into certain fabric store. It had to be the formaldehyde. Second thing. I don't understand "stitch in the ditch" I have heard the term and am not sure how to do it.
I learned the hard way to always wash fabrics right away, but my idea was to shrink the fabric before working on it. I watched fabric shrink, after I had smocked it, while I was pressing it. Boy was I upset. My understanding is ALL COTTON should be pre washed for this reason. Betty"
Stitch in the ditch refers for example to sewing in the small area between the piping and the bodice. You are actually stitching in the ditch between those two places. This technique hides your stitches. On the right side of your garment you can also sew down facings in the shoulder seam and under the arm in the side seam. This holds your facings in place. -- Beth
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From Myra: " I just received Diana Keay's Book of Smocking and I found project 9 to be just the thing for dd to wear when she plays the flute. She likes long sleeves, but hates it when the sleeves and cuffs cut off the circulation. The smocked cuffs on this will give enough, I think, that she will like it. It also has full sleeves too. The designs on this is simple and could go with anything, another plus as far as Susan is concerned. She doesn't like too fussy stuff, especially now that she has to do her own laundry!!! lol Thanks allot, this looks like just the book I have been looking for!"
This blouse is full sleeved and the smocking is done on pin-tucking that is around the cuff of the sleeve, a really neat technique. You only smock a small section of the tucks and leave the rest free.
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"Beth: I received my first issues of the newsletter today and have spent all evening enjoying reading them. I am also looking for some instructions on counterchange smocking. Can anyone help? To Julie Fisher: I have just finished a "PROJECT FROM HELL'. One side front panel was demon possessed...I had to make it four times which also included ripping it out three times. We all have those days!!! connie watkins"
The best (only) book on counterchange smocking is by Ann Halley called Counterchange smocking. I wrote a review of the book in one of the back issues. The cost is $10.00. Other sources include Sew Beautiful Magazine and Australian Smocking. They frequently have projects. Perhaps if you were to explain your problem we could help you.
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"Dear Beth-Katherine,
Thank you so very much for the smocking newsletter. I'm not doing much of any smocking or sewing right now because of health, but I sure do enjoy reading about things. God Bless you. Charleen"
It's my pleasure, I am glad we can help you. Please feel free to write to us and we will write back.
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"Thanks so very much for responding to my posting. Yes, I would very much like to have vol. # 1-5. I have been out of the smocking circle for awhile. I have been getting back into it as my neighbors baby girls are getting old enough now to sew and smock for. My daughter is 14 and my boys 9 and 6. They haven't worn smocking for a year (the youngest that is). I miss making the outfits and the joy on their faces. I am finding joy in the my friends faces when they open their daughters gifts. I have also been approached by a nearby fabric store to teach beginning classes in smocking. Thanks so much, Cheryl"
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"According to doctors and researchers, keeping a positive mental attitude leads to longer life (and as we all are getting older, don't we appreciate that!). So your funnies are very important to me, too, as is the opportunity to expand my circle of friends. Kathleen"
As part of my training in college I studied humor and it's effects on the body. I know that when I get down and out a good joke gets me right out of the mood and sustains me for days. Thanks to all of you for your funnies I get to pass on.
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"Hi Beth,
I got your newsletter today and had a question about something in it. There was something said about a Mickey Mouse plate. Is there one on the market or did someone make one up? I'm surprised Disney would let it be on a plate. I would like to have one if it's for sale. ... My youngest that I ordered for from you years before just graduated from college Sat. That's my baby, they grow up way to fast, now the granddaughters are getting to big for smocking so I'm making doll clothes and bears for myself with smocking on them. We need a baby, but don't think daughters agree. Nice to find you again, Barbara"
It was such a delight to chat with you again, my how time flies. My DD was just 4 or 5 when we chatted first and now she's 12 (Oh MY!).
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"Hi! Thanks for the newsletter. I am getting back into counterchange, have a few Ann Hallay's plates and would like to know if she has any new ones. Also, what type of things does Emma Cox do? I haven't heard of her. Also, can you recommend a pattern for a counterchange dress that is short sleeved? I do get Australian Smocking and love their short sleeve design but was wondering if the other smocking patterns could be converted. Lesley"
The difficulty of adapting counterchange designs for patterns that were designed for pleater smocking is that your ratio of fabric to pleats is reduced. I would recommend making up a swatch or gauge of at least 4" of counterchanged smocked fabric to see how much you will need for your finished design.
Emma Cox has the following counterchange design plates
Big Red is a pick-up truck
Bus Stop - is a school bus
Sleigh Bells Ring - a sleigh
Whirlybird - a helicopter
Emma has designed a dress for both Child sizes 4-14 and Misses 6-18 (two different patterns) which has short sleeves and a sailor collar. Buttons down the front and has counterchange smocking on front and back.
She has two patterns available: a Counterchange Baby Bishop Pattern $10.00 and child's Bikini for $10.00.
Hope this helps - oh and all of the plates are $3.00. Beth (note as of 2005 these are out of print or unavailable ... if you know where I can get them let me know - Beth)
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"This is great! My daughters (10 and 12) took a smocking class at the local county extension office and it was wonderful.. The class was only for an hour but everyone stayed longer. The wonderful lady teaching us was so interesting. She had so many items she had smocked. It is a beautiful t art to learn. Thank you so much! I would love to get a pleater one day. Talk to you later! You're right on the name! Everyone should enjoy veggies! Veg4all"
Cute don't you think?
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I was disappointed that I didn't receive any more additions to my "Ten Reasons Why I Can't Tat" . I surely thought someone out there had some more reasons to add to the list.
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Also the funniest true story I have heard yet:
A customer came in yesterday and while we were chatting she told me that her husband was a hunter with a room filled with mounted trophies. At first I was taken aback but as she described the room filled with horns I immediately saw the humor in what she was trying to tell me. She has her sewing room wall to wall fabric and stuff and he has his trophy room floor to ceiling, wall to wall horns and antlers. He goes off on hunting trips now and again and one time he made the mistake of coming home a day early. Now you see this was the time that Mary decided to tea-dye her lace and fabric for a major project and she had no place in which to hang the lace and fabric to dry properly, so . . . Mr. Moose et al were draped with lace when she heard a major roar coming from her hunny's den. Her husband. All was forgiven however but Mary had to suffer the indiginity of her husband using her special, extra shape embroidery scissors to cut his fingernails - even the hang nails dear. Mary now avoids the temptation of utilizing the mounted heads for a maniquin for her lace collars.
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