June 11, 1997
Website: Garden Fairies Smocking & Needlearts Catalog
Smocking Newsletter - Beth-Katherine Kaiman, copyright 1997-2005, 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
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More Blood on fabric Suggestions
<< As you can imagine, I picked my finger as I was almost done. Most of it came out and I'm probably the only person who'll notice the spot, but it still bothered me. >>
I used to work in a medical lab and dealt with this problem regularly. Just dip a Q-tip in hydrogen peroxide and touch it to the spot of blood. (works best if you do it right away). Be sure to rinse with water later so fibers aren't weakened. You can rinse when you finish the piece if it doesn't take too long. Loretta Gaschler, Hermitage, TN
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Can you recommend a sewing machine?
"Could you recommend a sewing machine? I sew basic children's clothes but would like to do smocking and heirloom and possibly some embroidery. Whinny"
As far as a sewing machine that depends on your budget and your priorities. If Heirloom Sewing is your thing then I would either look at a Pfaff, Elna or a Viking. Those three machines have the most beautiful entredeux or hemstitch. Bernina's are wonderful machines - I own one, work horses actually, but for heirloom sewing I'm always kicking myself because I have to do pin-stitching by hand because my machine doesn't have the right stitch.
Elnas were actually the first machine in 1988 or so to have the pinstitch so I would start there and compare the others to it. Also when you buy a machine make sure that the person who is selling the machine is a reputable dealer and who will be around to service your machine if needed.
Hope these answer your questions. Any suggestions for her ladies? Beth
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Designing your own Smocking Designs
"In reading some of the postings......I see where you can create your own picture smocking by using a special graph? paper. Laura
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This From KWHarb@aol.com:
" I have some precious fabric that has a light blue background with what looks like paper dolls and their clothes all over it. It isn't solid-color paperdolls that look like a child cut them out; it looks like real paper dolls (with hair, faces, clothes, etc.) and real clothes (different patterns, etc.) (I am trying to describe it in case anyone has seen it). I know it could be stunning with the right thing smocked on it, but I don't know if I've ever seen a plate that would be suitable. Any ideas? I am toying with the idea of designing my own plate, but despite 9 years of smocking, have never done that before.
Thanks for any help! Love the newsletter; I get so excited when I sign on my computer and have it in my "mail." Thanks for all your work on it, too!!"
Ok two in a row so we have talked about designing your own smocking plate in previous issues but I will repeat it here: The easiest way that I know of is to pick out an image from the fabric that you like. Then find some graph paper that has been designed for picture smocking, ex. Ellen McCarn Smocking Pro-Portional Graph Paper, and take a sheet to the zerox shop which can transfer the image to a transparency. The put that over you image and zerox the both of them together. The alternative is to color in the image you want with colored pens (preferably the ones that erase). Then all you have to do is choose what type of border you need, remember that a bishop always ends with trellis's or waves (nature of the beast), back smock where needed and Voila! you have a smocking design custom made.
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I wanted to chat a bit more about creativity and finding inspiration wherever you look. I remember in art class our teacher's had us on the lookout for unique things that caught the imagination. You would be surprised how looking at a sea shell, for example, can trigger the neatest images. You are only limited by your imagination.
For example: I had the craziest pair of music teachers. They were really into 20th century music and so taught me to look/listen to today's sounds for my compositions. Last night I was dreaming of chinese glass wind chimes shaped like a temple and I still can hear the tinkling of the glass as they pieces knocked into each other. (Still haven't processed that one.) I have found in my music composition that some rhythm or pattern of sounds will trigger a composition or a clothing design, and it happens in the strangest of places. Like the other day I was in Raley's, a major food chain store, which happens to have wonderful acoustics at the check-out stand. The builders had placed the check-out stands in such a manner that when the checkers scanned items each 'ping' bounced off the walls rather than falling flat. I felt like I was standing in a 3-dimensional rain shower of sound of random 'pings' or blips. I'm sure the store manager wouldn't appreciate me setting up microphones just to get a sampling of sound.
I shared this with you to give you a sense of how one creative mind works. I'm sure that experience will merge itself into either a design or composition.
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Dear Beth
<< Encyclopedia of Embroidery book pub in 1882, reprinted in 1972 which has a paragraph with illustrations on the process known as Stroking. Stroking is what it was called the smoothing the pleats that had been made by the running stitch. Since this book was written in 1882 I reasoned that this technique descended from smocking and it made sense, >>
Stroking as a way of smoothing out gauged pleats is quite old. Gauging or running-stitch pleating was used as a way of controlling fullness in fabric long before 'smocking' as such came about. Gathering fabric as it is done in the 20th century pretty much didn't exist before the turn of the century, and didn't come into common usage until the 1930's.
Regards, Asha"
Asha I am well aware that gauging was the way of controlling fullness of fabric, I was referring to how interesting that the word 'stroking' was so significant that it had to have had a whole paragraph written about it. The process and need of straightening or adjusting your pleats is very well known to us who have both picked dots to make pleats or who have pleated the fabric with a pleater machine. To my mind 'Stroking' implies more than one row of running stitches and also a desire to make the pleats stand up as opposed to laying flat. If they wanted them to lay flat why bother 'stroking' the pleats.
As anyone who has marked their fabric and picked up dots for to make the pleats for smocking, the naming the term of smoothening out the pleats as 'stroking' makes total sense. In order to make your pleats nice and straight you have to make sure that your 'running' stitches are even and the only way to ensure that is to either hand pleat on gingham or marked fabric using the marking to guarantee evenness.
Actually smocked gathered fabric has existed as it has been pointed out from at least the 13th century more than likely what we call the art form 'smocking' didn't exist until the mid or late 17th centuries in what are now called the British Isles. As you pointed out in a previous letter Shirring is one of the branches leading to the craft of smocking.
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"Beth Katherine,
I belong to Ladyslipper NeedleArts in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. One of our members, Chris DeMars Victorsen, is in the Summer 1997 issue of Sew Beautiful, Our group will have garments featured in the Christmas 1998 issue. The pictures will be taken at the Swedish Institute in Minneapolis.
Enjoying your newsletter, will work up samples of the stitches so that I will know how to do them. Debra"
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"Beth - I enjoyed reading all the items you have sent to me. I'll have to wait until I get home to download some of them. Keep them coming. I hope I can get on line tonight for your chat.
I enjoyed your last issue of the newsletter. The articles about the honeycomb stitches and the feather stitches were very good. Your diagrams for the feather stitch was great. Thanks, Marcella"
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Hi Beth,
As usual the newsletter is Fantabulous. Julie Fisher's questions about counterchange were adequately answered by you. Quite often Australian Smocking have counterchange plates with great pictures and the best directions I have seen. Here is one for a sundress or pinafore: "Checkmate", page 22 of Australian Smocking Issue #, 27 Summer 1994. A more recent issue #37, l996, has a pattern for two counterchange dresses sizes 3-7 called "Piccolini." Shirley
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Dear Beth,
I am recovering from surgery and needed something to do that's not so labor intensive. Could you explain Shadow Applique to me? Sue"
Shadow applique is a really neat technique for those of us who want a different look other than shadow embroidery. Both types of shadow have color behind fabric - shadowwork with floss, shadow applique with fabric. Both have a really neat edge to it, shadowwork has the herringbone stitch which causes a dotted pattern on the edge of the embroidery from the process of going in and out of the same hole twice, Shadow Applique is applied with the pin stitch. (Actually Shadow Applique is a cousin to Madeira Applique in that it is attached with the pin stitch instead of hidden stitches like traditional applique.) About 12-15 years ago this craft was really hot amongst the quilters. You can use American Organdy or Swiss Organdy depending on the look you are going for and whether or not the item is going to be worn. You can get some real interesting effects using fabric rather than embroidery not to mention the fact that it takes less time and precision than some styles of embroidery.
I have the following books by Pat Garretson on Shadow Applique "Teddy Bear Holidays" $10.00 filled with different teddy bears designs, Carrot Valley Critters I, II, & III $6.50 each. These books are cute again with the Pat Garretson style Book I has Gramma & Stephanie - Grandma rabbit and GD rabbit, Book II has Laura & John - boy and girl rabbit with Easter eggs, Book III has Mary Ann & Jeffrey - real cute big eared rabbits. All of these booklets have instructions for shadow applique as well as shadow work embroidery.
The other books that I have is from a lady named Ellyn Mosbarger a known name from the quilt world of about 20 years ago. She basically re-introduced shadow applique to our generation. Both books are out of print unfortunately so when they're gone, they're gone. The designs in these books are more elegant than Pat Garretson (her's are on the 'cutsey' side). "Vi is for Victorian" is $8.50 and contains about 10 or 12 designs suitable for wall hangings, pillows and sun-catchers. Also includes a page of embroidery stitches. "S is for Sun Shimmers" $8.50 is filled with elegant designs for making sun catchers (embroidery in a hoop so the sun can shine through) or wall hangings. Instructions for the pin stitch, making tassels and other embellishments.
Those are the only books that I know of right now. Depending on your needs either of these books will teach you shadow applique step-by-step.
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"Beth - Thank you for your excellent Newsletter. I have been enjoying each one. I like the History and the explanation of stitches. I admire your skill in expressing yourself. Thanks again, Kay"
Kay I appreciate the kind words, especially if you knew how hard I wracked my poor MPMB (Menopausal Mushbrain) . . .
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How to Whiten Antique Clothing
This in from SweetPeasC who very generously answered a question I had posted on the Antique Clothing board on AOL:
"I saw a few questions about using sodium perborate to whiten old clothes. I collect old baby clothes and most of them do have stains or are yellowed. To use sodium perborate, mix 2 tablespoons per gallon of warm water in a clean basin. Add the garment and let soak at least overnight. Sometimes it takes a few days or up to a week. Change the water every day and make a new solution. Rinse the item thoroughly and be very careful when handling an old garment when wet. It is very fragile. Lay it on a towel and roll it up to get the water out. Lay it on a clean towel to dry." As I said in a previous issue you really should put the garment on top of a towel or piece of fabric and use the edges of that to pull up and down while you are rinsing your antique pieces. I had a customer come in who works in a museum and told me that they have large tubs or flat rectangles to wash the antique clothes. They place the garment flat on top of a screen and lower the screen down into the tubs and water. For the most part they rinse the garments to get the dust and dirt out. As a last resort they wash with Orvus paste. I have also been told by another customer who worked in the Conservation Department of the Boston Museum to soak the clothes in fabric softener to soften up the fibers so that they regain their tensile strength. And never, never use wooden or metal hangers to hang up your garments. If you must hang up the garments then use padded hangers. (Hey that's what smocked hangers are for!)