Smocking Newsletter Vol 2 Issue 2a
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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.
I have been working on the history of smocking stitches trying to trace their roots throughout history. The earliest mention of smocking came from Sarah Douglas (author of The Pleater Manual and great smocking scholar) who saw a piece in an EGA magazine from 1175bc Denmark which to her looked like smocking. Anyone have a photo of that they wish to share with me?
So far here is a partial list of paintings that show smocking from the earliest 8th century (in question) through the late 19th century (oh and if you know of any additions to this list please let me know). Now remember when looking for the history of smocking that it will not look like what we are used to, modern smocking is considered heavy whereas the earlier forms were simple stitches. Styles change but the stitches are what we are searching for. (Thank you for all of your kind additions.)
'Lindesfarne Gospels' (shows smocking on one linen apron) - Celtic Northumbria 8th Century
The Adoration of the Magi - Fra Filippo Lippi 1445 (look at the back of the front blue garment sure looks like smocking to my eye. Is that smocking or just gold embroidery?)
'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt' - Hans Memling 1465
Self portrait by Albrect Durer - 1493
'Portrait of a Man' by Albrect Durer
Self portrait by Albrect Durer - 1498
'Portrait of a Man' by Albrect Durer 1516
'Anna Putsch' by Cranach the Elder 1503
'Child with St. Dorothea' by Cranach the Elder 1506
'Agnes & Kunigunde' by Cranach the Elder 1506
Dorothea Kannengiesser - Basle 1516
'Portrait of Jacob Meyer' by Holbein 1516
'Burgersfrau' by Holbein
Portrait of a Young Man - Hans Holbein the Younger 1520
'Portrait of Rui Fernandes de Almada' by Albrect Durer - 1520
The Card Players - After Lucas van Leyden 1520 (could be smocking)
'Coronation of Louis 1' 1526
'Portrait of a Woman' - Bernhard Strigel 1525
Hans Rott, Patrician of a Memmingen - Bernhard Strigel 1527
Portrait of a Nobleman - Nicolaus Dremer 1529
Mona Lisa - Leonardo da Vinci 1503-06
Saskia van Uilenburgh, the Wife of the Artist - Rembrandt van Ryn 1633 - smocking with pearls it looks like
Self Portrait - Rembrandt van Ryn - 1650
'View on Mousehold Heath near Norwich' - John Crome (1768-1821)
'Woburn Sheep Shearing, 1811' - George Garrad
'Sheep Shearing' - 1828 James Ward
'Village Choir, Bow Brickhill Church, Buckinghamshire' - 1847 Thomas Webster
St. James's Fair by Samuel Colman
'The Sleeping Shepherd - Morning' 1857 - Samuel Palmer
Derby Day - W.P. Firth 1858 - a man in his Sunday smock
'Snowballing' - John Morgan (1823-1886)
'A Dame's School' - Thomas Webster (1800-1886)
'Weston Sands, 1864' W. Hopkins and E. Havel
'The Piping Shephed' - Alfred Downing Fripp (1820-1895)
A Country Cricket Match' 1878 - John Reid
'A Rustic Angler', 'Rustic Anglers' and 'No Luck Today' - Charles Edward Wilson (1854-1941)
'Captured Unawares' - Caroline Paterson (1892)
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One of the difficulties that most people experience when they first become entranced with smocking is learning the limitations as well as it's "rules" of smocking. Many come from a background of working cross stitch or crewel embroidery and it is somewhat of a difficult transition in thinking. Smocking is different than flat embroidery or working on flat surfaces in that you always must keep in mind that you must connect the pleats together with your stitches. This is the limiting factor. Another frustrating factor is that there are many embroidery stitches that do not translate well onto pleats, the satin stitch being the main one, the cross stitch being another (however it's cousin 'the herringbone stitch' does work, in fact I've recognized this stitch as being worked on the gown of the Mona Lisa). Any stitches that require a locking stitch work well on pleats. Once this is understood then the learning process (or rather learning curve) is a breeze.
You can work either vertically or horizontally on pleats, most usually the smocking is worked horizontally on vertical pleats allowing the fabric to flow out from the smocking. Smocked inserts, found in children's garments (and some adult garments), are worked horizontally as well with the difference being that the pleats are contained between two sections of non-pleated fabric.
I have seen vertical smocking worked successfully on horizontal pleats, Issue 10 or 11 of Australian Smocking Magazine had a beautiful white formal dress with the central section of a princess bodice smocked in this manner. This is one solution of not having enough rows on your pleater or avoiding the difficult process of sending fabric through the pleater twice to gain more rows to smock. (Oh by the way, the latest issue of AS&E #42 has a wonderful article on pleating twice with their usual wonderful full color photographs of step-by-step instructions.)
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"If it seems as though you haven't 'felt at all how' for a long time, look behind you. It could be that your tail is missing." -- Eeyore
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