March 15, 1997
e-Mail: mainfairy@smockingbooks.com
Website: Garden Fairies Smocking & Needlearts Catalog
Welcome to the smocking newsletter from Garden Fairies Trading Company, my name is Beth-Katherine Kaiman. This newsletter comes to you once a week, usually on Mondays. Please address all comments and questions to mainfairy@smockingbooks.com. Also, please find listed at the end of this newsletter the books and patterns we carry that were mentioned in this newsletter, please check out our web site:
Responses from the last newsletter on the gorgeous Edwardian Clothing on the net.
* * *
Hi Beth Katherine:
Thank you for the great list of vintage clothing sites. I visited most of them and was amazed at the beauty of the items. I enjoy your newsletter very much. -->Rita
* * *
<<If you want to see some drop-dead gorgous Victorian dresses, rent the movie, Midsummernight's Dream, by with Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Kline. If you're not much of a Shakespeare fan, watch the beginning scenes and the wedding scene at the end. These dresses knocked my socks off. They are modern versions, of course, but worth drooling over. -->Pat Stubbs>>
* * *
<<I want to thank you a LOT for the *great* vintage clothing links you included in your latest newsletter! Oh, my, I can see that not very much quilting is going to get done for the next few days while I go and get lost in dreaming about these gorgeous dresses <grin> That 1915 net tea dress was just to die for, wasn't it? And that Titanic lawn dress was so pretty! Just seeing these beautiful gowns reminded me of how much I miss heirloom sewing, and I've decided that it will be an absolute priority for me to start making a point of setting aside time for myself to sew. Thanks for reminding me of this, Beth :-)
Have a wonderful rest-of-the-summer, and if you find any more of these great links, please include them in your upcoming newsletters, okay? I'm sure you have women drooling on their computer screens all over America right now <grin> -->Kim>>
* * *
And some solutions to the cut velvet seams question
<<if you fold the seams great over the fabric, just at the begining, and then as you sew slowly, you pull on the seams great, and it stretches as you sew and folds itself over the velvet. Did that make sense? try it on a peice of wool, or corduroy....
Otherwise, just pink the velvet, and then sew a row of very fine stitches about 1/4 of and inch from the edge.... --> Nancy Kane
I think I'm going to have to bind the seams with china silk bias, I believe it's called the Hong Kong Finish. Serging the edges of cut velvet makes for an uneven edge with the different heights of the pile to chiffon, or perhaps I'm doing it wrong or using the wrong thread as mine look awful (4 thread serger here).
* * *
<< Beth-Katherine, Good Morning! When smocking how do I determine which kind of needle and size I should use? Monique >>
As a rule of thumb it depends on the type of fabric you are smocking on. If using a fine batiste I would go with a crewel #10 as the needle is a thin one less likely to damage the fabric. If using broadcloth and other heavier weights then I would go with the Darner #7.
* * *
Smocking in the Civil War?
<< Why I ask is that my sister and her husband are muzzleloaders with a Civil War group and I would love to add smocking to her costumes, but it has to have been used during that period of time. Sharon Edwards>>
Too cool. I have been somewhat researching this but out here in California it's difficult getting a hold of southern family photographs, however I do have a customer who is from the south who told me that she saw several family photographs from the pre-Civil War period where the slave children wore gingham counterchange smocking. You will also find lattice smocking popular on the sleeves but in my limited research it doesn't look like the country smocks from the British Isles with their geometric smocking migrated to the south as the combination of the heat machines made the garment obsolete.
Hope this helps
* * *
And from the owner of the site we visited last time
<<Thank you so much for the publicity. I would love to have a copy of the newsletter. Most of the velvet seams I have seen in 20's dresses have hand stitched overcast edges - it doesn't have to be a blanket stitch - just a slanted overcast. It's a little time consuming to do the hand work, but at least with your background in smocking you're used to it. Best regards, Linda>>
* * *
<<You're a doll!!! Thanks so much. I see you're up late too! I'm oogling dresses on the web sites you mentioned in the news letter. Gee thanks, I really need to stay up even later and droooooool ;-) Oh so gorgeous!!!! Thanks for those sites too!! Thanks again, Anna-Marie>>
* * *
On smocking silk, make sure your needle is sharp and that your stitches are true - you don't want to take your stitches out as the needle will leave a mark. Oh and make sure you wash your hands before each time you pick up your smocking as sweat marks the silk as well.
* * *
Someone asked me about where to find Counterchange Smocking patterns and plates and here is my answer:
Counterchange smocking
<< just getting back into counterchange and looking for counterchange patterns, project ideas, and instructions. >>
Counterchange is somewhat of a neglected art or so it seems as the designers are allowing their patterns and book to go out of print. At the present time we have design plates by Ann Hallay imaged on my website and several issues of AS&E with counterchange patterns and instructions.
AS&E issues #28 contains instructions for a plaid counterchange dress; 31 has a counterchange dress in print fabric; #35 has Valentine a counterchange insert of hearts and silk ribbon embroidery; #37 Carefree Counterchange Smocked Sundresses; # 42 has two - Honey 'n Spice a simple but clever counterchange sleeveless sundress in a cotton check print. Sized 6-10 years and "Irish Eyes" (cover). A counterchange full bodice dress with a fish design worked onto the stripes. Sized 2-4 years; #43 Carnival, a vibrant striped counterchange sundress 6-8 years ; #45 Journey of the Heart, two counterchange pinafores with embroidered batiste blouses, sizes 3,4,5, & 6 years.
Issue #29 has a smocked Christening Gown; #45 Blessings a shepherd suit (boy's christening outfit) of soft winter white twill sizes 6, 12, & 18 months; #47 Rejoice: A white christening gown smocked from the shoulder: sized 3, 6, 12 months