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October 6, 2005
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.
A to Z of Smocking, a review
Personal Ruminations
A review on A to Z Smocking.
I took some time this weekend to go through each page of the book A to Z Smocking and was delighted at their thoroughness in bringing almost every topic of smocking to the table. Every step of smocking is gone through from blocking and shaping bishop necklines to two methods of blocking and shaping a full bodice garment. The fusible interfacing method looks interesting however I have yet to find one that doesn't let go eventually. (I would rather attach a self fabric facing or lining to the bodice.)
Back Smocking
As many of you have asked which stitch to use for back smocking I turned to the section on backsmocking and was delighted to find photographs of what each stitch looks like worked as back smocking, front and back views. The cable stitch appears to have the smoothest look over the stem or outline stitch which tend to pull. The other stitches are shown for their different textural effects created on the front. These textural areas are to be used when you want to showcase a motif, either picture smocked or embellished with bullions and other flowers.
The next section that is rarely covered in other smocking books is Beads in Smocking. There are a few tricks to know which make applying beads to your smocking easier, such as using a straw or milliner needle (eye of the needle is the same width as the shaft). Two stitches are shown on attaching beads, the beaded alternating cable and the baby wave. You can also use sew on pearls (see supply list below). Best beads to use are the ones for needlepoint, "Mill Hill Beads" which can be found in your local Walmart or Craft Store.
Bullions on Smocking are tricky, but once you understand how to wrap the needle and get the wraps to lay flat onto your pleated fabric you're ready to try challenging bullion roses and other flowers. (You can also work Brazilian Embroidery on top of your pleats.) A to Z Smocking takes each segment of making bullions and treats you to step by step photographs and excellent instructions. They have also started a categorization of all the different types of bullion roses that you can make. Starting with the first horseshoe loop, which is the beginning of one style of bullion rose, they move onto the bullion bud (consisting of two bullions side by side). Next section is the basic bullion rose, six-petalled daisy, sixteen-petalled daisy, and loop flower. Trust me, by the time you've finished the sixteen-petalled daisy you will be an expert in bullion making.
Every stitch for smocking is covered in this book with detailed step by step instructions and photographs. While some stitches like the chain stitch and feather stitch aren't used very often in smocking designs, the instructions are included.
I'm giving this book a 5 star rating based on it's comprehensiveness and thoroughness in which each topic is discussed and detailed and the spiral binding which allows the book to lay open flat. An excellent reference book!!! $27.00
A to Z of Smocking by the publishers of AS&E
Taken from the pages of AS&E this book fulfills the promise of the other books in the A to Z series with every smocking stitch imaginable in full color and diagrams. Each stitch is carefully explained and detailed so there is no confusion as to how to work it. Also included are sections on beginning smocking, smocking terms, starting and stopping, pleaters and preparation of fabric for smocking, backsmocking instructions, blocking and shaping bishops and basic yoke dresses, gosh everything imaginable on the subject of smocking is covered in this great book. Also includes counterchange and lattice smocking instructions.
This is THE book to get to learn how to do bullions on pleats. Also includes over 1,000 fabulous color step-by-step color photographs on every subject on smocking imaginable.
Contents
Fabrics Needles Threads Starting & Finishing a Thread Smocking Terms Accent Stitches Back Stitch Background Smocking Backsmocking Bargello Smocking Beads in Smocking Bishop Garments Blocking and Shaping Bullion Knot Buttonholes in Pleats Cable Stitch Centering Designs Chain Stitch Colonial Knot Colour Combinations Counterchange Smocking Crossover Smocking Design Graphs Detached Chain Diagonal Smocking
Dolls, Smocking for Embroidery on Smocking English Smocking Fabric Manipulation Feather Stitch Flowerette Fly Stitch Freeform Smocking French Knot Herringbone Stitch Honeycomb Stitch Horizontal Smocking Inserts Jigsaw Smocking Knits, Smocking on Laundering Smocking Left Handers Mirror Image Rows Outline Stitch Picture Smocking Pistil Stitch Plaid Smocking Pleaters Preparation and pleating
Prints, smocking on Raised Lattice Stitch Ribbon Smocking with ribbon weaving Round Yoke Garments Satin Stitch Seed Stitch Sheaf Stitch Square Yoke Garments Star Stitch Stem Stitch Straight Stitch Stripes, Smocking on Tartans, Smocking on Template Smocking Traditional Smocking Trailing Vine Trellis Stitch Unpicking Van Dyke Stitch Vertical Ladder Stitch Vertical Smocking Wave Stitch Wheat Stitch Zigzag Stitch
Personal Ruminations which might interest you.
My passions have ran through 4 1/2 decades of interests in fashion and the other day I had the best compliment in the world from my teenage daughter (ah yes and those of you who know about teenage daughters can appreciate the fact that a compliment came at all). She said "I know now why you are in love with the fashions from the 20's and 30's with the silk and drape, and the short skirts. I learned about those times in my history class." I told her it was the freedom of the corset that also made that time period important in women's history. She glowed at me and at that moment of telling me she had actually learned something else to the piece of the puzzle of woman's role in this world as well. Ah makes a mother shine with the praise and appreciation and joy that finally my teenage daughter looked at something I was interested in and complimented me on it instead of Complaint, Complaint, Complaint that the 'fabric is in the way all the time' or would 'I please take the silk painting frame out of the kitchen so we can eat at the table' (whooops) and 'can we have the living room back'. (We finally compromised and brought the table into the room with the view of the lake and I'm back at painting again.)
My passions have ran through 4 1/2 decades of interests in fashion and the other day I had the best compliment in the world from my teenage daughter (ah yes and those of you who know about teenage daughters can appreciate the fact that a compliment came at all). She said "I know now why you are in love with the fashions from the 20's and 30's with the silk and drape, and the short skirts. I learned about those times in my history class." I told her it was the freedom of the corset that also made that time period important in women's history. She glowed at me and at that moment of telling me she had actually learned something else to the piece of the puzzle of woman's role in this world as well.
Ah makes a mother shine with the praise and appreciation and joy that finally my teenage daughter looked at something I was interested in and complimented me on it instead of Complaint, Complaint, Complaint that the 'fabric is in the way all the time' or would 'I please take the silk painting frame out of the kitchen so we can eat at the table' (whooops) and 'can we have the living room back'. (We finally compromised and brought the table into the room with the view of the lake and I'm back at painting again.)
Go to Smocking Books for beginning Smocking books
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