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June 7, 2001
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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.
Oops - forgot one company for Basic Yoke Dress
Tracing off embroidery designs - easy to do tips
Q & A - A good letter from a beginner
Oops - I forgot to add into my section on Basic Yoke Pattern recommendations the outrageously wonderful pattern by Ginger Snaps Designs. Nancy Coburn spent hours working on making her instructions the best in the industry. Not only do you find illustrations but a photograph of what each step should look like. Pattern also fits beautifully, best in the industry as one lady reminded me. See Ginger Snaps Designs for her basic yoke dress and other patterns. Also has a wonderful series of baby daygown books that contain patterns and variations.
Beautiful embroidery starts with beautiful designs, but not all of us are good artists so we rely on others who can draw. The question that comes up often is how to transfer those lovely line drawings onto fabric in order to embroider them. There are several methods to do this transfer: the old fashioned way of pricking a pattern and pouncing powder through the holes and then embroidering but this method leaves much to be desired as often times the powder smears or brushes off before you get a chance to embroider; the use of a 00 mechanical pencil and a light box is another method that many use with success but the pencil markings are permanent so you had best make sure your lines are covered; the wash away marker is another good method but the points tend to be bulky and heaven forbid you should iron your piece before you wash away the marker as it becomes permanent.
The best method we've found is the Iron-on pencil (see http://www.smockingstore.com/notions2.html). This method works great when you want to use the same design more than once as you only have to trace the design onto tissue paper once, trace over those lines on the back side with the iron-on pencil and then iron onto your fabric. Lines stay permanent until you wash your piece and the best part is that the transfers can be used up to three times before the pencil markings fade. Sharpen your pencil and re-trace to transfer the design as many times as you like.
There are several companies who offer sweet and pretty line drawings perfect for crewel embroidery or shadow embroidery. Laura Jenkins Thompson, Collars Etc, Honeysuckle Designs and Martha Pullen (see her "decorations" within the pages of her books and magazine) to name a few.
A good letter from a beginner - from Kim Nish
<< The last time I spoke to you, I got a book (A-Z) on smocking and have basically been doing the self taught method. Just finished my first project and am really quite pleased with it considering I did the plate myself. But now I have some different questions.>>
Hey congratulations, on both counts.
<<The way my pattern approached it, they recommended completely constructing the garment and then doing the smocking. The A-Z did the complete smocking, then constructed the garment. I did the back smocking, sewed on some fusible interface in the shape of the blocking guide, but didn't fuse it, constructed the garment, did the front smocking and then fused down the interfacing. Which way is the best generally?>>
There are two ways of construction and smocking and unfortunately with your first project you ran into both methods which probably added to your confusion. Originally there was only one method, that of smocking then constructing, but then with the popularity of "ready to smock" garments one bright ingenious woman (Oliver/Goodwin company) suggested that constructing first was the way to go. Personally I prefer to construct after smocking as I like to get to the smocking first and because I tend to think you can get the top row more even with the piping if it's already smocked before you apply it. I have always found that the unsmocked pleating tends to shift while I'm trying to sew.
On the fusible interfacing, I never use this mostly due to the fact that over time that most fusible interfacing will degrade or pucker. (Had a beautiful dress where puckering occured and wouldn't iron out, to say I was upset is putting it mildly.) I think the fusible trick is a recent one that the Australians migrated from Silk Ribbon Embroidery where you really should cover your ribbon knots. It is also my opinion that using fusible facing takes the stretch out of the smocking, which may or may not be desirable depending on what you are smocking. So fusible or not? It depends upon your own experience with the product.
<<I tried the center seam the way the book said, but it didn't work out too well and I needed to cover it. What is the best way to handle a center seam?>
I'm not sure about what center seam you are talking about but generally we use teeny tiny french seams that roll through the pleater without too much of a bump, then we make sure to incorporate the "bump" into the smocking. However I'm not sure by your description that this is what you are talking about.
<<What is the best color for gathering threads and when do you pick them out? After back smocking? or after all the smocking?>
I use orange threads as they are easy to see with whatever color fabric you are using. Of course if your fabric is ORANGE then orange threads would disappear. Find a good constrasting color which jumps out to your eyes, turquoise is a good color, however DON'T use RED as red dyes tend to stick to fabrics - no matter what type of thread or floss you are using. Red leaves little hairs.
<<What's a good second project? >>
Feel up to the challenge of a bishop dress? Go to my website and look at the Chery Williams patterns to see if this style appeals to your taste.
Or you might consider perfecting the basic yoke dress to add to your little one's wardrobe and take on the challenge of a simple picture smocking design.
Go to Smocking Books for beginning Smocking books
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