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August 19, 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.
Washing Fine Fabrics
Q's & A's about Iron-on Dots, Construction
Summertime musings
Well I hope everyone has been having a pleasant summer. I know it's been especially hot this year in good old Clearlake. I hear tell we're about to experience a rogue cold front from Alaska followed by a round of intense heat ..... maybe some thunder storms if we're lucky. I know I'll enjoy the cool for however long as it lasts.
My daughter tells me it's time for back to school and unfortunately the skaters' clothing won out at the store over the preppy look. Sigh. Some day she'll let me sew for her again. In the meanwhile I have a new grandneice to sew for.
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Kim Nish writes:
<< 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. >>
Hey congratulations, on both counts.
<<But now I have some different questions. 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 and got unnecessarily confused in the process. It's truly a personal preference. 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 evenly aligned to the piping if it's already smocked. To that end you could also do your top backsmocking on the very top row while constructing the garment before smocking. Either way, it's your choice depending on the amount of time you have for construction. If it's Monday and the dress is due on Friday, I'd go ahead and construct it before smocking, that way you will be able to take it with you while running to meet your appointment.
On the fusible interfacing, I never use this mostly due to the fact that over time the fusible interfacing will degrade or pucker. (Had a beautiful dress where this occured, 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.
<<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.
Greetings!
I was so pleased to find your website (from the link @ Manifesto)! I make a modest attempt to do recreational costuming and I hope you can point me in the right direction. I want to find examples of Elizabethan smocking (pictures, I mean, not the real thing!;-) I noticed you mentioned Elizabeth's accounting of "embroider'd smoc", but is this actual smocking or does she refer to a day dress or overdress sometimes called a smock?
Is trellis smocking appropriate to 16th or 17th century? Are there books on smocking particular to this time period?
I hope I'm not being a hopeless pest here, and I thank you for taking the time to read (and answer?) my unknowledgeable query.
Most sincerely, Lady Kaitlyn O'Mallinaka --- Marla Lee>>
Dear Lady Kaitlyn
Your best bet would be to look for antique photos of smocks from the 18th century as the designs were traditional even than. I believe a lot of the smocks from England at that time period were burned with their owners when the plague struck. As for the trellis stitch, yes I have seen that but not as long as we (the 21st century smockers) like to play with nor as a way of ending the smocking as it was usually contained between two rows of cable or outline stitch. I think the more freer use of the trellis stitch at the bottom of a design came in it's own during the Victorian era of Liberty of London style smocks and especially during the 20's and 30's baby smocks.
It could also be that Elizabeth's embroidered smoc, was just an embroidered raglan sleeved nightgown smoc and not the "farmer's smock", with a ribbon at the neckline. More than likely it came from Italy or perhaps France, and it's likely it was not smocking at all but Italian Shirring (see the Mona Lisa's dress)
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