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New from Terri Wood - Pleating DVD In this new pleating DVD by Terri Wood (see her Smocking Video) the quest for visual pleating information has finally been fulfilled.  Techniques covered in this DVD include: Introduction of Different Pleaters Care and Maintenance of the pleater Preparing the Pleater for Pleating Pleating a Bishop Dress Pleating using a motor 30 minutes DVD $29.95 Price $29.95 Quantity requested

Terri Wood's Smocking DVD. Terri Wood's Smocking DVD  ... a great way to take home the teacher after class.  Terri Wood is a former shop owner who translates her expertise knowledge to the world of video.  Divided into four lessons the video demonstrates the lessons in a classroom setting.  After watching this DVD, beginners as well as experienced seamstresses will have the ability to smock and construct a beautiful garment.   Techniques Covered in this DVD include Pleating fabric, preparing to smock Tools Needed for Smocking Stitches 8 basic geometric smocking stitches Picture smocking, Embellishing with flowers Construction of a Bishop Dress step by step Price $29.95 Quantity requested

Back in Stock - but don't wait as it is out of print

The Book of Smocking -by Diana Keay - $17.95 I found more copies!!!!! This book is wonderful for it's history, projects and general information on smocking.  "Over 20 inspiring projects complete with step-by-step, illustrated instructions and ideas for variations.  From the basics of equipment and smocking stitches to techniques for handling fine fabrics and achieveing professional results, this is a complete course for the novice and experienced smocker alike." Contents include: The History of Smocking from the 14th-20th century and throughout the world Basic English Smocking - 3 projects including a sampler, honeycomb cushion and lampshade Advanced English Smocking - A contemporary smock, Christening Robe & Bonnet, 2 girls' dresses, round cushion Contemporary Smocking - Blouse, Cocktail Dress, 2 purses Other Forms of Smocking using English Smocking including: Gingham dress, & 3 belts Other types of Decorative Smocking: On a tightly gathered foundation Blouse, Mexican Blouse (on cover) & Ribbon Waistcoat $17.95 Add in Quantity

Smocking & Fine Sewing Techniques from the 19th century sources - Lacis Publications Included in this volume are 8 booklets from the 19th century which cover the range of smocking (English Style), plain needlework, monograms, jeweled embroidery & knick-knacks.  If you love history and have wished that your great grandmother was alive to explain how to do all the embroidery techniques you find in antique stores than this is the book for you.  The sections on smocking have wonderful old illustrations of ladies and children in the smocked clothing of the period.  Also included are photographs of the smocking design and written instructions on how to complete the design (no graphs).  In the needlework section are instructions on all the basics of hand sewing including several types of hems, buttonholes, gathering and piping as well as info on how to sew on buttons (different patterns of stitches within the button holes), basic french handsewing techniques including rolling & whipping, tucks and sewing on lace.  In the embroidery section you learn hot to feather-stitch, patchwork, quilting, honeycomb and braiding.  Including are many variations of stitches that are familiar to embroiderers. Price $19.00 Quantity requested

A to Z Sewing for Smockers - $28.00 From the pages of Australian Smocking & Embroidery magazine comes this 7th book in the A to Z series and wonderful it is.  Every question a sewer of smocking & heirloom sewn clothing could ask is answered in this book with step by step photographs and excellent instructions.  An essential companion to A to Z Smocking.  Over 580 superb step-by-step color photographs, hints and tips from the experts, fabulous finishing touches for sleeves, collars & hems.  So if you missed out on the Mildred Turner Series or Elizabeth Travis Johnson's collective wisdom you will find their voices echoed in this publication. A must have for your sewing library. From the introduction: "Have you ever been frustrated by sleeves that won't sit properly or a hemline that droops?  What is the difference between a sleeve cuff and a sleeve band?  Does the stitching show on your piping no matter how hard you try to avoid it?  How do you trim a collar so that it has a perfectly curved edge?  The answers to all of these questions, plus many more, are contained within the pages of this book, the perfect companion to the A-Z of Smocking." $29.00 Add in Quantity

Click on book for table of contents.

The Photo Book of Smocking Stitches - Right Hand Version $10.00 This wonderful book is back in print with step by step photographs of the basic smocking stitches.  It's a wonderful way to teach yourself how to smock when you don't have access to a teacher. Right Hand Photo Book$10.00 Add in Quantity The Photo Book of Smocking Stitches - Left Hand Version $10.00 Same book as above but with directions for left handers. Left Hand Photo Book $10.00 Add in Quantity

Classic Smocking - The Cheryl Lohman Collection Every once in a while you come across a pretty book, this is such a book.  The photographs are exquisite and delight the senses from the tissue paper sheet to the beautiful yellow rose.   Patterns included are: Kimberly's Sundress - Girls 1-6 and  Abigail - unique square yoke with square neckline - Girls 4-8 Design Plates: Berry, Berry Cherry - sweet simple picture smocking Chelsea Erin - 11 roses of ribbon and bullions Haleigh - Bullion roses and tiny buttons Sydney Elizabeth - Easy Bishop design Madeline Rose - 13 row trellis with delicate bullion roses, rosebuds and french knot flowers Roses for Caroline - Beribboned bishop design for bishop Baby Allison - hearts and vines Victorian Valentine - picture smocked heart and bows Reagan Emily - elegant design with bullion roses Megan - Butterfly, bow and heart Kaycie Nicole Price $21.95 Quantity requested

How to Make Handmades for your Baby First published in the '50s, this treasury of design ideas for christening dresses, button-on suits, rompers, sacques, bonnets, day gowns and dresses is a must have for any seamstress' library. Many techniques and embroidery designs are given along with illustrated instructions. Paperback. Black and white. 94 pages. Price $16.00 Quantity requested

Geometric Smocking by Juliet Macdonald Another beauty from South Africa home of the Read Pleaters, containing 48 original geometric smocking designs.  Each design has a full color plate and a graph with instructions.  Also included are 8 dresses which cover different smocking situations including a bishop dress smocked in one contrast color, a floral dress smocked with thicker thread, smocked inserts, and gingham and tartan smocking.  Great instructions for how to smock along with adapting a commercial pattern for smocking and creating your own designs with enlarging and reducing designs. Price $22.00 Quantity requested

Classic Smocking Designs - $13.50 Ten Superb Geometric Smocking Designs suitable for all levels of smockers, all taken from the early and no longer available issues of Australian Smocking and Embroidery magazine.  Each design has full color photographs, graphing in full color to make it easy to understand as well as complete simple instructions. Once again I am impressed. If you were to buy the individual plates the cost would be over $30.00.  The designs included are: Marshmallow Ripples Butterfly Blue Symphony of Roses Dreamscape Sweet Whispers Dear Prudence Precious Angel Forever Young Unrequited Love Fairy Floss Price $13.50 Quantity requested

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

English Smocking by Children's Corner This book is unique amongst all of our beginning smocking books in that it contains actual sewing patterns for a Basic Square Yoke Dress (sizes 1-6) and Armhole guides for a Sundress (sizes 1-8), a smocked baby's bonnet, and smocked collar.  Also included are seven original smocking designs with variations each for either a square yoke dress or bishop.  The smocking stitches are clearly presented in illustrations as well as written instructions.  Excellent value for your money. Price $12.00 Quantity requested

Beginning Smocking Texts:

Smocking Daze I - Sandy Hunter $6.00. Four timeless original pretty smocking designs in one color booklet, published in 1985. Each design is shown on a garment, the design itself and a graph with instructions. Inclues three geometrics designs for girls: Periwinkle - suitable for bishop style Leslie - diamonds and lattice filled with flowerettes Ashly - Diamonds and Lattice Hiawatha - old style picture smocking design for boys Price $6.00 Quantity requested

Smocking Daze II - Sandy Hunter $6.00 Four very pretty original geometric Smocking Designs by Sandy Hunter for the price of two! Each design is shown in color on a sample garment, design and graph. Easy instructions. Designs include: Kitty Kats, clever cats formed with geometric stitches Flower Lattice - diamond lattice with cable flowers & ribbon weaving Emily Claire - sweet baby design for bishop dress Kimberly - Bishop design. Price $6.00 Quantity requested

Stacked Cables Step by Step - Sandy Hunter  $6.00 An excellent booklet on the subject of stacked cables. (Sandy is one of the original smocking designers from the early 1980's.) Her tips and techniques are clear and insightful without too much fuss and words. She concentrates on the stacked pyramid, which is a shape that is the basis for many advanced pictures. Once you get the pyramid down any other shape is easy. Price $5.00 Quantity requested

"How to Smock" - Grace Knott $16.00   A republication and revision of a 1957 classic with 10 updated color geometric smocking designs created in Grace's tradition by her daughter-in-law. It shows you how to pleat by dots and how to use a pleater, along with smocking instructions and collar suggestions. A wonderful book and the geometric and picture designs included are delightful.  The smocking design on the cover is one of the smocking designs included. (Grace Knott designed some of the first smocking plates in the 50's. Bold geometrics which sparked the smocking craze and eventually led to what you see today) Please click on the link to see the lovely geometric designs of Grace Knott Smocking Designs. Price $16.00 Quantity requested

"Ellen McCarn On English Smocking" $12.00 This book is wonderful and in my opinion this is the book to get. One of the most definitive manuals on smocking with clear and concise directions and drawings. Includes seven design plates and 150 step-by-step illustrations and photographs. Covers beginning thru advanced geometric smocking.  An excellent guide for teaching yourself smocking as it is like Ellen is right there looking over your shoulder.   Ellen has been smocking and designing plates for more than 20 years.  This book contains the sum of her experiences.  Excellent publication. To see Ellen's smocking designs please go to this page Ellen McCarn Smocking Design Plates. To see Ellen's applique designs go to this page Ellen McCarn Appliques Price $12.00 Quantity requested

"Picture Smocking with Ellen McCarn" $12.00 A perfect companion book to the previous edition. This book tells you all you ever need to know about picture smocking. Comes with a stash of picture smocked motifs and geometric patterns for creating your own designs.  For more than 20 years Ellen McCarn has been delighting smockers all around the world with her picture smocking.  She shares her tips as well as some creative processes in this volume. To see Ellen's smocking designs please go to this page Ellen McCarn Smocking Design Plates. Price $12.00 Quantity requested

EM English Floral Monograms Delicate and lovely monograms for English smocking. These designs are appropriate for a yoke dress or pillow and a round neck or bishop dress or blouse. Price $5.00 Quantity requested

One Stitch at a Time with Ellen McCarn An excellent introductory booklet on the subject of smocking for one who wants to know more but isn't sure enough to invest a lot of money. Price $5.00 Quantity requested

Lattice Smocking by Laura Jenkins Thompson  $12.00 If you have ever wondered how to make those pillows from the 50's and 60's this is the book for you.  Two different lattice smocking patterns are included adapted for the following projects  Laura's Lattice Dress, Royal Weskit Smocked Sleeve Jacket, Princess Insert Dress, Channel Jacket - Canadian Style, Lattice Envelope Evening Bag, Lattice Cummerbund Belt.  I'm dying to try some of this on velvet as well as doing it in miniature. Price $12.00 Quantity requested

Counter Change Smocking

Counterchange Smocking by Ann Hallay This is the definitive manual on how to do counterchange smocking which evolved from North American Smocking or Gingham Smocking.  This technique DOES NOT require a pleater, just striped fabric or fabric that alludes to stripes, YEAH!!!!!   Ann has taken the art form of counterchange smocking into a new realm of creativity.  All the designs that you have seen in Australian Smocking have been inspired by Ann's designs and effort as she was the one who brought this technique to the public's eye as well as bringing it to a higher creative evolution.  Booklet includes instructions along with a design plate (image shown). The ruler is temporarily unavailable, sorry.   Price $16.00 Quantity requested Ann Hallay Counterchange Smocking Plates For those hungry for more counterchange instructions see our Counterchange Smocking page.

Jane McPherson Neckline Guide $3.00 Just in case you've lost your guide or need a new one we have replacements available.  Use this for smocked collars or whenever you need a guide to a neckline. Price $3.00 Quantity requested

"The Pleater Manual" Sarah Douglas $18.00  (Sub-title: A Comprehensive Guide to the Use of the Smocking Pleater). This is THE definitive guide to operating a smocking pleater and working with pleated fabric. Written by an expert in smocking, Saran Douglas gives you more information than you ever would want to know about pleating and working with pleated fabric. Covers the basic subjects and then goes into a comparison of the popular brands of pleaters and advanced subjects like pleating on the bias and curves. Included is a glossary of terms, pleating directions for all types of fabrics and pleater maintenance instructions. The layout of the book is set up as lesson plans on every type of pleating, exotic or regular.  She certainly did her research well and it definitely shows. I recommend this book as a must have in every smockers library especially if you like to know the scientific (well almost) technical stuff of how a pleater works and the comparisons between the different pleaters on the market. Price $18.00 Quantity requested

The How-To-Book of Heirloom Sewing by Machine by Nancy Coburn Finally a book to replace the Mildred Turner Series.  Nancy's books are wonderful with her detailed descriptions as well as clear photographs for each technique included.  If you are a raw beginner then this is the book for you.  Included are a checklist for construction steps, instructions for adapting commercial patterns for heirloom sewing, size guidelines and adjustments (ever wonder how to do this?), fabric and lace guidelines, basic heirloom sewing by machine techniques, sewing techniques, bodice and yoke embellishment, skirt embellishment, hemline variations, neckline variations, sleeve variations. Also include on the pull out sheet are beautiful embroidery designs to transfer over to your fabric either using a mechanical pencil or iron-on transfer pencil, scallop guides, medallion templates and lace shaping guides as well as a worksheet for planning your heirloom dress. Price $20.00 Quantity requested

More Books We Carry on These Pages

• Embroidery Books - Hand
• Silk Ribbon Embroidery
• Heirloom Sewing Books
• Machine Embroidery
• Applique, Sashiko, Clothing Design, Fashion
• Fabric Design , Silk Painting, Complex Cloth
• Doll Books 
• Ribbon Flowers & Quilts
• Children's Books we love (Flower Fairies & More)
• Old & Quilt Books & Patterns