Vol. 1 Issue 1 * November 3, 1997 * Garden Fairies Trading Company, copyright 1997-2001
P.O. Box 2596 * Clearlake, CA 95422 * 707-995-9337
Welcome to the first enhanced version of The Gathering Thread.
The history of Smocking goes back in time through the ages in different guises. It has evolved from a way to hold pleats together in a decorative way, to creating a shadow play of light and dark on fabric, to today's gaily colored and decorated way of adding excitement to a garment as well as allowing the embroiderer a chance to create something beautiful to wear. In this issue we are going to explore some of illustrations from early 20th century children's literature which depicted smocking from the early 19th century. You can learn a lot about the fashions of the time from the illustrations of literature and portraits of the times. Usually though people wore their fancy garments for their portraits, not their 'slop-around-the house-or-garden-clothes' so we don't really get a true picture of what they actually wore but if you look closely enough you can get a glimpse into the everyday fashions of the times.
The reason why I like to look at old pictures, illustrations and portraits is to allow the images to spark my creativity for clothing designing. My biggest complaint is that today's fashions are designed for the ease of the mass production lines, not for what we like to wear. Too many of the clothes that are offered are designed so that they can be cheaply and quickly made with profit as the guiding factor unlike the clothes of the past where fashion and trends were the motivating force. This is not to say that fashion and trends don't exist, of course they do but it is my sense that it is not the main motivating force that drives fashion today. Clothing manufacturer's creativity is controlled by production feasibility and cost analysis and often times compromises in a designer's original idea are made to compensate.Smocking is not like that. We as creators of beautiful garments are in control. We choose the materials, the pattern and the design to smock. The final product is a result of our taste and choices, but there is still underlying it all the unconscious control of the 'mass production' consciousness. It's a hard one to let go of. So it is in the hopes of sparking your creativity that I am offering these images to you, so that you will have to courage to let go of what has/is being done and move away from the carbon copy look and perhaps invent something new - let me know.
Illustrators of the early 20th century like Cicely Mary Barker (Flower Fairy Books), Henriette Willebeek Le Mair, Blanche Fisher Wright (The Real Mother Goose) (to name a few ) choose to portray children gaily clad in smocks because at that time of publication these were 'old fashioned' images of country life that depecited the times they wanted to show - more often than not late 18th early 19th century English country life. Fairy tales and nursery rhymes are our connection to the past and so the illustrators wanted to show a more idillyic time and the country images of little boys in smocks fit the bill.
The smock is based on rectangles with little or no curves, one of the most simple designs to make as the armhole is given extra room by the addition of a diamond shaped gusset. If you are interested in a pattern for a traditional smock I would recommend Folkwear's #221 English Smock
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Harvest Home The boughs do shake and the bells do ring, So merrily comes our harvest in, Our harvest in, our harvest in, So merrily comes our harvest in. We have ploughed, and we have sowed, have reaped, and we have mowed, We have brought home every load, Hip, hip, hip Harvest home! Illustration by Cicely Mary Baker Old Rhymes for All Times, copyright 1923 |
Here we see a farmer wearing his smock, with cap in one hand and tankard of ale in the other celebrating his harvest - the reaping of the growing season is done. If you look carefully you can see the detail of the feather stitch along side panels of smocking. This style of smock is known as the smock frock, a coat with buttons. You would also see smocking on a panel on the back. You can tell this is a contemporary version of a smock by looking at the collar, it is a small collar compared to the large collars of most smocks (extra width given for flipping over the head in the rain or sleet to protect the neck). The smocking of the panels seems to be worked with the outline stitch every second or third row creating the puffing that you see. These frocks with buttons were saved for special occasions as making buttonholes by hand takes time away from the chores of running a farm. Mostly you would have a slit in the front fastened with a button with a loop or buttonhole.
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The Deaf Old Woman "Old woman, old woman, wilt thee go a-shearing'?" "Sepak a little louder, sir, I'm very hard of hearin'." "Old woman, old woman, wilt thee go a-gleanin'?" "Speak a little louder, I canna tell the meanin'!" "Old woman, old woman, wilt thee go a-walkin'?" "Speak a little louder, or what's the use o' talkin'!" "Old woman, old woman, shall I kiss thee dearly?" "Thank you, kind sire, I hear you very clearly!" Illustration by Cicely Mary Barker - Old Rhymes For All Times, copyright 1923 |
This little charmer is wearing a round smock. You can see the smocking on the front and back and cuffs. The collar is a round collar opening in front. Short pants worn underneath and probably a shirt are protected from a little boy's romping by the smock. (I think the hat is adorable don't you?)
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About the Bush
About the bush, Willie,
About the bee-hive,
About the bush, Willie,
I'll meet thee alive.
Then to my ten shillings
Add you but a groat,
I'll go to Newcastle
And buy a new coat.
Five and five shillings,
Five and a crown;
Five and five shillings
will buy a new gown.
Five and five shillings,
Five and a groat;
Five and five shillings
Will buy a new coat.
Illustration by Cicely Mary Barker -
Old Rhymes For All Times, copyright 1923
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Here we see "Willie" in a typical round smock. The front panel, shoulders, top of the cuffs and back panel (trust me) are all smocked. The collar is a typical smock collar, pointed at the front and back, much like today's collars. It has the addition of a pocket hidden under the flap and has slits up the sides for ease in walking. I love the little doll she is holding, looks like a dress from the late 1700's, perhaps French.
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The Mayer's Song We've been a-rambling all this night, And sometime of this day; And now returning back again We bring a branch of May. A branch of May we bring you here, And at your door it stands; It is a sprout well budded out, The work of the Lord's hands. The hedges and trees they are so green, As green as any leek; enly Father, He watered them With heavenly dew so sweet.
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The Heavenly gates are open wide, Our paths are beatn plain; And if a man be not too far gone, He may return again. So dear, so dear as Christ loved us, And our sins was slain, Christ bids us turn from wickedness Back to the Lord again. The moon shines bright, the starts give a light, A little before it is day, So God bless you all, both great and small, And send you a joyful May. Illustration by Cicely Mary Barker - Old Rhymes For All Times, copyright 1923 |
This adorable little boy is wearing a child's smock of the 1920's style rather than the traditional 1830's smock.
How to reproduce. It would be very easy to duplicate this design in any size garment. For the starting pattern you would need a top pattern with a yoke (Vivian could be adapted for this ... change the neckline of the pattern, or change the collar into a simple double pointed collar with lace on the edging. Adding in a little insert of smocking, about 2 1/2"? to the blouse.
The collar is a small version of the round collar but what is unique about this smock is that it is closed in front with a small button and the smocking starts at chest level instead of coming from the yoke that is at the shoulders. You will see this alot in 20's fashions with the gathering eased into the yoke or else the shoulder seam Dot to Dot smocking would be recommended with such a small space either to form the pleats or to just smock.
A simple button placket oe slir with one button closure. You could also make a loop if you preferred.
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Georgie Porgie Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie, Kissed the girls and made them cry; When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away. Illustration by Henriette Willebeek Le Mair Our Old Nursery Rhymes, 1921 |
I do apologize for the lack of clarity on this illustration, it was very faint but I though you would be able to see the smocking and get a gist of the style. This is in the round yoke style but adapted through the eyes of a 1920's illustrator. The collar is the typical round smock collar that is moving into a variation of a sailor collar, the smocking is a front panel and there are folded back cuffs (probably for digging clams). This would be lovely as a ladies or little girls dress. To reproduce this look have the smocking come from a medium high yoke, the smocking would be smocking only in the front center section (and also back if you like), make the neck opening a V in the yoke and work the two sides of the collar with whatever shape you like.
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