Smocking 101, What You Will Need

Smocking is embroidery which one works across pleats. It provides an ornamental look to any garment but also controls the fullness and provides insulation against the cold.

Two types of smocking exist. The first, English Smocking, is the most popular. The smocker will pleat the garment first and then work the embroidery across the pleats in rows. Once the embroidery is complete, the smocker will pull out the gathering threads and then steam the smocking into shape. In the second form, the smocker works the pleating and stitching in one step. This method is more popular on gingham.

The material or fabric that one would need for smocking includes the following: cotton, cotton blends, lightweight wools, silks, batistes, linens, muslins, and polyesters. The floss should be of higher quality for projects of this nature. The needles should include a sharp crewel, embroidery or darning needle depending on the type of fabric you will use.

When cutting fabrics, you want to cut extra for the pleating. The normal ratio is 3 to 1. However, for heavier fabrics, the ratio is 2 to 1 and for lightweight, 5 or 6 to 1.

Gathering pleats consists of four methods. The first method involves working with printed fabrics such as dotted swiss, stripes or ginghams. You can use the print itself as a guide to gather threads. The second method involves drawing a grid using a pencil and ruler on the wrong side of the fabric. Each line should be approximately 1/4" apart. The third method involves using blue or yellow dot transfer sheets. Tape or pin the tissue to the fabric, press firmly with warm, dry iron. In this method, you should always pretest the fabric to ensure the transfer does not stay once you wash it. The final method is to purchase a pleating machine and use it to make your pleats.

When you are ready to gather, you will use a heavy quilting thread. You can rub beeswax on the thread to avoid knots and breakage. Always leave threads long enough at the end to secure by tying end of threads of two rows together.

When working the embroidery across the pleats, you want to hold the needle parallel to the work unless you are using variations of the feather stitch or of the raised chain. When finishing a stitch, pull gently but firmly. You want to maintain a consistent stitch throughout your work. Leave enough fabric on each end of your work for a seam allowance. The beginning and ending pleats should be caught in the seam allowance.

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