140717✽
A lady at my Stitching Bee asked me if I could teach her to smock, so I thought I'd better see if I could actually remember how to do it! I gathered up a piece of gingham to show her on and couldn't stop, so I had to make it into a baby dress.
2 images:
[1]
[2]
Comments (53)
23581✽
by
aussiequilter
26 Mar 2015
+17✽
Sue its just adorable , if our baby is a girl I will have to give this a try
1 comment
Not difficult, but it bit time consuming!
115778✽
by
asterixsew
26 Mar 2015
+16✽
This takes me back many years. Smocked dresses were worn in my childhood and I can see my mother quietly smocking on fabric that became dresses for me. Love your colours
12407✽
by
christracey
26 Mar 2015
+16✽
It looks great Sue well done. I haven't done it in years.
48168✽
11700✽
234507✽
This is gorgeous Sue, I love smocked dresses. I used to wear them and Trev's mum made them for our Dana and Amy when they were little girls. Love Chris
23163✽
by
greysewist
26 Mar 2015
+14✽
That looks so neat, and I love the colours too. That'll look very sweet on a little someone!
1 comment
Trouble is, I don't have a little someone to hand!
7590✽
Very nice! I love smocked baby clothes, wish I could get back in to it!
2 comments
It is 30 years since I last did any!
I'm pretty close with you!
325✽
That is lovely Sue. I would love to try it myself. It would be a good project for the J-Club sometime.
33350✽
by
baydreamer
26 Mar 2015
+13✽
Oh I just love smocking, haven't done it in years. Lovely
7806✽
That is amazing Sue...thanks for sharing :)
I would love to give it a try but looks a bit complicated!
Lets see if I can gather courage and get some done :) ......yours is so neat and looks pretty!
I would love to give it a try but looks a bit complicated!
Lets see if I can gather courage and get some done :) ......yours is so neat and looks pretty!
1 comment
Not at all complicated - just take it one step at a time.
13243✽
It's lovely. Good idea making it with gingham. Never thought of that. So much easier for a beginner. Might just give it a go
14765✽
27358✽
66927✽
by
graceandham
26 Mar 2015
+11✽
This seems to be your approach to everything! Very cute dress. Any mom would love to dress her child this way.
41781✽
very pretty, I have always been going to do this, just never did. I love the look of smocking.
299559✽
Oh Sue this is so sweet, I love it! However did you make this?
3 comments
You gather the fabric, very precisely, then the smocking is doen by stitching the pleats together in a regular pattern. When you take the gathers out you are left with an elastic panel.
this is so dainty Sue, I would love to learn to make one for our new great grandbaby girl...come on over & teach me too ok you can stay @ my house lol :~) I would love it!
Would love to!
51302✽
by
designgirl
26 Mar 2015
+10✽
Gorgeous is all I can say. That takes a real talent to do that. My aunt use to do it years ago.
6257✽
by
kathymourie
26 Mar 2015
+10✽
Beautiful !!! I have wanted to do this for a long, even took a Martha Pullen class to learn. Got home and never picked it up again. I think I will pull it out again and try.
You are so talented !!!!
Kathy
VA
You are so talented !!!!
Kathy
VA
1 comment
Give it a go!
6024✽
beautiful but looks so complicated .............
1 comment
No - really simple.
23577✽
9754✽
This is beautiful! I remember that my mom made me a smocked dress when I was young from pink checked gingham... this brings back memories.
1 comment
Hope they are good ones!
11566✽
318555✽
by
dragonflyer
26 Mar 2015
+8✽
Sweet! I had though several times about getting a pleater...did you gather this by machine, hand, or do you have a pleater? Nice job!
1 comment
Gathered by hand - really easy with gingham.
410✽
255054✽
This takes me back. My mother used to do hand smocking on some of my dresses. You have done a wonderful job Sue.
360671✽
So did the sewing machine do it or you by hand??
Love the LQQK!!! Hugs
Love the LQQK!!! Hugs
2 comments
Smocking by hand, dress by machine.
oh my my hat goes off to you this took some time:):)great job
29237✽
1744✽
261163✽
145305✽
Really lovely! I love to do it on gingham or stripes as you don't have to set dots all over the area. My kids found it old fashioned, so although they wore it themselves when young they did not want it for my grands. But seeing yours I'd like to start a dress myself.
I have my mum's smocking sampler which she made when she was 11 or 12 yrs old. A bit dirty and moths had a go at one of the edges, but a keeper nonetheless.
I have my mum's smocking sampler which she made when she was 11 or 12 yrs old. A bit dirty and moths had a go at one of the edges, but a keeper nonetheless.
1 comment
I've only done this to see if I still could, but I really enjoyed it! I'd love to see your sampler. Perhaps I'll make one. Have you ever tried smocking on baby cord? I thought that would be easy to gather.
6951✽
This dress you've made is adorable& the gingham with the smocking adds a nice touch too. Thanks for sharing your work. :~D
7314✽
It is lovely,I did what was called American smocking you would buy the transfer, iron the dots on and freehand the stitches, i did it on voile for my only daughter she is 49 now, I had 5 sons...
2 comments
I had some smocking transfers but they have evaporated over time. Did you use them to gather the fabric or to smock from dot to dot?
Pity about all those boys.
Pity about all those boys.
I would smock from dot to dot, easy once in the rhythm,
I think I was very lucky to have 6 healthy children made the boys trousers
I think I was very lucky to have 6 healthy children made the boys trousers
2958✽
228✽
Lovely.Me too into smoking for my grands.This beautiful dress reminded me to complete mine...lol.
7498✽
by
gillemmerson
26 Mar 2015
+8✽
This is lovely Sue as many others have said it brings back memories. My Mother in law did some for my daughters and I did have a go myself but didn't keep it up unfortunately. Not sure I could pick it up again now.
1 comment
Course you could!
86901✽
19439✽
You're amazing I don't think there is anything you can't do. You blow me away with your talent. I wish we were related then maybe some it would rub off on me.
1 comment
Just give everything a try - you never know what you can do.
85867✽
I think I had smocked dresses when I was small. They were probably hand me downs. I don't remember my Mother smocking. There are some high end children's clothes that still offer these , buy you pay dearly for them. Kay
1 comment
Indeed, I've had a look on-line!
4714✽
Very well done, I love vintage design on Vichy fabrics with smocks or Swiss embroidery. Thank you very much for sharing.
Amitiés de France;
Amitiés de France;
78119✽
That's a lovely dress, Sue! It reminds me of a lovely dress that my mother made for me when I was six or seven and had hand-embroidered the top part of the bodice. I was fond of that dress. Thank you for sharing these two pictures.
Hugs, Lidia
Hugs, Lidia
2092✽
beautiful my mom did this and we used to gather the fabric for her she use a little gathering machine, so cool well done! Magda
7528✽
This dress turned out very well, I think I have seen some machine embroidery patterns for smocking somewhere. G
1 comment
Cheating! They may look like smocking, but they can't have the elasticity.
66028✽
by
sonjapotgieter
27 Mar 2015
+3✽
Wow....What Awesome dress Sue...Stunning work done...Well done!!!
7314✽
I used a McCall pattern 9293, it was and is still my friends phone no
7584✽
sue,
You are one amazing lady with many talents! . Looks like, there is nothing else you can't do!. phyllis.
You are one amazing lady with many talents! . Looks like, there is nothing else you can't do!. phyllis.
46645✽
145791✽
122✽
by
bertajhill
09 Apr 2015
+2✽
beautiful! I would love to learn to smock. My mother-in-law used to smock different things for the holidays. Unfortunately she died before she could teach me.
30988✽
arrr. Just stunning Sue . and it is a nice thing to do on holiday and finish off when you get home.
Hugs Pam
Hugs Pam
173695✽
4384✽
Wow! Great job Sue! Would u consider doing a tutorial on smocking? I also would love to learn how to do it and I am sure others would too! It would also be great to be taught by the best! :)
1382✽
Beautiful work ! I like this type of smocking on the gingham fabric. You're inspiring me to try smocking on my machine.
Is there an easy way to pleat the fabric without buying an expensive pleater?
Thank you for sharing, jane
Is there an easy way to pleat the fabric without buying an expensive pleater?
Thank you for sharing, jane
1 comment
Needle and thread! Doesn't take very long at all.