What is Smocking??

Smocking is decorative stitching that is done on pleated fabric. The fabric is shaped into pleats either by hand or by the use of a little machine called a pleater. The fabric is rolled on a dowel and then fed into the pleater. By turning a knob on the side of the pleater, the fabric is moved through a series of specially shaped rods that forms the pleats. As the fabric comes out from the rollers it moves onto specially designed threaded needles. The fabric, now totally on the threads, is removed from the pleater and then blocked according to the specific project planned.

One way to pleat by hand is to iron on dots, (can be purchased~such as Knott's Dots) and then using the dots as a guide, pulling the fabric into pleats by hand by sewing the dots together. As you can imagine, the Pleater has been a wonderful invention!!! The Smocking, or decorative stitching, is sewn using embroidery floss or other threads to create a vast variety of patterns on the pleats, including geometric patterns and pictures. The types of stitches and the projects that smocked pieces are included in are only limited by your creativity! A very helpful guide for Smocking is the book, A-Z of Smocking (Country Bumpkin Publications). Many of the beginning patterns are easy enough to complete that the smocker is able to "smock and talk" while completing a beautiful heirloom project!