Needlework News » Smocking

Technique: Japanese smocking

Denise Felton — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:04:04 +0000

This beautiful technique is new to me: Japanese smocking. Carolyn of caro-rose-creations lets us peek at a bag she made at a local workshop. Awesome. You can see more at Carolyn’s blog post. And if you are familiar with Japanese smocking, I’d love for you to post links in the comments.

A tasty pomegranate

Denise Felton — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:07:31 +0000

This luscious pomegranate is a bit of a departure for tinctory. Her smocked jewelry usually doesn’t incorporate much beading, but the glass-bead “seeds” are perfect for this work. You’ll want to see it from every angle. See more photos at the blog post.

Smock on gingham

Denise Felton — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:59:56 +0000

Stephanie Hung of The Crafts Dept. (MarthaStewart.com) suggests smocking on gingham for beginners. She says,

The squares in the gingham pattern act as sewing guides so you can make perfectly spaced stitches. As the thread makes knots in the front, it floats between the squares in the back of the fabric.

See more, and get a free template and instructions, at Stephanie’s post.

Inspiration: tinctory

Denise Felton — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:03:52 +0000

I continue to be fascinated by the smocked necklaces created by Eva of tinctory. Textural, earthy, and above all original. See lots more of them at her blog post.

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Smocking as art

Denise Felton — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 01:58:50 +0000

Enjoy some fabulous examples of smocking for art’s sake at Nellie’s Needles.

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Inspiration: tinctory

Denise Felton — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:38:37 +0000

Eva of tinctory smocks fabric into organic forms as focals for her exotic jewelry. So original. So beautiful. See more on her blog.

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Tutorial: Lozenge smocking

Denise Felton — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 20:08:21 +0000

Nicole Smith‘s post on ThreadsMagazine.com introduces a modern take on smocking. She says,

The…pattern variation on North American smocking, known as the lozenge, is sewn using a grid that alternates taut and slack stitches. Once you get the knack of this variation, you can try creating other designs on a grid and stitching your own version. By changing the scale, placement, or number of repeats, you can fabricate an interesting smocked look.

Learn the basics from Nicole’s tute.

Smock for prizes!

Denise Felton — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:00:41 +0000

Country Bumpkin announces Reach for the Stars, An International Smocking Competition. CB’s e-newsletter says,

We are delighted to promote Reach for the Stars 2011 through Australian Smocking & Embroidery. With great prizes to be won, this competition is a wonderful opportunity for smockers of all ages to display their talents to the smocking community worldwide. We strongly encourage all of our readers to enter, as many of our existing contributors have come to be involved with AS&E by previously entering Reach for the Stars. There are categories to suit everyone, from beginners to advanced smockers and sewers, offering people of all skill levels the chance to display their talents and creativity.

Get the details and entry form.

Online resources: Smocked aprons

Denise Felton — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:02:00 +0000

Machteld of Medieval Silkwork points to a wealth of tutorials for creating smocked aprons, which are authentic components of many medieval costumes. She wonders,

Where these types of smocked aprons really part of the working class wardrobe or were they a nice, decorative addition to the wardrobe of more afluent social groups? I don’t know, but it would be interesting to read more about that…

See Machteld’s list of links.

Tutorials you may have missed

Denise Felton — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:02:29 +0000

(1) Design and make a felt softie with Kira Franz-Knight of tangarang blog.
(2) Create a spirit-doll form with Nellie of Nellie’s Needles.
(3) Add angelina fibers to fabric with iHanna of iHanna’s Creative Space.
(4) Make ruched fabric flowers with Rose Rushbrooke.
(5) Learn needlepoint “knitting stitch” with Rittenhouse Needlepoint.
(6) Find out how to use Q-Snap embroidery hoops from Mary Corbet of Needle ‘n’ Thread.
(7) Learn how to keep a bargello stitch notebook from Bargello Needlepoint.
(8) Try simple turned applique with YouCanMakeThis.com.
(9) Get the basics of free-motion machine embroidery from Sarah Whittle.
(10) Make an embroidered flower brooch with Chloe Findlay-Harder.
(11) Discover turkey work with Mary Corbet of Needle ‘n’ Thread.
(12) Learn to smock with TipNut.