A blog filled with DIY crafts.
Tips from Paula Ellsworth on using a pleater to pregather fabric for English Smocking. (English Smocking is a type of embroidery that decora...
Only Shipping within Australia READ SMOCKING / EMBROIDERY PLEATER .... this is an original South African made Vintage Pleater which I have owned since purchase in the 1980's. It is in excellent vintage condition with no dents or scratches. It comes with sets of 24 plus 16 needles ... all in as new condition. Instruction print out is enclosed but I highly recommend watching instructional YouTube videos for setting up and use. This Read pleater has 24x 1cm spaced rows but 1/2 of these have an additional .5 cm spacing = 36 rows in all. There are 4 brass roller rods 24cm in length and it has the red sticker underneath. This machine is quite heavy and can be picked up in Melbourne to avoid delivery charges .... Please Convo if you would like to do this. With this wonderful pleater you can prepare fabric in a short time in order to progress to some lovely embroidery. Crafters / Card Makers / Scrap bookers can use this as a handy tool for creating texture in decorative papers etc. ** Photo Accessories ( eg magazine ) not included My Garnet fleuri design ©... Please contact me if you would like to request a custom design ... maybe even in your own fabric if suitable? Please convo 1. if you would like more information or photos 2. for adjusted postage if you wish to purchase this together with another item 3. If you wish to have insurance cover ....otherwise goods are sent with standard letter or parcel post
5 Tips to help pleat multiple items efficiently for smocking.
Before pleaters for smocking became popular in the mid 1980's, we pleated the fabric by hand. Since recent changes in the sewing industry have made pleaters harder to find, it is time to look back at
Tips from Paula Ellsworth on using a pleater to pregather fabric for English Smocking. (English Smocking is a type of embroidery that decora...
SMOCK N BLOCK Bishop, Yoke & Collar Guide. EASY TO USE! No need for a pleater! The Smock and Block Guide is a handy tool that has neckline measurements laid out on a heavy pellon to use for blocking your bishop or ensuring your latest creation has the correct neck opening. Includes neck sizes for preemie/newborns up to adult necklines, as well as, neck measurements for 18" American Girl dolls. Put it in an embroidery hoop for smocking on the guide if desired. It also is a blocking guide for inserts AND has a scallop tracing guide for hems and collars. The Smock N Block guide is made from a heavy weight and durable non-woven pressed fiber that is stretch-resistant, can be pinned on or basted to, and cleaned if necessary without shrinking.
Before pleaters for smocking became popular in the mid 1980's, we pleated the fabric by hand. Since recent changes in the sewing industry have made pleaters harder to find, it is time to look back at
A full 50 Grace Knott Smocking plate Library! They are all here. You will never run out of smocking ideas. Plates for yoke dresses, bishop or round yokes. Use all or part of a plate. Mix and match. Heirloom, Knott's dots, pleater, embroidery, vintage, yoke dress, bishop dress, classic clothing. Classic Sewing, Vintage, Grace Knott smocking designs, smocking plates, Jeweled Pyramid #1009, Jeweled Pyramid, Grace Knott.
Tips from Paula Ellsworth on using a pleater to pregather fabric for English Smocking. (English Smocking is a type of embroidery that decora...
A video tutorial on the best and worse hand sewing and embroidery needles to use for smocking and why!
Before pleaters for smocking became popular in the mid 1980's, we pleated the fabric by hand. Since recent changes in the sewing industry have made pleaters harder to find, it is time to look back at
When I first learned to smock I remember being taught about blocking, having no understanding of what I was doing and then assuming that smocking was too hard for me. This prevented me from smockin…
An interesting question came up last week in a pleater class. How do I know how much fabric I need to be able to smock something? My first instinct was to respond at least 3 times fullness. But with a moment's though I knew that isn’t true for every fabric. Whether you are smocking or just gathering fabric for regular sewing you might be interested in these findings. You see the thinner (or finer) the fabric the finer the pleats so the more you need. Conversely, the thicker the fabric the fatter the pleats and the fewer you need to cover a space. If you have a selection of fabric in your stash to test you could make a chart for reference. This might prove very handy if you like to mix up your fabrics and take creative license with the patterns you make up! I chose a commercial pattern for a little child’s yoke in size small for the comparison. It was a straight yoked garment which measured 7” from side seam to side seam. The pattern of course is 'on the fold'. If you were comparing for a garment like a bishop which involves flaring the pleats the results would be different again. But we are comparing only straight gathering. So here I have taken four popular fabrics for smocking: a soft batiste, a silky broadcloth, a deceiving flannel and a 21 wale corduroy. I pleated a depth of 6 gathering threads and the full width of the fabric (45” for all but the broadcloth which was wider). I marked of every 7" and put a pin in that valley so you can easily see the ratios I photographed. The batiste: 45" less a seam allowance at each end - 6x fullness Here is a full 45" width of batiste pleated up and it fills the 7" but is very condensed - perhaps too full to be able to smock and have the stitching look it's best. 5 x fullness - not bad for picture smocking. 4x fullness - still lots of fullness in the skirt and perfect for smocking 3x fullness - getting a bit thin good for geometric smocking 2.5x fullness - you can't go any less and still be able to smock The broadcloth: 6x fullness - really packed! 5x fullness - still quite packed but great for picture smocking and a lovely full skirt! 4X fullness - looks perfect for any smocking 3x fullness - very good for geometric smocking and still a fairly full skirt 2.5x fullness - getting a bit thin, geometric smocking only The flannel: This felt not much thicker than the broadcloth but the results of the pleating showed it was indeed a thicker fabric. Just goes to show you that things are not always as they seem. 5.5x fullness - wow look how wide that is!! Only 4x can be used. 3x fullness - pleats are still very packed 2.5x fullness - still good -compare with the batiste! 2x fullness - still very good for most smocking, but skirt getting skimpy The 21 wale corduroy: I love using pinwale corduroy for children's wear. Today knits are very popular and can create very beautiful garments but I didn't have anything readily at hand to test so was left with the pinwale corduroy. It has its own challenges and makes for an interesting base for your stitching. 4x fullness - pleats are really packed and the skirt would be really full 3x fullness - perfect for smocking & skirt would be nice and full as well 2x fullness - still good for smocking and still adequate fullness for a skirt Of note is the fact that this testing was done with a 16 row Pullen pleater. Not all pleaters take up the same amount of fabric in a pleat. Differences inn rations will thus appear between pleaters. For example, the Sally Stanley pleater takes quite shallow pleats compared to a Read so the Stanley pleater will give you more pleats over 45" of fabric. Worth knowing! Hope this has proven interesting, thought provoking and/or helpful. If you ever wondered why a pattern didn't afford you enough fabric to smock or the reverse this testing might provide you with some answers. Any other questions??? So till next time, keep stitching.....
I gave you a peak of this blue gingham bishop in a previous blog, with the promise of sharing the smocking design. I had not forgotten. The problem is that it takes me almost as long to graph the design as it does to smock the dress! I am often asked, how long it takes me to smock an outfit. I am a pretty fast smocker, so this pretty little dress was about, "two movies", or this week that would translate to several Olympic events. Between the Olympic games, and the winter weather that most of us are having, maybe we can all get some smocking in! This is a simple design, and because there are only 6 rows of smocking, it works well on the smaller size dresses. I hope you enjoy it. Row 1: Cable Rows 2, 2 1/2, and 3: Baby Waves Rows 4 1/2 and 5: 3 step Trellis, Cable 5, 3 step Trellis Row 4 1/2: Flowerettes The Sleeves were smocked with 3 rows of Baby Waves.
Recently my good friend and mentor Margy Hood posted the picture above on her Instagram. She immediately received tons of messages and comments asking her how she smocked her bishops. Apparently th…
A video smocking tutorial on how to stitch the Van Dyke Smocking Stitch.
L'association passetemps regroupe plusieurs clubs créatifs dont les activites peuvent etre complementaires, par exemple couture et broderie. Grace au benevolat d'une adherente un nouveau service est proposé: le plissage du tissu pour realiser des smocks....
Here is the smocking design that I promised to share! It is a beginner level design with basic cables, waves, and trellises. The bishop design. Row 1: Cable Stitch Rows 1 1/2 - 3: Three rows of half row, Baby Waves Row 3: Baby Wave, 3 step Wave Trellis Row 4 - 5 1/2: 5 step Wave Trellis Row 4 1/2 - 6: 5 step Wave Trellis The sleeve design. Rows 1 1/2 - 3: 3 rows of Baby Waves To view a printable version, click here. If you need a good reference book to help you get started smocking, my favorites are "The Joy of Smocking" and "A-Z Smocking." These cold winter nights are perfect for smocking!
Learn how to do smocking with easy photos and instructions. Learn pleating for smocking & embroidery stitches. Easy tutorial for beginners.
Pleat your own fabric with the newly revised Maxi Read Pleater! Every model has 47 - 1/2 spaced needle slots and comes with 24 needles placed in every other row. They have a heavy-duty stable base-plate with anti-skid rubber feet, comfortable and user-friendly dual handles for maximum versatility plus heavy duty solid brass rollers. Pleat your own fabric for all your smocking projects! These are the only pleaters still being made.
A round-up of free geometric smocking plates to stitch and sew for children.
Mining my vintage craft and sewing pattern book collection resulted in this neat smocking tutorial find. This wonderful tutorial explains how to prepare your fabric for smocking without the need of a smocking pleater or iron on transfers. In addition, there is an explanation of how to modify your pattern for smocking and a diagram of several smocking stitches. Loads of information in just a few short pages! Nice information on how to modify your pattern to allow for smocked gathers: How to create the gathers using your sewing machine: Information and diagram of a few smocking stitches: I love the can do attitude of this author. She shows you how to tackle a project that looks complicated by breaking it down into manageable steps using tools you already have on hand. The result? An adorable little girl's dress. And these techniques could be used on any article of clothing -- a special accent on a blouse or on a lovely nightgown for yourself. Enjoy this bit of wisdom from the past!
L'association passetemps regroupe plusieurs clubs créatifs dont les activites peuvent etre complementaires, par exemple couture et broderie. Grace au benevolat d'une adherente un nouveau service est proposé: le plissage du tissu pour realiser des smocks....
I don't know about you, but I am pretty excited about this "smocking a bishop" series that I am blogging about in my Sewing Journal! I hope ...
I was heading off on vacation for a few days and planned to take a baby angel sleeve bishop with me to smock on the beach. My nephew and niece are expecting their first little one and the shower is two weeks away. Now before you accuse me of procrastinating, I have been working along diligently. The bloomers to go under the bishop are all sewn (and turned our adorable, as bloomers usually do), the angel sleeve bishop had the arms attached, and my bags were packed. The last thing on my “to do” l
Work the pleats slowly and carefuly down the threads . Then continue rolling the fabric through a little at a time. Check both sides of th...
