maggiebsmocks

How To Pleat Without A Pleater For Smocking

Pleaters and Pleating

Have you wanted to try to smock but don't have access to s smocking pleater?

Want to just try the art before you invest in a pleater? 

Here is one solution for you! 

 Did you know that the spacing between Rows on the 24R pleater is further apart than the spacing on the Rows of the 16R pleater?

These two pieces of fabric were aligned at the left edge of the pleater as a starting point, shown at the bottom, R1 in this picture. (Normally we count Rows from the TOP!) You can see that by the time you reach R9, the spacing is off by almost ½ space. By the time you get to R16, the difference is almost exactly one full space. 

Does this matter? Only when you are picture smocking for the most part.

It helps to know whether the plate was designed for a 24R or a 16R pleater.

Unfortunately most smocking plates do not tell you this detail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

This shows difference between iron

on dots and pleater spacing.

 

Adding insult to injury, not all iron on dots have the same spacing.

 

Crazy, isn't it?!

 

 

 

 

The point is that the Rows can be just the Rows.

There is not an exact measurement to the spacing between Rows!

 

Now that you understand this, let me introduce self-graphing with plastic canvas.

Bear in mind that plastic canvas comes in a variety of size/square per inch that will further complicate this. THIS piece has 7 squares per inch.

Note the spacing of the canvas over the dots is not exact either left to right or top to bottom. Again, the spacing compared to the pleating is not the same.

The point is that the Rows can be just the Rows.

 

Drawing a grid with plastic canvas.

If you do not have plastic canvas, print off a dot grid and mark your fabric that way!

MARK FABRIC ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE FABRIC THEN PICK UP DOTS ON THE WRONG SIDE!

Now that we know there is no exact science to pleating spacing, there ARE a few basic guidelines to follow when making your own graph.

You need to be consistent with dots. Pleating on a pleater uses the straight edge of the fabric at two points, the top and side. Therefore, you still need to straighten the top edge of the fabric.

Here are two samples I drew. This graphing takes you back to math class for sure!

Draw the dots onto the fabric.

Thread a needle with quilting cotton with a LARGE, firm knot at one end. I prefer to have my knots on top so I can manipulate them as I smock.

Begin pickup fabric on the exact same dot for each Row.

Stitch under the dot on either side of the dot by a couple threads of the fabric.

This gives about 1/8” of a stitch under the dot.

        

AFTER basting ALL of the Rows, put your palm over the fabric and start pulling up the pleats with the gathering threads.

You now have pleats to smock on!

These gathering threads will be tied off to size before construction.

Smock on! 

maggieb!

 

Pleater Spacing Differences: The 24 Row vs. the 16 Row Pleater

The question comes up often about pleaters, spacing between Rows and how smocking plates are designed on a particular pleater.

Here is the visual aide to remember that there IS a difference between the 16R (row) pleater and the 24R (row) pleater.

 

I pleated this card stock (I do NOT recommend using your pleater for card stock!) to demonstrate the differences. 

On the left is the Read 16R pleater, on the right a 24R Amanda Jane pleater.

If you look closely, at the RED pins, these are both on R8. There is a slight difference. 

It does not matter the BRAND of the pleater. I have found this spacing to be true among all of the pleaters I have experienced (and I think I have seen them all after 35 years of smocking and teaching.) The 16R pleaters are slightly closer together than the 24R pleaters.

 

 

 

Here is a closer picture. R8, not too much of a difference. R16, the Rows are off by a full space. 

 

WHY? Does this matter? In geometric smocking it isn't a big deal. Your eye and hand will compensate for the spacing. HOWEVER, if you are trying to smock a 5, 6, or 7 step trellis in the spacing between two Rows, it can get pretty stuffy in there on a 16R pleater.

This is where the fullness of the floss might come into play. That is a whole 'nuther topic about brand, treatment of threads etc.

PICTURE SMOCKING(PS): or stacking cables is a different story. Some smocking plates are designed using a 16R pleater and some using a 24R pleater. (Again: old plates used 3 strands of floss and new plates use 4 strands of floss.) 

In PS, the vertical spacing can be an issue. You might want to begin smocking at the middle of the character and work your way up and down to make sure the character is centered on the Rows. 

The other concern is some designers place 3 passes of smocking between the Rows while others place 4 passes of stacked cables. 

You will learn to compensate by starting in the middle of the character and ignoring the Row spacing as necessary. 

 

The final thing to consider is spacing for a garment. Some patterns allow for 8R of smocking for an insert. However is that 8R on a 16R pleater or 8R on a 24R pleater? THIS can effect the way your outer piece fits with the lining.

EDIT to add:  This is a portion of a smocking plate by Little Memories (the BEST plates on the market!) Make certain your characters are centered between the Rows, no matter what type of pleater you own. By starting at the MIDDLE of the design you can be assured it will be centered. Again, this means you need to disregard the Row markings on the plate. Your smocking might be fuller. Your pleater might not have as much space as the designer's pleater. THIS corrects most problems in spacing!

Another place this can run into trouble is making a yoke dress, smocking all the way to the side seam. The yoke bottom SHOULD match with the bottom of the smocking. If it doesn't, you might need to alter the bottom of the yoke by making it a tad shorter or longer to look right. 

 

Details make the difference! This is a classic example of why some things don't turn out exactly as the picture. Just know you can make a few minor adjustments to your smocking or garment construction to fix it!

 

Smock on! 

maggieb!

 

 

 

How To Tie On A Thread To Start Smocking

Does your first pleat and smocked stitch fall flat? Do you accidentally hit the knot when you are sewing an inset into a garment?

Here is a fool proof way to start every thread in smocking to keep the knot hidden and make the side of your smocking pop up just like every other pleat.

1. Use a small knot in your thread. Cut the tail down to 1/4".  
    If you are using silk or rayon threads a 3/8" tail is acceptable.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Turn the panel right side up.  Bring the needle up from the back at the side of the first pleat.

 

3. Most smocking sequences start with a cable stitch. The cable will hide the knot on the back.

 

4. Here is the cable secured in place. 

 This particular design has a cable butting against this cable. In order to compensate, 

the first cable is placed a needle's width away from the gathering thread. The butting cable 

will be a needle's width below the gathering thread. The area will be filled in with the fullness 

of the thread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this helps improve your smocking!

Smock on!

maggieb!

My First Quilt

It is official, I have gone to the dark side.

 

The center panel is a solid piece. Everything else was cut to size and piece by my own two hands!

I know he is going to love it! One Christmas present down…how many more to go?

This was a kit for the top. I added Star Wars fabric for the backing and plain black binding.

 

The next thing will have smocking, not to worry ;)

maggieb!

It's a BANNER YEAR! With Riley Blake!

Riley Blake fabrics has these easy to sew, colorful banners. They come in all sorts of color groupings to celebrate holidays and special events.

This project is perfect! for teaching someone to sew. The lines are straight. It will teach beginning and ending stitches and perfect seam allowances. Whether you are 8 or 80, this project is doable for every level of sewing!

 

I opted to line and back my flags. 

 

I used temporary adhesive spray to hold all 3 layers together before sewing. 

This was my first time using Sulky KK2000.

I was pleasantly surprised by it's ease of use. I was able to reposition pieces as needed.

All 3 layers held together well eliminating the need to pin anything!

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to line and back my flags because there should always be a party on the back! The lining will prevent see through of color from one side to the other.  PLUS! the two sets can now be used together. Place a confetti side between the fashion side flags will add more length to the banner! And it will be cute from both sides!

Note that I cut each row into a set. It will be easier to sew this way. 

 

 

Trim away the white border fabric. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use a scant 1/4" seam allowance, stitch length 2.0. See the dark colored outline? That is the perfect teaching tool for teaching how to sew a straight line. Note the perfect turn too. THAT will take practice!

Remember to trim both sides and the bottom along the colored line!

I used a pinking blade to cut the edges. 

 

Pinking helps eliminate raveling. 

Align the quilter's ruler along the dark outline. Cut one side. Then reposition to cut the other two sides of the triangle. 

 

Plus the zig-zag adds a fun touch to the banner!

 

 

 

I made two sets of these for the daughter. Here is the first:

I used the red confetti (inserted at the bottom) backing for the red, white and blue collection.

Here is the second set:

I used the white confetti as the backing for this set.

Finally, in order to have neat and tidy hanging, I opted to make 68 buttonholes… The buttonholes will be cut to allow ribbon to be strung through the flags. It will also allow her to change up the configuration, add in different flags, make it longer or shorter. I wanted flexibility with this collection. Buttonholes allows for the flexibility to change things up.

I hope you try out these banners. They are perfect for the party room or the class room! They are durable and reusable. 

Smock on!

maggieb!

 

Finley Gray

I had the honor of making a beautiful Dedication Gown for Finley Gray. 

This wee one is almost eight pounds at two weeks. 

When I work with a Momma on a gown, I show her a few sample pictures. Then I ask her to close her eyes and tell me what she envisions for the gown. Color? Gown length? Sleeve length? Smocking? Embroidery? Lace?  Swiss embroidery? Of course, I  do my best to create something the Momma will love for the special day.

Finley Gray's gown was to be just past her little feet. A length of 22" - 23" would be perfect.  A bishop gown would frame her face perfectly. And sweet, short smocked sleeves would be the icing on the cake.

We knew Little Miss would be tiny and would be Dedicated soon after birth. I used a preemie size gown and made the neckline 9" and you can see even that was a wee bit big. 

So now the details! 

I smocked geometrics and backsmocked the open spaces on the back.  The windows formed by the geometrics are the perfect place for a monogram or picture smocking. I used an 'F' for Finley from Ellen McCarn's alphabet. I also added stacked cable hearts on either side of the F. 

One of the best things about Bearissima II is the wrinkling…or lack thereof! This picture is after the smocking and lace application. Barely a wrinkle!

Note the stitch assignments and counts in the picture.

The stacked cable hearts are sweet! The bottom 3 cables of each heart is level with the top of the 3-step trellis. Each heart is centered in the 11 cable windows. 

Note the smocking design arches ever so slightly just past the center front. This is accomplished by taking a 1/2 space jog up as in the picture below.

Another depiction:

 

And the sleeves:

Note the stitch count in the picture!

And the final touches with hand applied French lace.

I do hope you have enjoyed the making of this Dedication Gown.

Please feel free to recreate the design for personal use.

 

Smock on!

maggieb!

 

The SMOCKING POLICE

    For the past five years, I have gone to Sewing At The Beach, Myrtle Beach SC in January. The first two years, I was a student. The third year I started teaching smocking at the venue.

    Bear in mind, I have been teaching smocking pretty much since I learned to smock. I look back on those early times when I tried to teach smocking to my friends. I just didn't understand the true mechanics of smocking. That was developed over the years by reading, studying plates, taking classes and practice. LOTS of practice! I failed my first students.

    I had wonderful mentors along the way. LeeAnnW. who had a little shop in Southern MD. KarenW. who really understood smocking and shared. LeahB. in the UK that really taught me how to sew heirloom and perfect my picture smocking. Moving onto the Emerald Coast I had classes with the best of the best: Elizabeth Travis Johnson, Sarah Howard Stone, Mimi Turner and Cindy Foose. And finally, here in VA continuing my education with Judith Adams, Janice Ferguson, Lyn Weeks and many more. SAGA accepted me as a smocking teacher about 15 years ago, a little more than half way into my smocking career.

And now, I have travelled to many places around the country teaching smocking.

    One of the tangents of my needlearts and sewing is learning, and now teaching, to be a NEEDLE ARTS JUDGE. I work through the Maryland and Virginia State Fair Systems. I also had the wonderful experience of running the Woodlawn Needlework Exhibition for several years.

All of the above brings me to the SMOCKING POLICE. 

 

    I taught Summer Angel at Sewing at the Beach, January 2014. One of my students HONORED me by 1. finishing her dress and 2. entering it in the NC State Fair. Not only did she win! (Conrats, Karen!) but she also won the Elegant Stitches rosette for best smocked garment.

Karen had been smocking for years, but she humbled herself to take a ~smocking class~. Imagine that! WHY TAKE A SMOCKING CLASS IF YOU CAN ALREADY SMOCK? Sadly, I hear that way too often. WHY take a smocking class with me?

• Becasue I can teach you to smock better. (Smug, I know.)
• I can teach you how to check for mistakes long before you need to frog stitch a couple of Rows.
• I can teach you to understand the mechanics and ~math~ yes, that four-letter-word, of smocking.
• I can give you confidence in branching out, beyond a printed smocking plate. Some students are shocked, yes SHOCKED! at the idea of changing colors or the number of Rows on a project.

Yes, almost anyone can teach you how to smock. *I* can teach you to smock better. 

While I attempt to share lessons on the internet, there is only so much I can do. Seeing the hands move, step by step, listening to the repetitive comments in class, is always better.

At SATB last week, I made the comment: there are no smocking police. Then I looked up at the students and saw their faces. And I realized *I* have become the smocking police. I think I should wear the badge with honor. After all, police are about rules and doing what is right. And why bother teaching if I am not going to teach you to the highest standards?

Let me show you how to smock and construct smocked garments better. Contact me for information about teaching in your store, chapter, sewing group. Private lessons are also available!

My next big sewing school venue is Sassy Southern Sewing in Texas this coming July. Contact Vanese for the pdf of the class details. I will be teaching a bishop dress, a smocking primer class and a sweet smocked sundress.

Thanks for reading, now smock on!

maggieb!

 

 

 

 

 

Sewing Room Clean Up November 2014

    The sewing room is 'getting there'. It is always a work in progress. This is partly due to consumption of goods and addition of goods.

    The recent revision, mostly because of avoidance. When several life altering things converged all at once, distraction happened. I retreated to the sewing room. I tried sewing mindlessly, 20 pillow cases for someone. The good news is they used up more than 12 yards of stash. And I even had a little drawing for the scraps to get rid of those!

     Still being somewhat dysfunctional, despite promised projects, I started tidying up the sewing room. I folded fabric. It took a couple days to fold the new pieces. I bought a couple 66qt. bins at Target. Then I bought a couple more. 7 new bins later...

    Still heartbroken...I culled the stash. I rearranged the stash. I gutted the fabric wall bins and rearranged the fabrics from 'by motif' to 'by manufacturer'. I brought a banquet table up from the basement, set it up in the center hallway and reorganized the stash. The Man was patient and supportive throughout all of this. He loves to cook, thank goodness. One night, he made me mac & cheese and thick slab bacon for dinner. The ultimate comfort meal. And he does dishes!

So here are the pics...I know, it didin't happen if there aren't pictures.

THE ultimate NOTIONS WALL. 

I just love this thing!

 

 

Part of the destash fabric & notions.

 

These are on top of

4 of the

new bins  ...

 

 

 

There have been a couple trips to goodwill in the meantime...

 

Patterns and pleaters. 

I really need to cull the patterns.

 

Yes, those a pleaters in the white boxes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love having the Command Hooks in holding up my june tailor boards and

quilting rulers between the Expedit units.

 

The 5 X 5 Expedit unit holds

laces,

trim,

flosses,

threads

books etc.

 

Opposite this wall is an entertainment center that holds most of the books and chatchkies.

 

And here is the desktop... complete with a couple projects waiting for me...

 

This ~is~ organized!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lol at the sticky noted beside my desk chair.

 

The fabric wall and my office messy book case.

 

I reorganized fabric by brand. I wanted the blenders to be with the same company for consistency in quality and colors.

 

 

 

 

Yes, I have stash beyond my life expectancy!

And finally, a small pile of UFOs and WIPs.

 

 

Really, this is a small pile. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Am I ready to get to the two bishops I need to cut, sew and pleat?

I hope so.

Judging is not allowed here. Thanks for listening.

Smock on!

maggieb!

How to change a bias band on a smocked bishop

How to change a bias band on a smocked bishop

 

You know the dress, hanging in the closet. The one she refuses to wear because it 'chokes' her?

This is after you spent 30 hours smocking it...

HAVE NO FEAR! Help is on the way!

This is the situation...I bought several ready to smock bishops and found the neckline was tight on them. It wasn't the sewist's fault, she was following an old pattern. Bishops used to be really snug at the neck. The current trend is to be looser, not quite like a man's button shirt.

You CAN change a neckline on a bishop in a few easy steps!

Unstitch the neckband from the back. Remove the top button.

Draw a line with the wash away marker equal distant from the top of the smocking stitches. 

Hand baste, running 2 Rows of gathering threads through the pleats.

Use a sturdy thread like quilting thread!

 

This is what it looks like so far.

Next CUT along the sewn bias band! Go ahead!

The pleats are now being held by the newly placed gathering threads!

Now, sew on a new bias neckband to the length your princess deems comfortable!

If you don't have fabric to match, use a contrast in gingham or tiny strip in the colors of the smocking. It will look really cute!

I would have sworn I had a picture of this dress finished with the new neckband but can't find it at the moment. I'll post it when I dig it up.

I looked but didn't find the finished bishop. I used pink microcheck as the replacement bias band.

My post about bias banding bishop necklines.

 

Smock on!

maggieb!

SMOCKING: The Trellis Stitch

One thing I have found about trellis stitches is the placement of each of the stitches is often just ~slightly~ off of where it should be. The measuring cup is a good tool to remind every one of fractions. I know, I know, there is that MATH! again!

This is where the half spaces on the pleater really come in handy! I use them whenever possible. Sometimes fabric is too dense or seams don't allow half spaces, but with patience and perseverance, you should be able to use them in most pleating.

For example a 4-step trellis over a full space:

 

 

The water represents the stitches. The first trellis stitch is placed at the 1/4 space mark. If you have half space gathering threads in place, this is half of the half space. Seems simple enough!

 

 

 

 

2/4 steps = 1/2 space

So the stitch is taken ~exactly~ halfway  between the gathering threads. If you have a half space gathering thread, the stitch is right on the line.

By now you are thinking...is this lady coo-koo, of course this is how it goes!

 

 

 

 

 

3/4 step = 3/4 of a full space

Stay with me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next is where the problems set in...even for the most experienced smockers. 4/4 = 1. The 4th stitch of the 4-step trellis is taken ON THE LINE. Not a hair below the line, but ON it! Yes, there will be a second stitch ON THE LINE next to this stitch. The difference is the upward trellis stitch had the thread BELOW the needle. Take that 4th trellis stitch then transition the thread to OVER the needle for the next stitch, the cable. It isn't the placement of the trellis stitch below the gathering thread making the stitch, it is the change of thread position from the trellis stitch to the cable that makes the distinction.

Below are pictures of a 3 step trellis over a full space. 

 

1/3 space 

 

the stitches are taken at 1/3 space, which is a little below the half space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2/3 space is just a little more than the half way mark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3/3 = 1

The third stitch is ON THE LINE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have been doing this with your smocking, A+ for you! If you have been skimming off the top and bottom, try going to the line to see what a difference it makes in the uniformity of your stitches!

Remember, the thread is Over the needle for the Orange stitches and the thread is Under the needle for the Ultra marine stitches. Use the full space and transition your thread at each end!

THIS lesson is about true trellis spacing on the lines. The next post will be about compensation when butting the trellis stitch against another stitch for complicated combinations!

Smock on! 

maggieb!