Picture Smocking On A Bishop

 It is always nice when the dress you envisioned turned out like you...envisioned!  A green gingham bishop style dress, trimmed with pink rickrack and pictured smocked bunnies.  Picture smocking works well on this style dress as long as you limit the number of pictures, which in this case would be the bunnies.  Three is a nice number without being overwhelming.

Things to note:  The bunnies were centered on the front and close enough together that I didn't have to picture smock on the shoulder seam.  Instead of a row of cable stitches right below the neckband, the cable row was moved up and is covered by the neckband.  Not only did this give the dress an uncluttered look, it was much easier not having to line the neckband up perfectly to a smocked row.  A five step Trellis stitch was used for the pink and white smocking at the bottom and a cable stitch was used for the back smocking on the wrong side of the fabric.

Michie'

Spring Sewing For My Granddaughter

Spring will be here before we know it, so it is time to get busy smocking and sewing for my four-year-old granddaughter.  The bishop style dresses are still very sweet on her and the green gingham will give the dress a fresh look.  Ellen McCarn's  "Precious Bunnies" is one of my long time favorite smocking designs and with a few adjustments will work well.  To adapt the smocking design to the bishop style dress, I will only smock three bunnies on the center front of the dress and change the bottom row of smocking to a suitable trellis stitch.  Not only will this allow for the smocked pleats to spread out as needed, but I also like the idea of smocking three bunnies instead of a bunch!  I'll be sharing more photos of the dress this week as it progresses.  

* A special note to Grandma's and Nana's-  When sewing for the grandchildren, I refer to what would obviously be an Easter outfit as a "Spring" outfit.  This gives Mommy the freedom to pick out something herself without worrying about offending me.  It is my goal to respect Mommy by letting her choose HER child's wardrobe.

Michie'

A Smocking Variation

Blue and white, always pretty and sweet.  Whether on the bishop bubble #142 or on the bishop dress #143, the smocking design presents well without being overpowering.

The smocking design is still in the works, but in the meantime another design could be used.  And the variation?  Simply start and stop the bottom rows of smocking at the sleeve seams.  Not only does it give a different look, it also allows the angel sleeves to stand up a bit more.

Michie'

Smocking With Pink and Gray

 #142

 

Choosing  floss colors for smocking on pink fabric can be a bit tricky. I often use white along with other shades of pink, but for this project I wanted something a bit different.  Pink and gray are a popular color combination for clothing and home decorating, so why not for smocking?  DMC #415 gray and #604 pink looks nice on the pink Imperial Broadcloth fabric without being too bold or too pale.

The bishop bubble was made using pattern #142 and the smocking design is included in the pattern.  Smocked hearts, just right for Valentine's Day!

Michie'

Fall Bishop

 

 

Deep Fall colors gave this bishop style dress a rich look. Choosing the floss colors was a bit of a challenge and after several false starts I remembered to follow my own advise and "take it outside." Natural light will show the true colors so that I could finally make a decision and stick to it! I wish that I had the smocking design to share, but I was feeling pretty free spirited at the time .... and just smocked.

Michie'

Little Pumpkins For Fall

Inspiration for the "Little Pumpkin" smocking design can be found in the latest issue of Sew Beautiful magazine. I love that pumpkins are suitable all through the Fall, not just one holiday. The lovely orange of the pumpkins also works nicely with many different colors of fabric.

The smocking design can be found in the magazine or on the blog.  The dress is made by pattern #135 and the bubble by #115.

Michie'

The Pleater Shortage

Pleater- A hand cranked machine for preparing fabric for smocking.

After a bit of investigation we have confirmed the nasty rumour about the lack of pleaters on the market.  Martha Pullen Company, one of the leading manufacturers has stopped production.  My advise would be, if you are interested in purchasing a pleater....do it now.  A Google search for pleaters will direct you to fabric shops that might have a few in stock, or you might try Ebay.  As for brand, I have tried them all over the years with good results. The good news is that a pleater will last for several decades!

*A pleater is not necessary for smocking.

Michie'

Pleating Without A Pleater

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 this method. Patterns that called for smocking had dots that were transferred to the fabric to form a grid for pleating. You can make your own grid for pleating by using a quilter's ruler and a wash-away marker to mark the fabric. Gingham fabric is great to start with, since it practially has a built in grid.  

First, starch and press the fabric.  The horizontal lines are 3/8" apart and the vertical lines are 1/8" apart.  Using quilting thread and a hand sewing needle, knot the thread at one end and following the horizontal lines, bring the needle and thread up through the vertical lines and back down.

After all the stitching is completed, draw the threads up to about 15 pleats per inch and knot the thread. You now have a piece of fabric ready for smocking. *The fabric is drawn up to about a 3 to 1 ratio, so 9" of fabric draws up to about 3".

If you are new to smocking or need to brush up on an old skill the "Beginning Smocking Book" will take you through step by step and includes several smocking designs.

Michie'

Smocked Daygown

A smocked daygown for baby made out of soft white flannel and smocked with "Baby Rattles" from the "Beginning Smocking" book.  The "Baby Rattles" are a good introduction to picture smocking and include a detailed tutorial.

Michie'

Free "Tiny Hearts" Smocking Design

The "Tiny Hearts" smocking design works up quickly and is perfect  for those new to picture smocking. Click here for the free down loadable design.

A few sketches just to get your creative juices flowing.  I'm leaning toward the jumper for our girl and I just happen to have the perfect pink fabric!

Michie'

A Winter Dress

A turquoise corduroy dress for our girl.  Smocked with an original snowman design and trimmed with red gingham piping.  What do I love best about snowmen?  They are appropriate all through the Winter!

Sorry, the snowman design is not quite ready to share.

Michie'

Smocked Wagons

#134

It is time to get busy on Fall sewing.  I love navy blue gingham and with smocked red wagons, even daddy was okay with the outfit!  The smocking design is easy for those new to Picture Smocking and can be found in the "Beginning Smocking Book." 

And what is the boy doing?  Closing his eyes so that he can fully experience the breeze.  Maybe we should consider doing the same. :)

Michie'

Smocked Tulips

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  I was smocking one of my favorite smocking designs, Ellen McCarn's "Tulip Garden", on yellow gingham, and started having one of those moments when everything seems a little too familiar.  It finally came to me.  I had used this same design on yellow gingham about 20 years ago for a special birthday dress!  Same fabric, same smocking, different style dress.

Michie'

A Bunny Bishop For Easter

Surprise!  I have the Easter dress ready ahead of schedule!  Last year I was sewing at the last minute and did not care for the feeling at all, but sometimes life just gets complicated.

The bishop style dress is made out of pale blue Imperial Broadcloth so that little or no ironing is needed.

The smocking design is out of an old Creative Needle Magazine Feb. 2008.  Cute little bunnies that I have been saving for years waiting for just the right little girl.

The sleeves are edged with French lace and smocked with a simple geometric pattern.

 And here is one of my little secrets..... our girl is very hard on hems so they are all stitched on the sewing machine!  Although it goes against my entire sewing background, mommy is a lot more relaxed and can let her play.  For this dress, after the hem was stitched in I did a running stitch by hand using 2 strands of DMC floss right on top of the stitching to add some color.

Do you have a sewing rule that you break to keep things simple?

Michie'

Smocked Truck Jon-Jon

I am aware that my smocking days for the boy are numbered, so with that in mind I am smocking with a purpose and many times with a theme in mind.  So, in honor of the new truck sounds that he has learned to make, the boy now has a new outfit featuring trucks.  The Jon-Jon is made out of a soft chambray which pleated up nicely and is smocked with Ellen McCarn's "Keep On Truckin."  The Jon-Jon will work well with a long sleeve shirt underneath for Winter and then short sleeve for Spring.

I must admit that I had almost forgotten how much fun it is to roll a truck across the kitchen floor making the appropriate noises!

Michie'

Floral Bishop

I love this beautiful print from the "Fabric Challenge."  I could hardly wait to see how it would look pleated, but must admit that I tried several different colors of floss before settling on white and yellow

The dress is made by pattern #135.  The smocking design is a combination of simple waves and trellises.  

Aren't the colors pretty on her?  She is a little obsessed with bracelets right now.  Something that I am proud to say that I am responsible for!

Michie'

Smocked Baby Owls

I did plan ahead and purchased plenty of navy Imperial Broadcloth and Little Memories smocking plate "What a Hoot" for outfits for Fall.  But once again Fall was almost here before the outfits were finished.  If any of you are really good at seasonal sewing ahead of time, I sure would like to know your secret! 

The boy's outfit is made using pattern #134.  I only wanted 6 rows of smocking so I only used the smaller baby owls from the smocking plate and adapted the branch that they are sitting on.

The dress is made from pattern #135 with 7 rows of smocking so once again only the baby owls were used.  Although the smocking plate is not designed for a bishop style dress, the owls worked out great with the right combination of stitches for them to sit on.

I did find that after completing the smocking on one outfit, turning around and starting the second while I still had visions of little owls in my head was extremely easy!  

White rickrack edges the sleeves and a couple of rows of smocked baby waves add a touch of color to the sleeves.

I would have loved to have a picture of the kids in their matching outfits, but we call that "Herding Cats" around here!

Michie'

Candy Corn Outfit Details

         

Both of these sweet outfits are featured in the newest issue of Sew Beautiful Magazine!
A few details and questions answered....both outfits are made from black twill and trimmed with black and white gingham.  The bubble is made using Creations By Michie'  pattern #115 and the bishop style dress is made by pattern #135.  Yellow rickrack was stitched to dress neckband before it was stitched to the dress.  The dress has a back side closure.  You can click here to see the details and instructions.

Michie'

A Playsuit For Hot Summer Days

Speaking of hot summer days....I don't know how it is where you are, but we are suppose to hit the 100s this weekend!  So, it is appropriate that Emma is modeling a cool playsuit made by pattern #123.  The playsuit was inspired by a style from the 40s and 50s that I ran across several years ago.

This playsuit was the sample garment for one of my Martha Pullen School classes a couple of years ago.  The smocking design is from the "Beginning Smocking Book."  Simple geometric smocking is always a good choice.

Michie'

Sunsuit Inspiration

Amanda has been sewing again, and what a cute outfit she came up with!  A sweet sunsuit for her sweet little guy made out of green striped seersucker using pattern #132.  The smocked wagons can be found in the "Beginning Smocking Book."  Great job Amanda.  I know that I am inspired!  How about you?

Michie'