One of my favourite possessions is a vintage Smocking Pleater (which also happens to be an Australian invention!). This hand-cranked machine is designed to evenly put in all your gathering threads at once, with minimal marking. It saves SO MUCH TIME, allowing you to get straight to the embroidery without spending an age on the measuring and gathering. It is also very useful for making 16th century ruffs, cuffs and collars. It quite literally saves hours of labour. My SCA group has a pleater that someone donated, and we pass it around amongst ourselves whenever someone wants to make a new set of cuffs, or gather in fabric for a smock/shift.
Yes! Pleating machines are absolutely fascinating! I have one tucked away that was given to me by someone who was a prolific smocker, and it may be making an appearance soon on this channel ☺️ I’ve been thinking about different ways of using it, but I’d never considered a ruff, brilliant! Thank you!
@@anotherdreamgonewest I love smocking. 30 years ago I bought a smocking machine which I have never used !!! Even brought it overseas with me. But here, smocking is not in vogue and I wonder if it is a known embroidery technique. One of the regrets of life.
For months I’ve been trying to figure out how elastic a smocked area really is and whether it could work for cuffs and neckbands (on a non-stretch fabric with non-stretch thread). You showing your sampler’s elasticity was the most helpful thing I’ve seen on smocking in the months I’ve been looking into it!
Nice! The stitches are very elastic, straight stitches tend to be less elastic than the stitches the travel from one row to another. It’s not super tight like elastic, but it works to keep the fabric close to the body. Thank you!
My grandmother hand smocked my dresses when I was a little girl. I am very grateful that she taught me to sew, knit, crochet and quilt. I have never smocked a garment but look forward to trying.
I made a smocked romper suit for my son 43 years ago, for him to be christened in. You did a lovely job and hope you are fully recovered. We have all battled on and regretted it!!
Fun! The fabric pattern + manipulation remind me of that recent galliano margiela collection, where the dense pleats appear to change the color and pattern of the fabric altogether.
It's gorgeous - I didn't even know smocking was possible without the big turny crimper thingys - which is silly because obviously smocking has been around before those. Watching you pull together the pleats or smocks? - maybe tucks? Anyway pulling those together and then you doing beautiful needlework on them was so lovely to watch and I am all sorts of inspired over visions of sleeves worked with that technique.
Thanks. I will do some day. I have sewed a lot of traditional norwegian shirts, not smocking, but with tight pleating near cuffs and neck. I fold the cuff fabric and lay it on top of the pleats and sew one stitch in each pleat. I would have done the same on top of the smocked piece on front and back. 😊
You have convinced me! I've been wanting to try smocking for the longest time. I particularly love the detail it added to the sleeve head and wrist so I think I will try and add this to my next blouse project. I love hand sewing, hand quilting and beading, my eyes - not so much. Thanks for sharing your whole process, mistakes and all.
This is stunning work. I have always loved smocking. My great aunt made me dresses as a child. I remember fighting with my mother about having grown out of them!
oh right! I am in the middle of trying to recreate the smock ('working shirt') which is worn by The Fool on our Morris Dancing side (I live in in a small town in England). I bought a copy of Alice Armes, ENGLISH SMOCKS With directions for making them. This little pamphlet book is very fascinating with patterns from historic smocks (sourced in different counties of England) in either front cover envelopes - but I am copying mostly what is on the side's smock. I purchased that because I wasn't sure where to start apart from just measure the smock we have which is made from a very heavy linen. I am working this in lightweight polycotton for this first effort. I really hope to get it finished at some point - I keep leaving it like so many of my UFOs.
I love how this turned out!! I tried teaching myself English smocking from an older book, but your instructions are so much clearer! I also really enjoyed hand smocking, hand sewing is always so soothing.
Man I have a smocking work in progress (verging on ufo) and another smocking project I want ro start but there are two costumes I want to make on a deadline so they will have to wait. Seeing this is giving me thw smocking itch
It’s so satisfying, and I feel like smocking can be something that happens little by little when you need a good palette cleanse. I totally hear you on the prioritizing woes of sewing- so many ideas and not enough hours in the day. Thank you!
It would look lovely with a plain black collar with some contrast embroidery done in the colours you smocked with. I like your version and the fact you told us about the design feature - aka ‘not as planned’ collar modification.
It would look good with a contrast collar! Sometimes the unplanned twists turn out to be a blessing in disguise! (Sometimes not, but that’s ok too, ha!)
I loved Pollyflinders dresses for my daughter. She had one for each of the big occasions growing up. I will be quite honest here, I would not put that type of work into outfits for my granddaughter’s. There would be no appreciation of the work or the care of such items. What I do want to do is doll clothes with smocking. A smaller scale of beautiful work. I tried to find pleating tape, but it’s almost impossible in the USA. If I wanted to pay the shipping, the UK has a few places I could order from. What I did do is pick up some plastic canvas to use to place the dots. I could space them however much I wanted with it. I haven’t started anything yet because of time and space constraints…but I’m working on that. It has been up there with things I have always wanted to try. Your top came out beautifully. So much intricate detail. Your collar blupper just makes it more interesting. Also reminds you of what not to do when feeling sick. I worked of a knit blanket for one of my grands when I was in the hospital fairly sedated. As they decreased the meds, I couldn’t believe one section of it that was a mess. I left it as a of that particular admission and what had happened.
I feel you- it’s a lot of work for something that’s going to be grown out of- luckily dolls tend to stay the same size 😁. One of the women who taught me to hand knit (it took a village!) used to say that whenever you make anything for anyone (she was talking about knit blankets I think) you should always tell them “I made three mistakes” so they don’t expect it to be perfect, and it’s stuck with me for decades now. Mistakes are what make things special!
"...if you secretly (or not-so-secretly) love hours and hours of hand stitching." Hi, it's me, I'm the problem. A king-sized patchwork quilt comprised of approximately 1000 hand-stitched English paper pieced hexagons. I'm pretty sure my family are planning to use it as evidence in my eventual (inevitable?) committal hearing.
I have a smocked workshirt pattern from Folkwear but I've always been too scared to try it it. Your video gave me the push, because this top is so stinkin' cute
Oh my goodness. I'm working on a recreation of a particular film costume and you've just showed me something amid your smocking which finally makes sense of my project. This is a gorgeous video in its own right and I'm just so thrilled you put this out now! I will certainly be linking this video in my blog about the construction. Thank you. Thank you!!
Sounds like a fun project! I’d start by trying to figure out what stitches they’re using, and how much fabric is being taken up by each stitch. Thank you!
Thank you for mentioning WHY this is done! I love the look but didn't understand its utility, it just seemed a waste of fabric, so I never tried it, now I understand what its for I have an excuse to try it!
Thank you! It can be very functional- and definitely a lot of fabric- but one of the best parts is that the smocking can be removed and you still have a useful square of fabric!
Did you get checked for Lyme disease? I was put on antibodies for ten days. I was told to be careful in the sun. I stayed inside for two weeks. Then I covered up (large hat, long sleeves, long pants, gloves, heavy socks) and used a sun screen. Not everyone gets a bullseye (as I did). Be careful. I like the shirt; but, it would have made a wonderful long dress.
A long dress would have been awesome, next time I’ll have to choose a fabric with more yardage! I went to the doctor and it was just a respiratory thing. Nothing too bad, and I got over it in a couple of days, it was just annoying while I was sick. I’ve heard some pretty rough things about Lyme disease- I’m sorry you had to go through that!
I love how your work shirt came out! Recently had the idea of making a shirt with a smocked yoke, but hadn’t thought about fabric. Think it’s going to be gingham. 😊 Thanks.
Sashiko embroidery techniques could speed up the gathering process. There's a specific name for the running stitch that I've forgotten, but it is used also in kimono making. Kimonos were traditionally sewn with running stitches so they could be deconstructed for cleaning or passing down (size altering). It involves holding your hand and fabric in a specific way that allows for feeding the fabric onto the needle quickly and in large amounts. It basically gathers the fabric, which is then smoothed out.
This blouse is lovely and the smocking added some beautiful texture. However, when incorporating smocking into a garment that wasn't already designed for it, I don't understand how much extra fabric to allow. Is there a formula or some helpful tips out there? Thank you.
Thanks for sharing and except the collar, it turned out well. I would have pulled some black scraps to remake the collar but that is me. Hope you're not offended by my comment. I've long been interesting in smocking and will eventually take plunge and learn it. It looks so cool on baby clothes. I will at least take the plunge and buy a book on it. 😊
Ha, sometimes it’s nice to buy the book and dream of learning something- I’ve got a few aspirational crafts tucked away for “later” myself. I do think I’m going to remake the collar. There are absolutely no scraps left that are over an inch big, but really the only thing that’s wrong is that I sewed one side of the collar with the wrong sides together instead of the right sides, so I could unpick it and flip the self over, I’d just have to be careful since I trimmed all the seam allowances. It’s probably going to happen, I just have to work myself up for it 😅
That’s true! Theoretically, since the collar was cut properly I COULD unpick the wrong side, flip it over and re sew it. I’m teetering at a 75% chance of that happening…
What are the odds of youtube recomending this to me? Because yesterday this piece of "elastic" had failed on my sandals. It was a piece of pale pink fabric that had "grown" where the threads had all broken on one side. I realize now it was smocking. But with that bit broken the strap that goes behind my foot no longer holds my foot in place and half the time my heel is hanging off the rear of the shoe!! 😮
You are absolutely right that not all quilting fabric (by which I just mean the plain woven cotton fabric that’s widely available in most American craft stores and is usually used to make quilts and fat squares and such) is created equal. I think it’s probably intimidating for many people to start a new craft using precious fabric, so I wanted to assure anyone thinking of learning smocking that learning on something less expensive and with greater availability is just fine. Obviously the nicer and finer the fabric used, the finer and better quality the smocking will be.
A few reasons i can think of, it fits for longer. You could wear and mend the same smock for years, through weight changes and all. There was no elastic commonly used before the 1910s, if I recall well Also people in the past liked their things beautiful, think of the time spent embroidering bedsheets, coverlet and handkerchiefs... the concept of everything disposable is rather new
There were many good reasons why the old English smocks were stitched with so much care and smocked with so much fulness. They were worn outdoors by shepherds, farmers and other tradesmen in all weather conditions as protection for the wearer. The old smocks were made from heavy linen which is very strong and hard wearing...often soaked in linseed oil to make them almost waterproof...combined with the extra fulness from the smocked panel (and sometimes a built-in cape)...made the fabric stand away stiffly from the body like a tent so the rain would fall off, keeping the wearer dry. The panels of smocking provided extra warmth plus elasticity. They were also made large enough that layers of warm clothes could be worn beneath. The antique smock shown in this video may have been "Sunday best" so was not oiled. Once industrialised farm machines were introduced or folk moved into cities to work in factories, the smock was too loose to be worn safely around machines so was discarded. I hope this answers your question. Kind regards and God bless.
Me gusta mucho el trabajo de smocking, pero el resultado final de la camisa no. El smocking sirve para ajustar la prenda al cuerpo dando flexibilidad al mismo tiempo y dando vuelo cuando termina el bordado. Esa pechera bordada queda como una tabla negra, rígida y cuadrada en mitad del torso. No se ajusta al cuerpo, no se abre suavemente en acordeón, da la sensación de que no han retirado los hilos que fruncen la tela y por eso queda todo pegado como un cartón. Horrible. Una lástima las horas empleadas en este trabajo
Shudder! You DO not use quilting fabrics for smocking nice gowns. You use nice high quality broadcloth like Spechler Vogel, fine french batiste, or liberty lawn prints. (some lawns are too thin.) You are wasting everyone’s time teaching this incorrectly. If you are going to recreate historic clothes you need to use the same fabrics. I ‘ve been smocking since I was a little girl and you do not know how to do it if your doing it on quilting broadcloth. One of reasons we have a hard time finding the right fabrics is that the market in the US is only quilt fabric full of starch. Piping, entredeaux, thats how you attach. Felled seams are from pants, its french seams and rolled french hems.
Hmm, time spent learning, is never wasted. Some of us do not have easy access to broadcloth, or other fabrics. Liberty is quite expensive. No matter if it's not "perfectly standard" , according to others, it looks fine to me. The result was absolutely beautiful.
@@karenharper2266 silk, and linen are expensive too. Recreating historical garments is expensive and sewing normal clothes is also. you are wasting your time if you are smocking on quilting cotton. you are like all those ladies trying to sell their clothing patterns at quilt shows made from garish quilting fabric. it screams homemade. this seamstress appears competent in pattern cutting but she knows zero about a basic square yolk and she admitted it was difficult to constructit isn’t difficult if you
Harshing the mellow with accusations if doing it Rong isn't polite or civil. I hope you are able to realize that people work with what is available. @@ShirleyGanske
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The smocking is phenomenal omg 🙏🏽💗
This must be why smocking is so often done on checkered print fabric
Probably! The effect is nice too, but a built in grid is SO nice!
It would be cool if there was an industrial strength wash away checker pattern so the final product is on a monochrome background!!
One of my favourite possessions is a vintage Smocking Pleater (which also happens to be an Australian invention!). This hand-cranked machine is designed to evenly put in all your gathering threads at once, with minimal marking. It saves SO MUCH TIME, allowing you to get straight to the embroidery without spending an age on the measuring and gathering.
It is also very useful for making 16th century ruffs, cuffs and collars. It quite literally saves hours of labour. My SCA group has a pleater that someone donated, and we pass it around amongst ourselves whenever someone wants to make a new set of cuffs, or gather in fabric for a smock/shift.
Yes! Pleating machines are absolutely fascinating! I have one tucked away that was given to me by someone who was a prolific smocker, and it may be making an appearance soon on this channel ☺️ I’ve been thinking about different ways of using it, but I’d never considered a ruff, brilliant! Thank you!
@@anotherdreamgonewest I love smocking. 30 years ago I bought a smocking machine which I have never used !!! Even brought it overseas with me. But here, smocking is not in vogue and I wonder if it is a known embroidery technique. One of the regrets of life.
It is a pity very few people appreciate all the work that goes into handmade stuff in this day and age of fast fashion.
We’ve definitely been conditioned to appreciate quantity over quality. But I have hope!
For months I’ve been trying to figure out how elastic a smocked area really is and whether it could work for cuffs and neckbands (on a non-stretch fabric with non-stretch thread). You showing your sampler’s elasticity was the most helpful thing I’ve seen on smocking in the months I’ve been looking into it!
Nice! The stitches are very elastic, straight stitches tend to be less elastic than the stitches the travel from one row to another. It’s not super tight like elastic, but it works to keep the fabric close to the body. Thank you!
My grandmother hand smocked my dresses when I was a little girl. I am very grateful that she taught me to sew, knit, crochet and quilt. I have never smocked a garment but look forward to trying.
I made a smocked romper suit for my son 43 years ago, for him to be christened in. You did a lovely job and hope you are fully recovered. We have all battled on and regretted it!!
Fun! The fabric pattern + manipulation remind me of that recent galliano margiela collection, where the dense pleats appear to change the color and pattern of the fabric altogether.
It's gorgeous - I didn't even know smocking was possible without the big turny crimper thingys - which is silly because obviously smocking has been around before those. Watching you pull together the pleats or smocks? - maybe tucks? Anyway pulling those together and then you doing beautiful needlework on them was so lovely to watch and I am all sorts of inspired over visions of sleeves worked with that technique.
Thanks. I will do some day.
I have sewed a lot of traditional norwegian shirts, not smocking, but with tight pleating near cuffs and neck. I fold the cuff fabric and lay it on top of the pleats and sew one stitch in each pleat. I would have done the same on top of the smocked piece on front and back. 😊
Your shirt is so beautiful! The detail and craftsmanship is exquisite.
Thank you!!
Awesome! I love historical shirts.
You have convinced me! I've been wanting to try smocking for the longest time. I particularly love the detail it added to the sleeve head and wrist so I think I will try and add this to my next blouse project. I love hand sewing, hand quilting and beading, my eyes - not so much. Thanks for sharing your whole process, mistakes and all.
This is stunning work. I have always loved smocking. My great aunt made me dresses as a child. I remember fighting with my mother about having grown out of them!
oh right! I am in the middle of trying to recreate the smock ('working shirt') which is worn by The Fool on our Morris Dancing side (I live in in a small town in England). I bought a copy of Alice Armes, ENGLISH SMOCKS With directions for making them. This little pamphlet book is very fascinating with patterns from historic smocks (sourced in different counties of England) in either front cover envelopes - but I am copying mostly what is on the side's smock. I purchased that because I wasn't sure where to start apart from just measure the smock we have which is made from a very heavy linen. I am working this in lightweight polycotton for this first effort. I really hope to get it finished at some point - I keep leaving it like so many of my UFOs.
Looking forward to much more in detail to what smocking is. 💕
I love how this turned out!! I tried teaching myself English smocking from an older book, but your instructions are so much clearer! I also really enjoyed hand smocking, hand sewing is always so soothing.
Man I have a smocking work in progress (verging on ufo) and another smocking project I want ro start but there are two costumes I want to make on a deadline so they will have to wait. Seeing this is giving me thw smocking itch
It’s so satisfying, and I feel like smocking can be something that happens little by little when you need a good palette cleanse. I totally hear you on the prioritizing woes of sewing- so many ideas and not enough hours in the day. Thank you!
It would look lovely with a plain black collar with some contrast embroidery done in the colours you smocked with.
I like your version and the fact you told us about the design feature - aka ‘not as planned’ collar modification.
It would look good with a contrast collar! Sometimes the unplanned twists turn out to be a blessing in disguise! (Sometimes not, but that’s ok too, ha!)
I love your unique style. Your videos are so informative, fun and refreshing. Thank you!
I loved Pollyflinders dresses for my daughter. She had one for each of the big occasions growing up. I will be quite honest here, I would not put that type of work into outfits for my granddaughter’s. There would be no appreciation of the work or the care of such items.
What I do want to do is doll clothes with smocking. A smaller scale of beautiful work. I tried to find pleating tape, but it’s almost impossible in the USA. If I wanted to pay the shipping, the UK has a few places I could order from. What I did do is pick up some plastic canvas to use to place the dots. I could space them however much I wanted with it.
I haven’t started anything yet because of time and space constraints…but I’m working on that. It has been up there with things I have always wanted to try.
Your top came out beautifully. So much intricate detail. Your collar blupper just makes it more interesting. Also reminds you of what not to do when feeling sick.
I worked of a knit blanket for one of my grands when I was in the hospital fairly sedated. As they decreased the meds, I couldn’t believe one section of it that was a mess. I left it as a of that particular admission and what had happened.
I feel you- it’s a lot of work for something that’s going to be grown out of- luckily dolls tend to stay the same size 😁.
One of the women who taught me to hand knit (it took a village!) used to say that whenever you make anything for anyone (she was talking about knit blankets I think) you should always tell them “I made three mistakes” so they don’t expect it to be perfect, and it’s stuck with me for decades now. Mistakes are what make things special!
The smocking is so beautiful! Smocking is something i definitely want to give a go at some point!
"...if you secretly (or not-so-secretly) love hours and hours of hand stitching."
Hi, it's me, I'm the problem. A king-sized patchwork quilt comprised of approximately 1000 hand-stitched English paper pieced hexagons. I'm pretty sure my family are planning to use it as evidence in my eventual (inevitable?) committal hearing.
🤣
You do you.
I have a smocked workshirt pattern from Folkwear but I've always been too scared to try it it. Your video gave me the push, because this top is so stinkin' cute
I learned this when it was little but I forgot. Thank you for this video that encouraged me to give it a try.
Thank you! It was a lot of fun!
Obsessed with your work, your concept/vision and your videos! Looking forward to more!
Oh my goodness. I'm working on a recreation of a particular film costume and you've just showed me something amid your smocking which finally makes sense of my project.
This is a gorgeous video in its own right and I'm just so thrilled you put this out now!
I will certainly be linking this video in my blog about the construction.
Thank you. Thank you!!
I'm so glad to see this post! I've got some old smocked Liberty skirts that need a refresh, but have never quite known what to do next.
Sounds like a fun project! I’d start by trying to figure out what stitches they’re using, and how much fabric is being taken up by each stitch. Thank you!
Thank you for mentioning WHY this is done! I love the look but didn't understand its utility, it just seemed a waste of fabric, so I never tried it, now I understand what its for I have an excuse to try it!
Thank you! It can be very functional- and definitely a lot of fabric- but one of the best parts is that the smocking can be removed and you still have a useful square of fabric!
It's beautiful! Great job!
English smocking always intrigued me. Love this video ❤ Thank you for making it 🙏 Absolutely stunning work!
Thank you! It was a lot of fun to learn!
Wow! What a wonderful masterpiece! 🤩 Thank You very much for sharing this with us. 🙏🏻
Aw thanks!
Did you get checked for Lyme disease? I was put on antibodies for ten days. I was told to be careful in the sun. I stayed inside for two weeks. Then I covered up (large hat, long sleeves, long pants, gloves, heavy socks) and used a sun screen. Not everyone gets a bullseye (as I did). Be careful. I like the shirt; but, it would have made a wonderful long dress.
A long dress would have been awesome, next time I’ll have to choose a fabric with more yardage!
I went to the doctor and it was just a respiratory thing. Nothing too bad, and I got over it in a couple of days, it was just annoying while I was sick. I’ve heard some pretty rough things about Lyme disease- I’m sorry you had to go through that!
Wow. So much fantastic information. Thank you so much!!!❤️
Très joli, et quel travail de patience,. Bravo ❤
Merci Beaucoup!
jessie, what a cool shirt! your designs are always so imaginative, fresh, and fun! i love the smocking, especially how the fabric below it falls.
TH-cam unsubscribed me! Love you videos
This is a very restful video and the result is beautiful.
Thank you so much! It was a lot of fun to make!
I love the cuffs. 👍
Thanks!
Absolutely love the smocking with the gingham! I just purchased a used pleating machine and plan to try a shirt for myself!
I love how your work shirt came out! Recently had the idea of making a shirt with a smocked yoke, but hadn’t thought about fabric. Think it’s going to be gingham. 😊 Thanks.
It's a work of art!
Thank you!
Sashiko embroidery techniques could speed up the gathering process. There's a specific name for the running stitch that I've forgotten, but it is used also in kimono making. Kimonos were traditionally sewn with running stitches so they could be deconstructed for cleaning or passing down (size altering). It involves holding your hand and fabric in a specific way that allows for feeding the fabric onto the needle quickly and in large amounts. It basically gathers the fabric, which is then smoothed out.
th-cam.com/video/M-5RXN6Tk4M/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Yc59VHQgKrAZLqSH
2:05 to 2:50
Ah that’s fascinating! I’ve always been intrigued by sashiko, but I’ve never tried it out! Thank you!
This is absolutely amazing
This blouse is lovely and the smocking added some beautiful texture. However, when incorporating smocking into a garment that wasn't already designed for it, I don't understand how much extra fabric to allow. Is there a formula or some helpful tips out there? Thank you.
This looks amaazingggg
Thank you!
beautiful!
So cute!! Well done!!
Thank you!!
That came out great!
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing and except the collar, it turned out well. I would have pulled some black scraps to remake the collar but that is me. Hope you're not offended by my comment.
I've long been interesting in smocking and will eventually take plunge and learn it. It looks so cool on baby clothes. I will at least take the plunge and buy a book on it. 😊
Ha, sometimes it’s nice to buy the book and dream of learning something- I’ve got a few aspirational crafts tucked away for “later” myself.
I do think I’m going to remake the collar. There are absolutely no scraps left that are over an inch big, but really the only thing that’s wrong is that I sewed one side of the collar with the wrong sides together instead of the right sides, so I could unpick it and flip the self over, I’d just have to be careful since I trimmed all the seam allowances. It’s probably going to happen, I just have to work myself up for it 😅
Wow!!
Thank you!
You could replace the entire collar with a solid white or black one!
That’s true! Theoretically, since the collar was cut properly I COULD unpick the wrong side, flip it over and re sew it. I’m teetering at a 75% chance of that happening…
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
What are the odds of youtube recomending this to me? Because yesterday this piece of "elastic" had failed on my sandals. It was a piece of pale pink fabric that had "grown" where the threads had all broken on one side. I realize now it was smocking. But with that bit broken the strap that goes behind my foot no longer holds my foot in place and half the time my heel is hanging off the rear of the shoe!! 😮
Do you have to add the embroidery stitch with the fabric tightly pleated?..or can it be a little loose?.
By quilting fabric do you mean calico? There are various degrees of calico quality.
You are absolutely right that not all quilting fabric (by which I just mean the plain woven cotton fabric that’s widely available in most American craft stores and is usually used to make quilts and fat squares and such) is created equal. I think it’s probably intimidating for many people to start a new craft using precious fabric, so I wanted to assure anyone thinking of learning smocking that learning on something less expensive and with greater availability is just fine. Obviously the nicer and finer the fabric used, the finer and better quality the smocking will be.
Nice!. But please, use a thimble. You can sew faster!.
What I don't quite understand: why go through so much trouble for working shirts? Besides the elasticity, are there any other benefits?
wonder the same...for a working shirt what is the purpose of all volume?
A few reasons i can think of, it fits for longer. You could wear and mend the same smock for years, through weight changes and all. There was no elastic commonly used before the 1910s, if I recall well
Also people in the past liked their things beautiful, think of the time spent embroidering bedsheets, coverlet and handkerchiefs... the concept of everything disposable is rather new
There were many good reasons why the old English smocks were stitched with so much care and smocked with so much fulness. They were worn outdoors by shepherds, farmers and other tradesmen in all weather conditions as protection for the wearer.
The old smocks were made from heavy linen which is very strong and hard wearing...often soaked in linseed oil to make them almost waterproof...combined with the extra fulness from the smocked panel (and sometimes a built-in cape)...made the fabric stand away stiffly from the body like a tent so the rain would fall off, keeping the wearer dry. The panels of smocking provided extra warmth plus elasticity. They were also made large enough that layers of warm clothes could be worn beneath. The antique smock shown in this video may have been "Sunday best" so was not oiled.
Once industrialised farm machines were introduced or folk moved into cities to work in factories, the smock was too loose to be worn safely around machines so was discarded. I hope this answers your question. Kind regards and God bless.
@@suenolan3086 huh, that does make way more sense, thank you!
Me gusta mucho el trabajo de smocking, pero el resultado final de la camisa no. El smocking sirve para ajustar la prenda al cuerpo dando flexibilidad al mismo tiempo y dando vuelo cuando termina el bordado. Esa pechera bordada queda como una tabla negra, rígida y cuadrada en mitad del torso. No se ajusta al cuerpo, no se abre suavemente en acordeón, da la sensación de que no han retirado los hilos que fruncen la tela y por eso queda todo pegado como un cartón. Horrible. Una lástima las horas empleadas en este trabajo
Shudder! You DO not use quilting fabrics for smocking nice gowns. You use nice high quality broadcloth like Spechler Vogel, fine french batiste, or liberty lawn prints. (some lawns are too thin.) You are wasting everyone’s time teaching this incorrectly. If you are going to recreate historic clothes you need to use the same fabrics. I ‘ve been smocking since I was a little girl and you do not know how to do it if your doing it on quilting broadcloth. One of reasons we have a hard time finding the right fabrics is that the market in the US is only quilt fabric full of starch. Piping, entredeaux, thats how you attach. Felled seams are from pants, its french seams and rolled french hems.
Hmm, time spent learning, is never wasted. Some of us do not have easy access to broadcloth, or other fabrics. Liberty is quite expensive. No matter if it's not "perfectly standard" , according to others, it looks fine to me. The result was absolutely beautiful.
@@karenharper2266 silk, and linen are expensive too. Recreating historical garments is expensive and sewing normal clothes is also. you are wasting your time if you are smocking on quilting cotton. you are like all those ladies trying to sell their clothing patterns at quilt shows made from garish quilting fabric. it screams homemade. this seamstress appears competent in pattern cutting but she knows zero about a basic square yolk and she admitted it was difficult to constructit isn’t difficult if you
Harshing the mellow with accusations if doing it Rong isn't polite or civil. I hope you are able to realize that people work with what is available. @@ShirleyGanske