How to Smock on Gingham

The color blocks of gingham create a smocking grid.

The printed pattern of squares on cotton gingham fabric creates a perfect grid for smocking. The smocking, which is a series of stitches that create a puckered pattern, is commonly used for sundresses. By adding spaghetti strips and a seam to an appropriately sized piece of smocked gingham, only top and bottom hems are needed to stitch up a hand-smocked sundress. Smocking is also used to decorate pillows and gather the tops of curtains in a country-themed décor.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2-yard cotton gingham fabric
• Water-soluble fine-tipped fabric pen
• Sewing needle size 9
• Scissors
• White cotton thread

Instructions

1. Mark the top row of gingham to be smocked with odd numbers in the top right corners of every other gingham square across the row, using the fabric pen. Mark the same squares with even numbers in the bottom left corners.

2. Thread the needle with 24 inches of cotton thread and knot one end. Insert the needle in the back of the fabric at the number one mark and pull the needle through to the front of the fabric. Insert the needle at the number two mark and pull it to the fabric back.

3. Pull the thread tight to gather the fabric. Make another tiny stitch to secure the gather at number two mark on the back of the fabric. Continue stitching through the odd numbers to the next even numbers, securing each stitch with a tiny second stitch, to create a row of gathered stitches

4. Mark the next row of squares under the first in the same manner with the fabric pen to create stitches moving in an opposite slant in the squares directly under the unstitched squares.

5. Repeat all steps to create a third and fourth row of gingham square smocking.

References

• "Sew Creative Gifts Under $10"; Vicki Blizzard; 2002
• "The Sew-it Yourself Decorating Book"; Yvonne Deutch; 1977