DIY: Smocked Pillow
Smocking is also known as shirring, a sewing technique that uses sewn pleats and gathers. If the stitches are sewn with an elastic thread, the resulting piece of sewing will be stretchy. If you use standard thread or embroidery floss, it becomes more of a decorative stitch. Both types of smocking are attractive and useful depending on the garment or accessory you are making. Choose a lighter weight fabric for your pillow, such as cottons, silks or linens. Because of the pleating of the material, heavier fabrics are not recommended. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Pillow form
- Measuring tape
- Fabric pen
- Fabric
- Needle
- Contrasting thread or embroidery floss
Instructions
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1
Measure your pillow form. Add 1 inch to this dimension. You need one square of fabric this size for the back of the pillow. So if you have a 9-inch-square pillow, you need a 10-inch square of fabric for the back.
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2
Cut the fabric with sharp scissors. Cut one piece to the dimension found in the first step. Cut a second piece at the same width, but at least three times the length. If your first square measured 10 inches, this second piece is 10 inches by 30 inches. The larger piece is the one that will be smocked.
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3
Place a series of dots in rows and columns on your fabric with the fabric pen. The dots are your stitching guide and the distance between the dots is up to you and the overall look you want to create. Smaller pillows look good with a smaller pleat, with the dots at least 1/4-inch apart. Larger pillows can handle a larger pleat. For the beginning smocker, gingham works very well since the check lines are a uniform distance apart.
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4
Thread the needle and tie a knot in the free end of the thread. Not only does contrasting thread add a design element, it is easier to see while you are stitching.
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Bring the needle up from the wrong side of the fabric at a dot in the upper right hand corner of your fabric. Pull it through until the knot rests against the material. Make a small stitch under the next dot to the left. Pull the thread through and gather the fabric from the second stitch to the first stitch. Keep doing this with the subsequent dots to the left, gathering the material as you go. When you reach the end of the first row, bring the needle through the material to the back side and tie off with a knot.
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6
Re-thread your needle if you do not have enough thread to complete the second row. Sew the second and subsequent rows in the same way that you sewed the first. Do this until all the material has been stitched.
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Place the right side of the smocked fabric on the right side of the other square of fabric. Sew a seam around three sides with a basic running stitch using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Turn the pillow cover right side out and slide in the pillow form. Stitch the open side closed with a tiny running stitch or small whip stitch.
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Tips & Warnings
Trim excess fabric from corners and the seam allowance to reduce bulk in the pillow, if desired.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
