How to Put Smocking on Dresses
Smocking, in terms of clothing, refers to a type of stitch that includes an elastic band and ruffling. This creates a flexible bunching of fabric that expands and contracts to the wearer. It is often used on lightweight clothing such as sundresses and formal childrens' dresses. The stitch itself may take some practice to master: You should also have some previous knowledge and experience in using a sewing machine.
Things You'll Need
- Fabric
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Elastic thread
- Extra bobbin
- Fabric pen (water soluble)
- Ruler (transparent, quilter's)
- Water
- Spray bottle
Instructions
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1
Iron a 1-inch crease into the top of the fabric. Lay the fabric upside-down on the ironing board. Fold down the top of the fabric. Iron the fold flat to create the crease, then unfold the fold just leaving the crease. Make the measurements with a transparent quilter's ruler.
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2
Mark the area on the fabric that is to be smocked. Draw vertical lines across the width of the fabric with a water-soluble quilter's pen. The top of the lines should begin 1 inch below the crease, and extend the length of the planned smocking. Each line should be a 1/2-inch from the previous marked line.
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3
Wrap the elastic thread around your extra bobbin. The wrapping should be done loosely. Place the bobbin in the hook and latch lever of your sewing machine, and then into the holder on the sewing machine. The amount of thread needed will depend on the side of the dress that you are making.
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4
Thread the non-elastic thread through your machine as you would normally.
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Sew along each of the marked lines created earlier. The combination of thread and elastic thread will create the bunches-stitching. Finish off sewing both ends of each line with a few backstitches, and cut the thread each time you finish sewing each marked line.
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6
Dampen the smocked area with water in a spray bottle.
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7
Shrink the stitches to create more bunching in the material by pressing an iron on the dampened fabric and stitching.
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References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
