Description
Lark Books 1st 1997
4to, v v min wr to base of bds o/w VG++/VG++ 595 gms
(Order reference 13775).
The art of smocking ~ decorative stitching worked over tightly pleated fabric ~ has been popular for centuries. Originally it served a practical purpose. At a time when clothing was constructed mainly of rectangular pieces of fabric, smocking was used to shape a garment to the body’s contours and to gather in fabric fullness at the wrists and neckline. In the past several decades smocking has come to be associated with children’s clothing, intricately embellished garments for special occasions.
Today’s stitchers are exploring the tremendous potential that smocking has to offer. Decorative threads add new dimension to the traditional stitches. Innovative combinations of smocking with other stitching techniques create stunning effects. The smocking pleater, introduced as a time~saving device, is used increasingly as a fabric manipulation tool, creating rich textural effects to enhance the stitching. And with the recent interest in a more personalized style of dress, smocked accents are agin making an appearance on women’s clothing.
Creative Smocking is meant to inspire those who already enjoy smocking and those who would like to learn. Adventurous stitchers will find dozens of new ways to incorporate smocking stitches and pleats into designs for clothing and household items, accessories and art pieces. There are ideas, too, for combining smocking with beading, with embroidery, or with quilting to produce the most spectacular results. A special chapter on clothing tells how to select and alter garment patterns to add smocked designs in unique and flattering ways.
Never tried smocking? The traditional stitches are few, and they are quick and easy to learn with clear step~by~step drawings as a guide. There are plenty of hints, too, for selecting and pleating the fabric, choosing threads and adding accents, and for finishing a smocked piece.
Sumptuous colour photographs illustrate the work of both traditional and experimental smockers. Their work exhibits their love of the craft and their fascination with exploring new dimensions of this time~honoured technique.