Eclectvity

Jenna’s dress is almost smocked.  I have everything except for the actual bow and flowers smocked.  I’ll try to finish that tonight.  However, I thought I’d show an example of backsmocking and show how beautiful this is turning out!

And the back smocking…

The reason I smock on the back side of the fabric is because of this design.  Look at the design plate again.

If you look carefully around the bow, you can see the pleater threads.  Those threads aren’t staying.  When I’m done smocking, I’ll pull those threads out.  So, you need a pleat on almost every row and on every pleat or when you pull out the pleater threads, it’ll “cauliflower”.  What this basically does is create a puffed mess that hides all the work you did on that bow!  To have a lovely looking bow on a flat (but pleated) surface, you have to smock behind it so that each pleat is held in place by something permanent.

 So… think of me today as I make that bow…

Act One- Cut out the skirt.

Act Two- Serge the skirt pieces together.

Act Three- Stitch the gathering threads.

With the blessing of my new machine also came the ability to continue working on Andra’s dress!    So, one of the first things I did was to put the gathering threads in Andra’s skirt ruffles.  There are miles and miles of ruffles but it’s going to be gorgeous when I get them done.

Did you know that ruffles require upper body strength and that you will get a work out (that some of us need but shouldn’t have) just by pulling the little suckers.  I pull a section and then put it away… for several hours.  I expect to be able to move onto Act Four sometime this week.  Lord willing.