3 Smocking Stitches You Need To Get Started!

The Outline, Stem, and Cable smocking stitches are the building blocks for other English Smocking Stitches. Use this video to learn these 3, then learn how they are used in the Wheat Stitch, Double Cable, Alternating Cable, Cable Flowerette, and Double Flowerette.
Link to Basic Smocking Overview • Learn Smocking! Pleat...
0:00 Intro
0:38 Outline Stitch
2:18 Stem Stitch
4:27 A Clarification about the Stitch Names
4:20 Cable Stitch
6:13 Wheat Stitch
7:14 Double Cable Stitch
8:46 Cable Flowerette
10:25 Double Flowerette
12:26 Historical Inspiration and Color
13:26 Alternating Cable
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[@silviao9723]

me encanta el vídeo, gracias por hacerlo. Una sugerencia: creo que ayudaría mucho que trataras de tapar menos las puntadas al sujetar la tela, por favor. Gracias por los contenidos que estás creando.

[@QueenDeLuxe]

Wow, what a resource. Awesome video.

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Thank you!

[@karramia3795]

Beautiful professional video. I hope you get lots more subscribers soon.

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Thank you so much!

[@sallyannball3553]

Watched video more times than I can count. Well done and appreciate that you speak slowly, focus in on the stitch, do multiples of the stitch and show a completed row. I’ve practiced all of your stitches until I can comfortably keep pace with your explanation… until… the last stitch. 😳. Is there a written/text transcript? I’m totally lost. Thanks SO much

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Oh no! Is it the Alternating Cable Stitch at the very end? I don't have a written transcript yet, but I am happy to write it up here for you. Where are you getting lost/what is confusing you so that I know what to focus on.

[@sallyannball3553]

Pretty much the entire Alternating Cable Stitch is a 😵‍💫 for me but definitely the portion where you “angle the needle to 45 degrees…” lost. (Totally out of your control, when I pause the video to compare your needle position to mine, it would be helpful if KZbin didn’t darken the image). Super appreciative of your feedback, thank you

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

@@sallyannball3553 It is a difficult part to see. So, its like you are completing that last cable but moving from the top of the base row, to the bottom of the base row. So, on the second stitch of your last cable, instead of going straight across to complete it, you go down, moving the needle through the pleat, behind the base row, and come out at the bottom of the base row, but in the same pleat. Ultimately, it's just like you are completing a cable, you are just angling down instead of straight across. I found this diagram to help show it better. www.pinterest.com/pin/122582421084051587/

[@Dollectable_Dreams]

@@sallyannball3553 When you pause the video, just touch the video again (either with your finger on a mobile device or with the mouse on a pc) and the image will go back to being bright.

[@sewwithmsjones1196]

My Mom made a white-on-white smocking design for the yoke and cuffs of my sister's First Communion dress in the 1970s. Unfortunately, because it was the 70s, the dress was a 100% polyester double-knit. Still, she made a beautiful dress!

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

I bet it's beautiful!

[@BreaknRemake]

This is such an amazing resource for hand stitching smocking! Thank you!

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Thank you!

[@yolandapuerta5477]

Que hermosa gracias senorita

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

De nada!

[@brandycolmer7052]

Noodle needle 🪡 🤓

[@nirupamagupta1172]

If i want to keep the pleated width 32 inch how much cloth width should i keep

[@juanitamccaslin2389]

How do you determine how much fabric to use to get the size needed when pleating is done?

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

It really depends on the depth of the pleats as well as the thickness of the fabric. Best is to do a gauge on a 10 inch strip and measure its final measurement to find out how much it took up.

[@LarixLyalliiAlpine]

@@ThimbleAndPlume thank you for this! I didn't ask the question but I've been looking for more info on this and couldn't find much. I'm laughing at myself because as a knitter/crocheter I almost never do gauge swatches but as I've been learning about sewing, I've been ALL ABOUT mockups and swatching.

[@CrimsonGothica]

I have original patterns which I now find very hard to discover elsewhere

[@CrimsonGothica]

Why is no-one using a smocking table?

[@autumnjohnson2739]

Before I make an extremely time consuming mistake, I was wondering if you’ve ever heard of someone using this type of smocking as an under bust waistband? I haven’t seen anyone use it, so I’m thinking it’s probably a terrible idea, but I read that smocking was used like elastic and I think it would be super neat if that worked out

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Ahhh...yes. While ths smocking has a small bit of elasticity, I would not equate it to modern elastic. In my experience, the amount of elasticity you get is very little. I believe the idea that smocking was used like elastic is a fallacy, and that the actual function was to provide control over the fullness of a garment. That way you could have areas that are fitted to the wearer, but fullness allowed in areas as needed. That being said, you can use it under the bust to create a fitted effect, but you would still need a closure to get in and out of it.

[@dianegriffen2756]

Are you thinking of shirring? It's elasticated and has a similar 'effect' to smocking but doesn't have all the embroidery stitches.