Learn Smocking! Pleatwork Embroidery for the Historical Costumer Part 1

Smocking, or Pleatwork embroidery was a popular decorative technique for shirts during the 16th Century German Renaissance. They were worn by Landknecht, and Trossfrau, as well as the humble Merchant class and even by Saxon Princesses. Learn about the history and types, and learn a few stitches as well.
Videos Links
Pleating Video • Smocking Pleating Demy...
Starching • Stop! Don't Cut Out Yo...
0:00 Intro
1:20 Supplies
2:24 Definition and History
4:11 Types of Pleatwork Embroidery
5:23 Design Analysis: Pleats
6:05 Design Analysis: Stitches
7:46 Blocking and Setting
10:30 Preparing the thread
12:36 Tips for your Success
14:32 Secure your thread
15:53 How to end a row
Here is our Pinterest Board with some inspiration for you / smocked-shirts
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Join our German Renaissance sew-along group; / about
Check out the patterns we have available on our Etsy Shop. www.etsy.com/s...
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Never Say No www.epidemicso...
The Path to Innovation www.epidemicso...
This was fun www.epidemicso...
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La Danse Timide www.epidemicso...
Meet Me in the Hills www.epidemicso...
Brotherhood of Pranksters www.epidemicso...
Shy Infatuation www.epidemicso...
Tim’s Livelyihood www.epidemicso...
Wake up and Smell the Tea www.epidemicso...
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Photos:
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commons.wikime...
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By Hans Holbein - www.wga.hu/art/..., Public Domain, commons.wikime...
www.arthermita...

[@cvirtue]

Thank you for these videos! I am just getting started with pleatwork, and it's great to have a historical perspective,

[@alkggkla5643]

I learned to do some smocking as a child, I'd love to learn again! Love the white on white work, it drapes nicely and looks so beautiful!

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@KennaDC]

I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A CORRECT SIDE TO PULL THE EMBROIDERY THREAD FROM. What a randomly helpful tip 😂

[@smocking_lady]

I have been doing English Smocking for over 30 years, including making Reproduction Farmers Smocks. Its addictive!! :-)

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

A repro farmers smock is on my to do list!

[@anaramirez9813]

Great video!!! Thanks so much, I joined your channel after watching these so well explained video

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Awesome, thank you!

[@theverbind]

This is such a great video!!! Thanks for sharing your wisdom! ❤

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Glad you liked it!!

[@NimasCreations]

Love this video ,Thank you so much darling

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

You are so welcome

[@neelasstudio854]

I love smoking. Love your work ❤️

[@dustbunnycollector]

I love 💕 all your work thanks so much for creating and sharing beautiful 😍

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Thanks so much 😊

[@HaTran-wn5oo]

Vay la giang vien roi,chi co'the dao tao nhung nguoi chua biet'gi de lam thanh nhung ao'xich'moc'dep,nhung nguoi da biet'lam,thi nhung duong dum'xich'moc'se trong dep va nhuan nhuyen khi duong chi theu len.good.good.

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Thanks

[@asiabryant207]

Thank you so much for this video. I've wanted more resources for smocking.

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

You are so welcome! I am so glad you found it useful!

[@doubleneedlework9750]

What an amazing video, I can’t wait to try this!

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Thanks! When you do, and if you share in FB or IG, make sure to tag us! We love to see all the wonderful creations our friends make!

[@annerosamervin1744]

i am learning with you thanks

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Glad to hear that

[@eleanorbarsic8065]

I like the quiet background music =)

[@annerosamervin1744]

i am new to smokin. thanks for your hel

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Glad to help

[@sallyannball3553]

Thank you!! I’ve been doing hand decorative stitching for more than 50yrs. Recently, I’ve been on a quest to learn hand smocking that would be used on infant and children’s garments. I first tried hand smocking as a high school student. I was SO bored with pressing on the blue dots and hand pleating, I put it down and returned to counted X stitch. I have been SHOCKED at how difficult it’s been to find anyone who still hand smocks. I’ve exhausted every Avenue I can think of (LNS, my needlepoint friends, FB embroidery/Xstitch and needlepoint groups, local chapter of EG of America). Thank you, thank you. I’m ready to starch a piece of cotton, grab some threads from my needlepoint stash and give it a whirl. Also wondering… may give my Cricut a try with cutting a template for the “blue dot” transfers. What is the diameter of the dots used for pleating? “Pencil point”?… so excited to find your tutorials, I swear the birds outside have literally started chirping in shared excitement

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

That's fantastic! The smocking dots are just a small dot, maybe the size of the point of a thin sharpie. I believe the dots are spaced 3/8 inch apart along the rows. I need to double check how far the rows are spaced from each other. I will try to remember to do that tonight.

[@GreenFlowers]

Thanks 🙏💐

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Welcome!

[@heatherast1094]

This video has great timing, I just started my first smocking project! Very helpful information. A question if you don't mind: I am doing 5 inches of smocking around the neckline of an Edwardian era shirt. I blocked the pleated fabric to the template in the pattern, very roughly an oval shape. As I work from the collar down, do I loosen my smocking stitches? The pleats will need to be further apart to sit on the body nicely. Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated!

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Yay for good timing. So, it is mainly the pleats that will be looser from each other. But on the stitches, you want to keep them fairly consistent. You will find that the wave family of stitches are very elastic, so it's mainly the part of the stitch that is floating between the pleats that is "looser" because it is following the placement of the . But when you are doing your cable stitches at the top and bottom of your wave, those need to stay consistent and you want to pull those pleats closer to each other with the stitch. You will probably want to choose less elastic stitches for the top of the collar, and leave the more elastic ones for the bottom. So put the cables, stems, outline, and chain stitches at the top, and wave and honeycombs at the bottom. Does that makes sense? It's kinda hard to explain!

[@everb6205]

To clarify, are the stitches that you teach in this video modern “English Smocking Stitches”? Just curious, because I’d like to make a 16th century German shirt that is as accurate a reproduction as possible. Do you have any primary sources that show that these stitches would be used in the period, or am I better off doing pattern darning or something else entirely?

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

We have evidence on extant garments specific to germany with pattern darning, and honeycomb. Honeycomb is a considered in the family of english smocking. The best examples of what could possibly be english smocking are the few shirts that I featured photos of (also available on the pinterest linked in the description and easier to see.) They do look like they could possibly be the babywave stitch that I showed. Babywave creates a similar appearance and it is formed very similar to the honeycomb stitch. There is also evidence that stemstitch was used to control pleating of shirts that had been attached to a collar. There is also a surviving fragment that uses chainstitch. So, I can't say with 100% that english style smocking would have been used in Germany on shirts. But, It is possible. So if you want to be 100% sure, I would recommend pattern darning, or trim. Italian shirring is also a possiblity for Germany, but I am still doing research and experimentation on that. I hope this all makes sense!

[@everb6205]

@@ThimbleAndPlume Thank you for taking so much time to write a thorough reply! I really appreciate your expertise. I’ll likely stick with pattern darning or honeycomb for now

[@skirtedgalleons]

Great starter video! Thanks. I see some smocking books in the background, would you recommend any of them?

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Yes, definitely! For general information and great color layouts of how to do the stitches, then I go to the A-Z of Smocking. If I am looking for some deeper, more vintage info, history, stitches not covered in A-Z, and inspiration, both The Book of Smocking by Diana Keay and Smocks and Smocking by Beverly Marshall.

[@skirtedgalleons]

@@ThimbleAndPlume Thanks!

[@fatimatonetto5513]

Eu estou tentando aprender com você Amo seus trabalhos Gostaria de saber como usar a quantidade de tecido para o trabalho Thank you linda 🙏🙏🙏

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Usually most smocking will need 2-3 times the amount of fabric for the pleating. I suggest making a pleating gauge by making a sample of the smocking you plan to do on a 10 strip of fabric. Cut a 10 inch strip, pleat it up, then do the smocking on it. Then pull out the gathering threads and measure the final piece. That will tell you the proportion to used for your final piece.

[@fatimatonetto5513]

@@ThimbleAndPlume muito obrigado pela atenção Você e maravilhosa E ensina muito bem Deus abençoe você e sua família 🙏🙏🙏🙏🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷💖💖🌹

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Obrigado e que Deus abençoe você e sua família

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

What's your favorite style of Smocking/ Pleatwork?

[@Shazi6]

Ggg ager kerna ho to app de sakti ha

[@Shazi6]

Work kerna ha hum app ko kerwa ke diya kery gu app ny kerwana ha

[@LauraLamn]

Love this video! What is the ruler/grid you are using at 13.25? Thanks ☺️

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Thank you! That is a transparent gridded ruler. You can usually find them in red, blue and black. They sell them at fabric. and craft stores, but I have seen them cheaper at art stores. I did find this black one on Amazon, but I can't seem to find a blue one. www.amazon.com/Westcott-Beveled-Graph-Transparent-B-85B/dp/B009AV6UPE/ref=pb_allspark_dp_session_sims_pao_desktop_1/142-7895917-9351251?pd_rd_w=dqWdq&pf_rd_p=3ac2ce50-9d75-4bd3-868d-72b252a0623c&pf_rd_r=HNYQFZDZ1EKDS4JFRK0T&pd_rd_r=7a8e5cb3-4e45-4ccd-bcb0-c95c9ecb270b&pd_rd_wg=6lUKB&pd_rd_i=B009AV6UPE&psc=1

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

Oh...just found a blue one. It specifically for sewing and it is by Dritz, so it is a bit more expensive. www.amazon.com/Dritz-See-Through-Ruler-Sewing/dp/B000YQMCJM/ref=psdc_2933775011_t1_B009AV6UPE

[@LauraLamn]

@@ThimbleAndPlume thanks so much ☺️☺️☺️

[@littledressmaker7992]

How much fabric I need for smocking? If you smocking a front of the blouse does I need ×2 of fabric for front.

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

It depends on the type of smocking you will be using. Typically English smocking takes is said to need 3 times the fabric. But, I have found that you can do it with less. Picture smocking, Pattern Darning, and Shirring all take a lot more. The best way to know for sure is to do a test gauge. I show how to that in this video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYCbiGumnNZ9f5o at the 2:33 mark

[@Shazi6]

Ager ye work kerna ho to ye kerwana ho