[Emily]

Justsewit, I had never even heard of Italian smocking, and now I’m down the rabbit hole! I spend the last hour googling, looking at pictures, and have just ordered some back issues of Sew Beautiful with instructions and patterns. Thanks for mentioning this (new to me) technique – I think it will be GORGEOUS for the yoke of a Playdate dress!!

[Tamara]

Whoops I lost my post! Oh well starting again quick before dinner burns!

Thanks for the congrats! It’s all a bit of fun – not in it for the money or anything lol if $2 each win would be like a lotto win to my kids though he he! And of course to support a show that has been going for nearly 80 years.

Emily, I knew I would get you glued and wanting to know more. I did a class with Sue Barrows (Aussie lady SAGA member)at the last Beating around the Bush in Adelaide and she showed us how to do four different designs of Italian smocking to make a cushion (mine is still not done). She says the trick is to keep turning the piece as you go and you have to be precise with counting the pleats (not the valleys) or els the pattern doesn’t work. The elasticity isn’t as much as normal though so you have to be careful there but at the end of it all you get this really nice panel and it is quite a nice effect on the fabric. The pattern works in odd numbers and generally goes in then out or graduates and declines.

There is a recent issue of Australian Smocking and Embroidery that has that very cushion in it (have to find which one) so you would have four different designs ready to go. For the playdate dress you wouldn’t need a very wide panel though.

I haven’t pleated my School Photo bodice as yet – been too busy doing domestic duties but hopefully I can get to it tonight. I have all these visions of different coloured dresses and designs going through my head – it is sending me crazy! But then what’s unusual about that?

[Mama_Knowles]

Yay!! I finially finished all the sandbox shorts for the boys for school. I am making my first dress for me, I am so exciteed about this! I am hoping to finish it up today.

justsewit, I am wanting to know about the smocking. I am wanting to smock the family reuion dress around the yoke (following the curve), I do have a dress like this but I am new to smocking so I am wondering if I should just stick with smocking it straight until I figure it all out good. Any advice would be great!!

sharon

[Tamara]

Sharon,do you mean doing the actual yoke or like a bishop dress? If it’s the latter then I’m not sure how you could do it but if it’s the former then you need to do either one of two things. Treat the yoke as if it is a bishop neck and “round” it to the neck but you would have to redo the yoke so the lining part is sewn on separately. OR you do one great block of pleated fabric that is blocked smocked and blocked again and then reinforced with interfacing on the back to hold it in place so that you can firstly draw then do a small zigzag THEN cut the pieces. I’d imagine it would be a bit fiddly and possibly daunting for a new smocker so I would suggest just doing a small part of the dress with smocking where the pintucks are. You would have to make a “blocking guide” where you’ve taken the pintuck allowance out in order to get the right measurement of the finished bodice. Then you would have to add at least 3-4 times the amount of fabric for that part to be pleated so that it can be accommodated. Of course unpicking the pleating threads to hold only the part to be smocked and then do your design.

I could see it being done with the yoke smocked and the pintucks taken out and smocking replacing them but I am not really sure about it following the neckline because it would be considered a square rather than a bishop style dress and it would change the line completely because the smocking would be following the neckline. It’s a nice idea though.

I didn’t get my bodice pleated and I have to go buy a zip and topstitching thread and exchange a Father’s day present – the kids got Murray a Wii game and the disk wasn’t in the case so have to go claim the disk. Looks like it will be a no sew day for me. I will just have to pull a late nighter instead.

Tamara

[Tamara]

ANYWAY……

I have a toss up with this smocked bodice School Photo Dress. Denim or silk. Still making up the mind and made sure my pleater would let the denim go through – broke a needle. Oh well!

We are back on track anyhow. Topstitching thread now purchased and that pair of half made Sandbox pants will be finished! Yay!

What are you lovely people sewing???

[Adrienne]

This weekend I finished my first tea party sundress! AND I even posted a picture on Flickr…. Yay! (I’m usually bad about taking pictures of my work!) Next on my list is to make a Halloween inspired tea party dress…..I hadn’t planned on it, but there’s some Halloween inspiration on the Flickr group that I couldn’t resist! So, my first ice cream dress and family reunion dress are going to wait just one more time! Anyone else need more than 24 hours in a day?? *wink, wink*

[Nicole]

Sewing up Class Picnic Blouses.

Just cut out a Family reunion in pink CW Park Ramble for the toddler.

Drafted off Red Riding Hood Cape for Miss L. I will cut that from blue wool with CW Ice Cream Shop blue for the lining.

I am still tossing up between School Photo and Birthday Party dresses for Miss L to wear to the Masquerade Ball. I have some lovely sea green silk waiting for my decision!

[thejennigirl]

The stack of cut out items is growing by leaps and bounds. Today, however, I have to finish some hired alterations before I can play. I’m also washing more fabric for more projects for my pile. 4 of the items are for my bestfriend’s daughter. She traded me 4 O+s outfits for her watching my youngest when DH & I are both at work.

[meleliza]

ooo, blue wool! Can’t wait to see that Nicole! I had been thinking blue cord or, for Christmas, black velveteen. But probably a need a walking child for the cape. Maybe next year for my kittle one. I am workin on an amazing pattern just now and having so much fun with it, but it’s not OandS… However, I did refer to the puppet show tunic instructions for help – does that count? I just love that I kearn so much about sewing and construction from OandS that I can tackle projects that might have otherwise been out of my reach. They should name Liesl some kind of goodwill ambassador for the entirenhme sewing industry.

[Tamara]

Sandbox pants sewn and topstitched within an inch of its life. Cutting out and sewing the School days jacket today and pleating a panel of silk (think I’ll go with that because I know the Italian smocking will work on it). Then I have the shirt and the ensemble is complete.

I’m actually hanging out to do the bag as my sdjuster thingies turned up – antique brass or silver on denim? Decisions decisions. Anyway that will hopefully be worked on over the weekend. We shall see.

Meleliza, of course it counts!

I don’t believe that any technique is necessarily out of reach to a home sewist. I do believe however that instructions are the key to accomplishing the technique. You need to have a good teacher what ever the level you are at and if you don’t have a good teacher,then how can you perfect the task in a satisfactory way? If you use the O+S pattern instructions to perfect a particular technique from another pattern, then it is obvious to me that Liesl is a good teacher because her instructions are so clear. Stating the obvious there aren’t I?

Tamara

[Violaisabelle]

I can tell you what I’m NOT sewing right now! 🙂 http://stitchedbyhislove.blogspot.com/2011/09/fancy-dress-stitching-time.html Fancy dress is all done and worn to the wedding.

All that smocking sounds wonderful!!! I’m looking forward to seeing it when you are done.

I am now going to return to working on an ice cream dress I started a while back. I wanted to show how I do the back, which is a bit different from the instructions. Hopefully I can get that completed in the next few days.

I would like to return to the shirring of the picnic blouse as well. 🙂

I’m looking forward to playing with some Oliver + S patterns. 🙂

Carol

[Mama_Knowles]

While I am waiting on my fall new patterns I have started a Puppet show dress out of shebert pips. I can’tait to finish this one! I am making it from the one I seen on the flicker group, I just fell in love with it and would love to have one for Sweet pea too. I was lucky to have found fabric online for it too. I am also hoping to start her a bento box carrier tonight. I am haveing surgry this coming Monday so I ma trying to finish up a couple of must have projects before then.

Sharon

[Tamara]

I do adore the Sherbet Pips range … I have some waiting in the wings. Hope your surgery is successful Sharon – I’ll be thinking of you Monday.

Well, I have completed the School Days Jacket with a marathon two day sewing spree (meaning everything else has been abandonded). I just have the hems to do but I have to admit it looks so nice in denim and the Children at play lining kept calling to me to make into pj’s (oh I wish that fabric would resign itself to being made into what I want for a change lol). So I will have to hunt some down and make pj’s for the Christmas stocking.

Now, after getting food and putting children to bed, I’m going to interface and pleat that piece of silk and maybe (if I still have enough energy) start smocking.

Tomorrow I plan to start on the shirt to go with the ensemble and then Sunday work on the messenger bag.

I have ten days to get everything complete so my new patterns will arrive just in time to get me started on some new projects – like pj’s for Christmas stockings lol.

Tamara

[Emily]

I also *just* (literally about 5 minutes ago) finished a School Days rain coat for Eleanor. I picked up some Tula Pink laminated cotton (the dark blue raindrops) at the Nancy’s Sewing Basket sale on Wednesday, and I’ve been working on it off and on since then. I’m really pleased with how it turned out, but I must admit that I’m a little worried that it’s too dark for a rainy Seattle winter. Maybe a brighter fabric would have been a better choice? Ah, well, I need to remind myself frequently to not let “perfect” be the enemy of “good” and “finished.” This evening I’m cutting out a pair of After School pants to sew in ticking with green stripes. We leave for vacation next Friday and I want to take the pants with us, so I’m hoping to finish them by tomorrow evening.

[Nicole]

My Nana would say,”Dark colours cover the dirt” and I am sure it is lovely!

I am so envious that you have your new patterns Emily,green ticking sounds gorgeous!

I picked up some very pretty dotty cord fabric from Spotlight yesterday,at their Winter Sale. If my patterns arrive in good time I may make Missy’s L&M Apple Picking dresses. The weather is still cool here.

I finished the Twins Class Picnic blouses and they are pleased!

So much so they have requested a tunic/dress version each by their Birthday next Sunday.