My Plaid Smock Along Progress

Did you sign up for the SAGA Members Only Plaid Smock Along? I know I did as this is a great opportunity to learn a smocking variation and gain Artisan points from the comfort of home!

The three of the four lessons have been emailed to me (but can also be found on the SAGA website, www.smocking.org if you are signed in as a member) and I have printed them off and been working one them.

So far I have completed lessons one and two and am working on lesson three.

I started lesson one and thought how easy could this be? It is just trellis and the odd cable. I followed the directions/graph and ended up being off on nearly every colour pass! So I took all of my work out and started again, this time doing what the hints actually said to do, carefully checked my work and placement as I went along. Success! Lesson one complete and looking good.

                                                 


Lesson two was the same idea- trellis and the odd cable, but armed with the knowledge that I need to check my placement and often, I completed the lesson without having to un-do any of it. Loved this look!

Lesson three is taking shape and will be completed shortly.

Looking forward to lesson four!

Thank you to Evelyn Phillip who gave the rights to the lessons to SAGA and to Kate Westlake for her edits and leading the Smock Along.

I hope to see lots of your plaid smocking on the SAGA Smock Along Facebook page.

Some Go-To Videos

If you are just beginning smocking and would like to learn some basic smocking techniques then the Smocking Arts Guild of America YouTube videos are a great way to learn.

The videos feature teachers Judith Adams and Vaune Pierce who take you through the  process of pleating your fabric and two basic smocking stitches, cable and trellis.

Watching the videos is like taking a mini class with these teachers and all in the comfort of your own home!

Even if you know how to smock,  you will pick up some great tips from watching these videos!

Judith Adams Pleating Your Fabric

Vaune Pierce Cable Stitch

Vaune Pierce Trellis Stitch

These videos would be good to watch as there is a new  SAGA Smock Along coming soon to celebrate 35 years of the Artisan Program and it might be good to brush up on the basics and be ready to Smock Along!

Teaching Smocking

As well as SAGA I belong to a couple of other needlework organzations; one a large national group that many other smockers belong to Embroiderers Guild of America (EGA) and the other, Friends of Counted Embroidery (FCE) a local group. At a recent FCE meeting I taught smocking. The programme was a smocked wing angel ornament which I was to have taught at the December meeting, but due to bad weather was posponed.

 

I am not a great teacher, but I am organized and I prepared the kits well in advance. I knew the number of kits required as the ladies sign up ahead of time. I gave them everything they needed to complete the project as I like to think they are going to finish it! I spoke about smocking, demonstrated the stitches (cable and trellis) they were going to use and walked around giving individual help. I also took my Read pleater, threaded it and showed the ladies how it worked. They were fancinated! I took a couple of smocking books, A-Z of Smocking and The Best of AS&E to show them different stitches and designs. I also pointed out that smocking isn't just for children's clothing.

Are they going to get hooked on smocking, some of them might. A couple of the members have smocked in the past so I am hoping to have rekindled their spark, but at least I have reached out and shared something I love and introduced them to something new.

Who are you going to teach to smock in 2015?

Mystery Smock Along

SAGA President, Lisa Hawkes gives more help and directions for the Mystery Smock Along!

 

I have received many emails asking for pictures so I will be posting a picture for each week even if we don’t need step by step photos of the stitches. So here we go with clue 4!

We are going to stitch a Trellis/Wave Combination this week. Beginning on Row 3, Pleat 2, that is not a mistake – begin on Pleat 2!

 

 

Stitch a down cable (see you just formed a flowerette from the stitches from clue 3), travel up to Row 2 2/3, travel up to 2 1/3, travel up to Row 2, up cable, down to 2 1/3, down cable, up to 2, up cable, down to 2 1/3, down cable, up to Row 2, up cable, down to 2 1/3, down to 2 2/3, down to Row 3 – 16 stitches. Your next stitch begins the sequence again and will complete the flowerette. Stitch the sequence across the Row, but do not tie off your thread. Leave the floss at the end. After seaming your ornament, you can thread up your needle and stitch across the seam to complete the sequence by stitching the final stitch on Pleat 1.

 

Stitch a mirror image beginning on Row 9 with pleat 2, stitch an up cable, travel down to row 9 1/3, travel down to 9 2/3, travel down to row 10, down cable, up to 9 2/3, up cable, down to 10, down cable, up to 9 2/3, up cable, down to 10, down cable, up to 9 2/3, up to 9 1/3, up to 9. Continue across the row. Again do not tie off, but save some thread to stitch pleat 1 after the seam is sewed.

 

Beads: If you beaded every other Triple Crown in clue 3, bead the first stitch on rows 3 and 9 of the sequence so the entire flowerette is beaded. If you beaded the horizontal stitches on Rows 3 ½ and 8 ½ in Clue 3, bead the horizontal stitches on rows 2 and 10.

Bonus optional clue coming later this week!

Mystery Smock Along Clue 3

Clue 3: We are going to stitch a Cable Trellis combination this week. Beginning on Row 3, pleat one, just under the pleating thread, stitch a Triple Crown: up cable, down cable, up cable.

 

Travel down to Row 3 ¼.

 

Travel down to Row 3 ½

 

Stitch a Down cable at Row 3 ½.

 

Travel up to Row 3 ¼.

 

Travel up to Row 3 and repeat the sequence from the beginning.

 

Stitch a mirror image beginning on Row 9, pleat one, just above the pleating thread, stitch a down cable, up cable, down cable, travel a ¼ step up to Row 8 ¾, travel ¼ step up to Row 8 ½, stitch an up cable on Row 8 ½, travel down to Row 8 ¾, travel down to Row 9 and repeat the sequence.

Bead options: You have two options for beads on this clue. First you can place a bead on each of the horizontal stitches on Row 3 ½ and Row 8 ½. Alternatively, you can place three beads on the first Triple Crown on Row 3, skip the next Triple Crown (remember I said this is a 16 stitch repeat) and continuing across the row, beading every other Triple Crown.