I am taking a step back from the handmade Christmas hype this year, so I thought now is the perfect time to reflect on what has been a huge journey for me. Full of highs and lows but ultimately, I have never felt more rewarded. I have spent today reflecting on my journey and thinking about how I accumulated a wealth of knowledge, that allows me to sew such beautiful clothing, and more importantly, how to smock!
Smocking has been around since the middle ages. What we know from the past, to what it has become in our modern times, you will certainly notice few differences. Smocking was originally designed so that garments could expand and move with the body, mainly for workers, but fast became status pieces for the rich over the years that followed.
A mix of pretty floral prints and decorative stitches, OH MY!
Let me take you back to 2018 when Princess Charlotte was a toddler. I don’t think you’ll be surprised to learn that when the Duchess started to dress her little girl in those sweet floral smocks, it sparked my interest.
At the time I was teaching myself to sew my first garments, but like most things, I like to dive in at the deep end, and challenge myself.
My curiosity for the decorative stitches on those sweet little dresses of Princess Charlottes, forever grew and the desire to learn how they were created, along with the fabric choices that adorned them got me swooning!
I started to research those very garments and wanted to know… “How to create those full pleats that would sit from shoulder to waist?”, “How did they stay there without creasing?”, “What are those stitches called?” and “How do I learn the technique that decorated the pleats and where can I find those prints!?”.
I had so many questions running through my mind, that my fingers were going ten to the dozen. Imagine seeing your favourite celeb showing off a new pair of shoes that you have fallen in love with, and your straight onto the web, finding all the info you can… well that was me.
I managed to find very little details about how those stunning dresses were created. I soon realised that the specific patterns and techniques used seemed to be a closely guarded secret.
There is a wealth of knowledge on the web, but with much frustration in finding patterns and unclear instructions, I started to buy old books and magazines that had many useful techniques in them. This thirst for knowledge has help me learn the history and techniques, of my craft, yet even now, I am very much researching and learning every day.
Ultimately, if I wanted to create a specific look, drastic pattern adaption and creative licence was my only option! as I learnt later on…
I set to work learning the basics. Initially using iron on dots on the back of scrap fabric, and by hand using a running stitch to help draw up the pleats (yes this was very time consuming), but that didn’t discourage me, the end result brought me absolute joy, so my determination grew.
I started to get very excited about how my sample pieces were looking but hadn’t appreciated how much time a garment would take to make. I got frustrated and decided to take the plunge and acquired a pleater. This way I could spend more time embroidering the fabric.
Within a few days I was unwrapping my first pleater. I still remember that day vividly. I couldn’t unwrap it quick enough or wait to load the needles and watch the rollers meet with precision for the first time. Perfectly pleated fabric was coming out the other side, wow! I’m going to mention now that although the pleater neatly made the pleats for me, I underestimated just how much skill was needed to block my work and get it sitting correctly.
With much putting off and worrying that I was going to fail, I didn’t want to be defeated by a lack of knowledge or skill. Creating a Princess Charlotte dress couldn’t be half done, so to give me motivation I decided to ask on my Instagram stories if there would be anyone willing to test a dress. This quickly became my motivation to learn the unanswered questions about how to sew certain techniques.
After much anticipation, my first fully pleated dress was complete and going in the post. Was I happy with it? I can categorically say that with my critical eye, no, I wasn’t 100% happy. Did it help me learn, yes of course, and I’m forever grateful for Rebecca from @sass&me for volunteering. From there on out, I carried on my journey and gradually built upon my skills and collection of patterns.
Today my knowledge for the antique craft is still very much building, but my love for the end result is hard to put into words. In short, it’s utter joy, and although manufactured smocks have their place, there is nothing like a hand smocked garment from Sew Heritage. Each piece has a faithful journey through traditional methods, that stays true to the history and craft of smocking. I am now confident that every item is of a standard that I can proudly call, a Heritage Smock.
Natasha Bright
Sew Heritage
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