Embroidery Machine Smocking STEP

Embroidery Machine Smocking

Create the look of yesterday with today's technology! Smocking designs are created to sew on pleated fabric. While they certainly sew well of flat fabric, they will look radically different. On pleated fabric, the vertical connector stitches fall between the pleats and disappear. Pre-pleated fabrics are available, but this tutorial will show you how to execute the technique from start to finish, including fabric pleating.

STEP: 1 STEP: 2

Using a rotary cutter, trim off fabric selvages before Thread your pleater with hand-quilting thread in a pleating. color that closely matches your smocking fabric. Thread pairs of needles with one thread to form a loop.

While pleating, stop periodically to slide fabric off Align the fabric edge to a groove on the pleater roller. the needles onto the thread.

STEP: 5 STEP: 6

Pin the pleated fabric to a small board such as Set pins into the board at the opposite end, measuring Quilter’s Cut’n Press board, or a lace shaping board. out the distance you need. Pull the pleating threads The gridded rules will help to keep the fabric straight taut at the base of the pins, and again tie them in and even. Tie off the pleating threads in pairs on one pairs. end, and pin this edge along a rule on the board, right side down.

Distribute pleat fullness by gently lifting the fabric Trim the pleater threads to about one inch. and pulling the pleats.

STEP: 9 STEP: 10

Arrange the pleats. A pick-style comb can be used to When you are satisfied with the pleat arrangement, help evenly space the pleats. leave the fabric pinned to the board and fuse a strip of interfacing to the pleats. Let the stretch run in the direction the pleats would naturally stretch.

Trim away excess interfacing, cutting the interfacing Attach a dissolving sticky stabilizer such as SdSV to to the length and width of the pleated area. The the bottom of your embroidery hoop. If that's not interfacing will hold the pleats in place while the available, a dissolving stabilizer and spray adhesive fabric is placed in the hoop, and it provides a can be used. smoother surface for adherence to the embroidery stabilizer.

STEP: 13 STEP: 14

Sew the first color stop on the stabilizer only. You Remove the hoop from the machine. You now have a may wish to remove the presser foot from your guide outlining where the smocking design will sew. machine while sewing on the sticky stabilizer. Then Using a pleating thread as a guide, roll the fabric into reattach it when finished. position, and press firmly onto the adhesive. You are now ready to embroider the smocking design.

Embroider the smocking design as usual.

Reinsert the hoop in your machine. Check the presser foot. You may need to raise it slightly so that it does not flatten or shift the pleats during sewing. If the foot cannot be raised, a medium weight water soluble topping can be used to prevent the stitches from flattening the pleats.

STEP: 17 STEP: 18

The fusible interfacing can be peeled back to the stitching area and trimmed off to release the pleats beyond the smocked area. Now this smocked fabric can be incorporated as an inset into a garment, home décor item, or an accessory. Beautiful! After embroidering, cut or carefully tear off excess stabilizer. At this point, you can also dissolve your soluble stabilizer, and allow the fabric to dry.