SMOCKING - How to Smock a Garment on a Sewing Machine

Smocking has recently re-emerged as a popular design feature on blouses and dresses. Smocking is a quick technique to master and adds a great personal touch to clothing.

Before we explain the best way to get smocking, it's worth explaining what smocking is and how it started.

Smocked top

What is smocking?

Smocking is a simple technique which is used to add stretch and elasticity to woven fabric. It changes the shape/silhouette of a garment. Smocking can be achieved using a sewing machine or hand sewing. It's used on children's dresses to add stretch, making it easier to put on and take off a garment and helps to provide extra room for growth spurts. Smocking eliminates the need to add fiddly fastenings such as zips, buttons, hook and eye tape or eyelets.

History of smocking

Smocking originated in the 15th Century. Before the invention of rubber, smocking was a popular technique used around the necklines and cuffs of bodices and blouses. Traditionally, a pleating machine was used to gather and scrunch fabric, followed by handsewn decorative stitches. The most popular stitches used to hand sew smocking are the cable stitch and the cross stitch. They resemble chains and diamonds, adding an elegant touch to clothing. During the Elizabethan era, smocking became incredibly detailed and intricate - tiny roses were popular.

Preparing your fabric and threads

Here's what you'll need:

• Fabric - preferably cotton/linen

• Elastic thread

• Normal sewing thread (cotton or nylon)

• Fabric chalk

• A ruler

• Fabric scissors

• An empty bobbin

Equipment

Types of smocking fabric

With smocking, it's important to use fabric that can be easily manipulated and maintains its shape. Cottons and linens work best. Stiff and lightweight is a good combination.

The fabrics can be plain or printed. That being said, do remember that as the fabric gathers, a print may well get distorted.

Use an elastic thread for the bobbin (bottom thread) and a normal thread for the spook (top thread). Wrap the elastic thread loosely around the bobbin case until it's full. Then thread your machine as usual. Make sure the tension is between 3-4.

Winding elastic onto bobbin

Smocking top tip: Practise sewing a line of stitching on a scrap piece of fabric beforehand to ensure your tension is correct.

Shirring your fabric

1. Using the fabric chalk and a ruler, draw a straight line across your fabric, 1cm from the top edge.

2. Sew along the marked-out line. Make sure you knot the threads at the start and the end of the row of stitching.

Smocking top tip: Stretch the fabric flat while sewing. This will make it much easier to sew a straight line.

3. Repeat 5-7 times, with a 1cm gap in-between each seam. The more rows of stitching you sew, the more your fabric will contract.

Smocking top tip: After sewing each line, check the bobbin case to see if your elastic is running out. Each seam cannot be interrupted to re-thread the bobbin! It must be one continuous line, otherwise the fabric will not gather, and the thread will unravel.

Adding decoration

Once you have finished shirring your fabric, you now have smocked fabric! You can hand sew or use a sewing machine to embellish on top of this stitching. There are plenty of decorative stitches to choose from on most sewing machines. If you choose to add decoration, make sure these stitches are in-between your rows of stitching, so it doesn't interrupt the shirring.

So, that's our easy guide to smocking. If you've caught the sewing bug and fancy learning more skills, take a look at our adult and 6-17 year old sewing classes.