What Are You Stitching?

Perhaps it was because of our recent article on smocking in All Stitched Up! issue #312 or maybe it’s just because smocking is always a favourite among many, either way we’ve got some gorgeous smocked projects to share with you this week.

‘I had purchased a digital pattern from Australian Smocking & Embroidery (AS&E) issue #68 called Carousel, to make a dress for my granddaughter. It required the larger gingham check. I could only find the small check, so I refigured the number of blocks that the counterchange smocking needed for the pattern.’

‘I even made her doll a matching outfit with a bonnet and bloomers.’

What a beautiful dress and including a special outfit for your granddaughter’s doll was a delightful touch, Cynthia. We’re sure she’ll be a very happy girl!

‘My most recent projects were these smocked dresses for my granddaughters, in fabric chosen by their Mum. I wanted to share them as I found the newsletter topic on matching embroidery threads from All Stitched Up! issue #314 was exactly what I found myself doing!’

‘The bigger dress shown above is from AS&E issue #90 designed by Susan O’Connor called Wild at Heart. I thoroughly enjoyed every stitch and am so thrilled that the time I took auditioning embroidery threads paid off.’

Indeed it did, Eugenia. The colours are perfect and your smocking is just lovely. Your granddaughters are very lucky to have such a talented grandmother as you.

‘Here is White Sands, which is a bishop style smocked dress designed by Jill Hoffman. I found the pattern in the Australian Smocking & Embroidery issue #66. It is a Zen exercise to hold a needle and thread and watch a project come to life.’

This is a very popular pattern, Trang. The colours on the crisp white of the dress are so striking. We’re glad you enjoyed stitching it.

Do you love smocking? Do you constantly buy fabric, planning the next smocked dress even though you don’t have anyone particular in mind to make it for? Do you spend hours looking through the Index of the Australian Smocking & Embroidery magazine, trying to decide which project to make next? 

Whether your love is smocking, embroidery or any other form of needlework, we’d love to see it. Send us a picture of your work with some information about the project and your stitching journey to news@inspirationsstudios.com