The Sewing Place

Pattern for a smocked baby dress or romper suit

Bodgeitandscarper

Pattern for a smocked baby dress or romper suit
« on: November 30, 2018, 09:54:10 AM »
Can anyone help with a search for a pattern please? 
When my daughter was little (she's now 35, so a little while ago!), I made a few smocked dresses for her.  I remember the pattern had a transfer sheet of lots of dots, which I then followed to do a hand sewn smocking design.
Are there still patterns like this available?  A quick look didn't bring any up.

Acorn

Re: Pattern for a smocked baby dress or romper suit
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2018, 10:21:02 AM »
House of Smocking is pretty good.  Lovely people, too.

I found that the silver dots wouldn't transfer onto cotton lawn though, so go for blue or yellow dots if your fabric is fine.  I ended up having to fill in 90% of them with a water soluble pen and a ruler... that was a fun afternoon. 
I might look as though I'm talking to you, but inside my head I'm sewing.

Sandra

Re: Pattern for a smocked baby dress or romper suit
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2018, 17:56:16 PM »
I've seen vintage sewing patterns for dresses with smocking. (Ebay and Etsy)

You could check those out.  -<  Not all are pre-used and knackered. Some are completely unused and still in their factory folds...smocking dots transfer sheets included, although I've no idea if they'd still be usable after all the passing years.

Sandra.
xxx

mammafairy

Re: Pattern for a smocked baby dress or romper suit
« Reply #3 on: December 16, 2018, 12:45:27 PM »
I used a 'smocking machine' once. It belonged to a college. The problem was that it twisted, so the lines did not come out straight, and also, you could only do a panel, as the bottom of the fabric did not go through , so you were limited with what you could do.

I preferred putting the gathers for smocking by hand, and made a number of baby dresses with smocking for my girls, when they were small. I think I had Simplicity patterns, which came with the transfer. After it stopped working I penciled in the dots with a ruler. That is time consuming, but it does work.

PS You are evil, I just got lost in smocking for a bit...
« Last Edit: December 16, 2018, 12:53:16 PM by mammafairy »