How to Smocking Tutorial

Smocking is done by using small stitches to gather fabric in a pattern. You can use it to create little rows of pretty pleats with colorful stitching, the perfect detail for a child's dress or the bodice of a blouse. See Step 1 to learn a basic smocking technique called the honeycomb that will allow you to add the perfect touch to the garment you're making.

Setting Up

1. Choose fabric and thread. Smocking can be done using any type of fabric, but it works best if you use thin fabric that doesn't have a lot of stretch.

2. Draw a dotted grid on the fabric. Use a fabric pen or a pencil to draw a grid of evenly-spaced dots covering the area that you want to smock. The grid may be square or rectangular.

3. Thread your needle. The first step will be to use a needle and thread to gather the fabric and hold it in place.

Making the Gathers

1. Make a small stitch under the first dot. Pass the needle through the fabric from one side of the first dot, under the dot to the other side. Pull the thread so that the knot rests alongside the dot.

2. Continue taking stitches under each dot in the row. Pass the needle through the fabric from one side of the second dot, under the dot to the other side.

3. Finish stitching the remaining rows of dots. Thread your needle again and do the next row in the same way.

Stitching the Gathers

1. Thread your needle with embroidery floss. It's time to use that colorful embroidery thread you picked out to create a smocked pattern. Tie off the end of the thread.

2. Bring your needle up through the first dot. Pull the thread through so that it comes out directly through the dot in the first gather.

3. Stitch the first gather to the second gather. Move your needle to the second gather. Insert the needle on the right side of the dot and pass it under the dot so that the needle comes out on the left side.

4. Bring your needle up through the second dot in the second row. Skip the first dot in the second row and bring your needle up through the second gather, right where the dot is marked.

5. Stitch the second gather to the third gather. Move your needle to the third gather. Insert it on the right side of the dot and pass it underneath so that the needle comes through on the left side.

6. Follow the honeycomb pattern to finish stitching the first two rows. Bring the needle up through the next empty dot in the top row. Using the same stitching method, stitch it to the adjacent gather, making a little ""x"" with your stitches and finishing with the needle under the fabric.

8. Cut and remove the gathering thread. The thread you initially used to pull the gathers is no longer necessary."