Smocking and Advanced Smocking Machine
Smocking and Advanced Smocking Machine
Smocking and Advanced Smocking Machine
Smocking Machine
Index
1|Page
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
Smocking:
Smocking is a special type of sewing machine, used to gather fabric so that it can stretch.
Before elastic, smocking was commonly used in cuffs, bodices, and necklines in garments
where buttons were undesirable.
Smocking is used to control the fullness of a garment, especially around the sleeve cuffs,
bodice, shoulders, and front and back neckline, leaving the material following these areas free
and loose fitting.
Figure: Smocking
Origin:
Smocking- an embroidery technique that is probably thousands of years old. The name is
coined only during 1700s in England. The technique used at the time was gathering. A full
work shirt was gathered at the bodice and the sleeves. This gathered effect in the garment was
then called a “smock”. Smocking was introduced to workman garments mainly to give fullness
or free movement of their body and arms. Smocked garments were worn by agricultural
labourers, tradesmen, and shepherds in earlier times. In the 19th century, smocks were received
by artists, to cover their clothing, and ladies adapted them in a modified form with fancy
embroidery. Later baby’s clothing, silk undergarments for ladies, and even afternoon dresses
appeared with smocking. Ladies’ magazines had instructions for hand smocking and patterns
for garments. At present smocking has become the fashion statement.
2|Page
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
Smocking requires lightweight fabric with a stable weave that gathers well. Cotton and silk are
typical fibre choices, often in lawn or voile. Historically, smocking was also worked in piqué,
crepe de Chine, and cashmere.
Fabric Used:
Silk, linen, cotton, striped and gingham fabrics are used. Firm fabrics are always preferred and
are easier to embellish.
One needs at least 3 times extra cloth for the width of the final piece. If one wants a final
smocked piece of 10 inches, he needs to take 30 inches of cloth to do the smocking. But then
it also depends on the tightness of the smocking stitches. If he makes very slack stitches the
cloth needed will be less. Add the seam allowance as well.
Use Smocking is used for necklines, Shirring is used for the yoke,
cuffs, and bodices where there was bodice, and sleeves.
no need for buttons.
Function Smocking gives a round tuck pattern Shirring gives both flexibility and
as a decorative element. form-fitting.
Material Smocking and shirring require a fabric that is lightweight to provide a neat
weave and gather of fabric such as silk and cotton.
Size Smocking minimizes the garment Shirring reduces the fabric length to
reduction width by its original size, depending ⅓ of the initial width and the
on the used garment. tightness varies.
3|Page
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
Agenda Smocking Shirring
Impacts Smocking can add in patterns Shirring can add in shape without
variably. any fiddling with alterations to the
pattern.
Elastic Smocking does not involve elastic Machine shirring makes use of
Thread thread elastic thread to inch apart the
bunching.
h.
4|Page
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
e. Maximum elasticity is only 130%~150%
f.
3. PQ Series:
a. Double Chain Stritch
b. Maximum Elasticity is up to 200%
c. Elastic thread is inserted between the double chain stitch.
d. Easier to repair skip stich or thread breakage.
e. No risk of hole marks (Needle Size 14). Can be used for thinner fabric.
f. As elastic thread is not stitched into the machine, chances of coming out
during machine wash.
g.
5|Page
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
Kansai Machine Available Gauge:
Machine Type Gauge Stitch Width
12 Needle 3/16” = 4.8 mm 52 mm
1/4” = 6.4 mm 70 mm
25 Needle ¼ “ 152 mm
33 Needle 3/16” 152 mm
Machine Specifications:
Model Specifications
NB1025-
PSSM-
MD
6|Page
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
Model Specifications
NB1425-
PQSM
7|Page
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
Smocking Types:
Both machine and handmade smocking can be classified into following types:
Smocking
Picture
Mock Smocking Fabric Smocking
Smocking
Reverse
Direct Smocking
Smocking
1) English Smocking
English Smocking is of two types namely:
i. Geometric Smocking
In this type only two stitches are used. They are Cable stitch and Trellis stitch. Simple
borders, lines and thousands of patterns can be created with cable and trellis stitches
8|Page
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
Figure: Geometric Smocking
ii. Picture Smocking
For picture smocking hundred percent cotton fabric is used. Fabric folds are secured
very tightly. On the fabric folds, embroidery is done with stacked cable stitches. The
embroidered pattern should cover the fabric fully and the background fabric is not seen.
Pictures such as flowers, animals, birds and other sceneries’ can be created.
2) American Smocking
American Smocking is otherwise known as Counter change smocking. It has been popularized
by a young woman in Arizona, Anne Hallay. This smocking is done on gingham, striped, or a
gridded fabric. Basically 5/8” stripped fabric is made into squares and a honeycomb or vandyke
stitch is used to bring the sections together. Finished fabric will have the illusion of a solid
fabric.No pleating is used for this type of smocking. This type of smocking is more often used
in teenager’s garments. English Smocking is of three types namely Counter change Smocking,
Mock Smocking and Direct Smocking.
i. Counterchange Smocking
This type of smocking requires a grid. Most often striped and checked fabric is used
9|Page
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
to do this work. No stretch is created in this type of smocking. Three times more
fabric is needed to bring to the required length and width.
10 | P a g e
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
Figure: Direct Smocking
3. Canadian Smocking
Canadian smocking is also called as North American Smocking. In this type textural
effect is created on the front side of the fabric. No pleating is required for Canadian
smocking. A grid is drawn or designed on the back of the fabric. Later it is used to
create the three-dimensional effect on the front side of the fabric. This type of
smocking is not usually pressed or ironed. The texture would be flattened or destroyed
if the smocked fabric is pressed.
11 | P a g e
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
variations where the pattern of stitches is worked on the front-one of these is
called flower smocking. The grid pattern is used to mark designs.
12 | P a g e
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
iii. Reverse Smocking
This type of smocking is reversible. Patterns are seen on both sides. No thread is
visible on the right and wrong sides of the fabric.
Smocking Methods:
Fabric can be gathered into pleats in a variety of ways.
Early smocking, or gauging, was done by hand. Some embroiderers also made their own guides
using cardboard and an embroidery marking pencil. By 1880, iron-on transfer dots were
available and advertised in magazines such as Weldon's. The iron-on transfers places evenly
spaced dots onto the wrong side of the fabric, which were then pleated using a regular running
stitch.
Preparing fabric for smocking:
Preshrunk/ prewash the fabric before smocking. It is true that unwashed fabric looks
best when smocked but shrinking of fabric is a possibility. So, prewashing the fabric
is necessary.
Professionals add light fusible interfacing to hold the pleats, especially for thin fabric.
1. Hand gathering
2. Machine gathering:
Machine gathering is easy. Make basting stitches and gather. But the problem is that
machine gathering does not give even pleats.
13 | P a g e
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
3. Using a pleater
It is very very important that you get an even gathering, which means the pleat on the first row
and the second row should be the same for all gatherings. The pleats should all line up
vertically.
This is the most important thing that qualifies the beauty of smocking.
If you have a pleater all the problem goes away. The pleater does the job beautifully.
Since the early 1950s, pleating machines have been available to home smockers. Using gears
and special pleater needles, the fabric is forced through the gears and onto the threaded needles.
Pleating machines are typically offered in 16-row, 24-row and 32-row widths.
14 | P a g e
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
H. Smocker's knot: (not depicted) a simple knotted stitch used to finish work with a thread
or for decorative purposes.
a. b.
c. d.
Figure: a. Machine Cams, b. Cam Location, c. Standard Design d. Optional Design
15 | P a g e
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University
3. There is a special finger in front of the presser foot which moves due to cam action.
That finger eventually helps forming Smocking design.
4. For more Shirring use Flat presser foot (It has 2 mm and 4 mm height adjustment
guide)
a.
b.
Figure: a. Flat Presser foot (Type B), b. Different Presser Foots
5. Stitch length
6. Tension of thread
7. Puller adjustment
16 | P a g e
Prepared by Salman Enayet Chowdhury, Lecturer, Primeasia University