A Smocker I am Not

After seeing beautiful hand smocking recently, I decided to give it a try.  I bought the needed supplies, a book for beginners, and set to work.

 

That’s when I was reminded of a few things about myself:  1) I’m impatient, and 2) I like to do my own thing.  Following a smocking pattern conflicted with both of those.

This is as far as I got before I got bored.  About 3 inches:

 

That was just way too planned and perfect for my liking.  I wondered if it was possible to purposely create waves and undulations in the pleats, rather than having them be perfectly parallel.  So, I did some free form stitching as I experimented with this  idea.  I liked this much better, but again, I found the process too slow.  So, I only did a little:

For now, my little pleating sample is packed away.  But, one day, it will probably be just what I need for a project.

What techniques have you tried but abandoned?

Ellen Lindner

3 Comments

  1. Kathy E says:

    Ellen, you are something else….always trying something new. The number of things I’ve begun and put away would fill the page. I think I see some sort of art quilt springing from YOUR started piece. I love the texture of smocking but it is something I have never done nor plan to do. Keep ’em coming.

  2. ellen says:

    Yes, Kathy, I definitely try a lot of new things. (And I have no hesitation about abandoning them, either.) I do love the little pleats of smocking, so I imagine I’ll use them in something one day.

  3. Nanette Fleischman says:

    I used to feel guilty, when I abandoned a project. Not anymore, age does this to you. Dying fabric, painting fabric, knitting, just a few of the things I have let go. I found, if it is messy I don’t like it. Love your work