smocking

Gone are classic details like lacy collars and intricate smocking.

Work your first stitch here taking the smocking from left to right as shown in the accompanying guide and photos.

Smocking is an embroidery technique used to gather fabric so that it can stretch.

Smocking requires lightweight fabric with a stable weave that gathers well.

A dressier version is garnished with navy blue smocking.

Weaving and spinning, felt-making and English country smocking will be demonstrated.

Her dress was pink-and-blue plaid with rows of white smocking across the bodice.

"But the smocking adjusts, so they're good for two seasons," Ms. Scurry said.

Her gnarled fingers closed around the smocking on the forearm of Abby's crimson dress, pulling the arm up a bit to have a look.

Often organized in diagonally arranged sets of flowerettes for loose smocking.

It was all a question of pale colors, fluffy fabrics, those ruffled lace borders and occasional smocking.

He dropped his hands then, with a gesture of despair that took in the protruding belly, swelling accusingly under the light smocking.

Erica Wilson's smocking.

Smocking is a sewing or embroidery technique in which the tiny pleats are drawn together with thread or yarn.

The delicate smocking over the midriff extending in a funnel shape down into a gored skirt flaring nearly to the floor.

Nearby two girls' dresses and several women's gowns show how smocking made its way into more genteel society, a process initiated by Liberty in the 1880's.

Inside were two tiny angel-top suits, white Viyella, beautifully made, with intricate pale blue smocking running across the yokes.

She took striped fabric and made it dreamy with large smocking, and her simple fluid evening gowns worked matte against shine in black, gray or pale green.

At left, the popular strapless baby-doll dress with elasticized smocking; at right, more fluid dresses with flying panel draperies and flounces.

She tried to hide her disappointment, because instead of the pink net tutu she'd been hoping for, her ballet dress turned out to be white cotton, with red smocking.

Smocking is worked on a crewel embroidery needle in cotton or silk thread and normally requires three times the width of initial material as the finished item will have.

Individual smocking stitches also vary considerably in tightness, so embroiderers usually work a sampler for practice and reference when they begin to learn smocking.

Ms. Nunnerley has her smocking done by Mischelle Arcus, a fellow New Zealander; (212) 941-6269.

Traditional hand smocking begins with marking smocking dots in a grid pattern on the wrong side of the fabric and gathering it with temporary running stitches.

When Eva was five the girls had their photograph taken with Eva proudly wearing "a very nice dress with some smocking across it", which Joyce had made by hand.