Making a wedding dress part 4: draping the overgown and Canadian Smocking tutorial

I knew both S and I wanted a sheer overgown with some draping of some description. In order to see what worked I used some very light calico, but I also experimented with old net curtains

From 2010-04-23

That is my boyfriend's elbow in the background. He has told me to forward any requests for elbow modelling to him.

From 2010-04-23

Plain pleats weren't really doing it for me, and I was still looking for a focal point. I remembered that I had been itching to use a technique since I had seen it used by Shirin on Project Runway season 6, when she won the maternity dress challenge. She used one row of Canadian smocking to create a braiding effect. I gave it a try in the calico

From 2010-04-23

Note the notes and bits of fabric samples pinned to the dress form! Also notice that we've abandoned the set in sleeve (for now anyway)
Here's a close up of some of the smocking. I tried different sizes, IIRC in the first picture the dots were 20mm apart, and in the one below they were 10mm

From 2010-04-23

I made a matching trim for the top of the bodice

From 2010-04-23

that would end in a drape at the front.

From 2010-04-23

Here's the toile during a fitting (S was demonstrating different hairstyles)

From 2010-04-23

When I was walking back up the aisle on S's wedding day, immediately after she was married, my mum grabbed me and asked "how did you do that braiding?". This was precisely the reaction I was after from my mum, she taught me to sew, so I wanted her to be impressed. So, for my mum, here's how to Canadian Smock.

Step one is to mark your fabric. You need to create a grid of dots in squares. You need three lines of dots for the effect on the dress, but you can do more for a more woven effect

From 2010-10-07

From 2010-10-07

Hand sewing 101 = wear a thimble. So many people don't know how to (I was like them once). People sometimes think it goes on your non-dominant hand to protect from the point of the needle. In fact it goes on the middle finger of your dominant hand to protect your finger from the back of the needle as you push the needle through the fabric (this is especially important for thick or tough fabrics)

From 2010-10-07

OK, actual smocking. You start at the dot that is one dot down and one dot right from the top left hand dot.

From 2010-10-07

Secure the sewing thread and then go to the dot that is one up and one to the left of the dot you just secured your thread at

From 2010-10-07

Pull the thread taut so the two dots come together

From 2010-10-07

go to the next dot down (still in the central row where you started)

From 2010-10-07

Do not pull taut and secure the thread with a knot

From 2010-10-07

Now go to the dot one up and one right from the one you secured

From 2010-10-07

Pull Taut

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Next one down

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Then up and to the left...
Continue like this, so secure at a central dot, up and to the left, secure at next central dot down, up and to the right, secure at next central dot down, up and to the left, secure at next central dot down, up and to the right... until you have done a row. Here's what the wrong side will look like

From 2010-10-07

And here's the right side

From 2010-10-07

To do another row, you repeat the process, but it's important to start at the right point so the rows mesh. In the picture below, the needle is ready to start row 2. It is directly to the right of the first dot from row one. (you will notice I messed up marking a row of dots, hence the crossed out dots)

From 2010-10-07

Then you go up and to the left

From 2010-10-07

next dot down

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Up and to the right

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and so on, until you reach the end of the row. You can add as many rows as you wish

here's the wrong side

From 2010-10-07

And the right side

From 2010-10-07

More rows give a woven effect and would be great for a panel on a cushion cover or a quilt.

For the actual finished dress, the fabric to be smocked was very sheer, and sewing thread would show through. In addition, I did not want to risk marking the fabric with disappearing marker. I got round the marking problem by marking a grid on pattern paper, which I pinned to the fabric and unpinned as I went along. The thread problem was solved by pulling a thread from the selvedge of the georgette. This was very fiddly, but I think worth it for the final look.

Canadian smocking is one of those things that can only be done my hand, it gives a really nice effect and says to those in the know "this was handmade"