Direct Smocking (Honeycomb, Outline, Diamond)
Technique: Direct Smocking (Honeycomb, Outline, Diamond)
Materials: Cotton broadcloth and 3 strands DMC embroidery floss
Spacing/Size: ½” pleats with a ½”x ½” grid pattern dots
Folding Methods: Using stitching to bring pleats together in different patterns
Anchoring methods: Tiny embroidery stitch anchoring pleats together according to the various patterns (hand – stitched)
Notes and Reflections: Advantages, Disadvantages, Ideas, Evaluations
• Make sure marks are made with disappearing/washable ink
• Direct smocking differs from English because the gridded dots serves as the top of the pleat and no pre-pleating is needed at the beginning
Advantages:
• Much easier to pull the stitches into the pleats as opposed to English smocking
Disadvantages:
• Although somewhat easier than English/N. American methods, still time consuming process with all the measuring and hand stitching
Ideas for Exploration:
• This would be a good technique to pre-print the grid pattern onto the fabric
• Changing scale of pattern/thread
• Could be used with patterned fabric to emphasize print