Gathering Threads

Archive

Tutorial

    Tutorial: Designing Geometric Smocking Plates in Illustrator Pt 3

    Posted by on Aug 13 2011

    This is the third part of my tutorial on designing geometric smocking plates.   For the first two parts, including the illustrator file you’ll need to complete this tutorial, click here and here. If you haven’t completed the first two tutorials, you’ll want to practice and complete them first before tackling the final tutorial on […]

    Free Dress Pattern for 18″ Knit Doll

    Posted by on Aug 11 2011

    OK, succumbed to buyer’s impulse on Friday and picked up a wonderful knit doll from our local toy shop, Citizen Kid.  It’s not far from our house, so the boys always have to stop by and ‘ad-mire’.  Ellie turns three later this month and I thought she would enjoy the doll that I found for […]

    Tutorial: Designing Geometric Smocking Plates in Illustrator Pt 2

    Posted by on Jul 16 2011

    This is part 2 of 3 of how to use Adobe Illustrator to create smocking plates. You’ll find the first part of this tutorial on designing geometric smocking plates here. 24.  Select the “4 Step Full Space Trellis” from the symbols and place it in the middle of the graph between rows 4-5. 25.  Switch […]

    Tutorial: Designing Geometric Smocking Plates in Illustrator

    Posted by on Jun 23 2011

    This is the third lesson in my series of tutorials on how to use Adobe Illustrator to create smocking plates. This geometric plate features some of the most common geometric smocking stitches, including cable, wave and trellis.  It also features a simple cross-over design to introduce working with multiple layers.  It seems counter-intuitive that creating a geometric […]

    Tutorial: Blocking Smocked Yokes with Freezer Paper

    Posted by on Jun 15 2011

    The moment that always scares me when I’m making a smocked dress always comes when I’ve got to cut away my smocking for the armholes. Typically, the instructions say something like. “Block smocking. Trace armholes using pattern guide. Zig-zag inside the tracing. Cut.” Sounds easy enough.   How hard can it be?  Well, smocking is […]