Martha's Smocking-In-The-Hoop CD Information & Guidelines: About These Designs: This package contains machine-embroidered smocking designs with a variety of patterns that can be used as individual or combination designs on pleated fabric and ready-to-smock garments. We hope you will be excited about the versatility they offer as you create unique finished garments or home deco projects. In our Stitch Order section, we have specified the number of rows each design uses and the minimum number of pleating rows required to machine smock the design. The top and bottom rows of a pleated piece of fabric are reserved for seam allowance construction and should not be used for any design stitches. The actual number of gathering threads that a design will cover, excluding the basting/placement tack-down stitches, determines a design's row count. For the Insert design motifs, we have only specified the number of rows the design uses. Design numbers mp2201, mp2202, mp2211, and mp2212 are background border designs, in 7" and 9" lengths, with colorful edge patterns and plain chevron centers. Use these alone or as a background to one of our cute Insert motifs (mp2223 through mp2232); or, add your favorite monogram to the center of the design. Likewise, use designs mp2219 through mp2222 and mp2233 through mp2242 to make plain chevron backgrounds, available in graduated width sizes, in both 7" and 9" lengths. Again, these would look great alone or with added motifs in the center. Design numbers mp2203 through mp2210 and mp2213 through mp2218 are beautiful floral designs in 7" and 9" lengths. Recommendations: 1. Select the appropriate fabric and compatible needles to do machine smocking. For our pre-pleated fabric sample pieces, we chose to use either a regular #80- or #90-embroidery needle with our Sulky 40- wt. thread. 2. If available, reduce the sewing machine's pressure on the pressure foot, since the pleated fabric will be thicker than the single layers used in regular machine embroidery. This will allow the embroidery foot to move over the raised pleats without dragging. In addition, some machines may require that the top tension be tightened just slightly to get a good balance between the top and bottom stitches and to prevent loose threads from occurring during embroidery. Use a test sample and only make small adjustments until you are happy with the settings. As a final machine adjustment, reduce the speed of the machine when embroidering. 3. We highly recommend using Floriani's Wet N Gone Tacky stabilizer (available from Martha Pullen's Catalog). We use a "sandwich" method to hold the pleated fabric in place. The tacky stabilizer will be used on top of the pleated fabric and on the bottom when hooped. The tacky surface will hold the pleats well; will allow repositioning when aligning the fabric in the hoop without losing its tackiness; and, it rinses out completely without effort when finished. The brief instructions below are just one way of doing machine smocking in the hoop and represent the way our sample designs were completed. Alignment and placement of the design on pleated fabric or a ready-to-smock garment is critical, so take extra time in the aligning process to assure a beautiful, finished project.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS Smocking-in-the-hoop 1. Hoop sticky water-soluble stabilizer in a 5 x7 hoop according to manufacturer s instructions. Score the release paper and remove it from the stabilizer. Mark the vertical and horizontal centers of the hoop onto the stabilizer. Fig.1 2. Combine designs #mp2201 and #mp2232. Using embroidery software or your sewing machine, combine and center design #mp2232 on top of design #mp2201. Fig.2 Print a design template with the horizontal and vertical center marked. Send the combined design to you embroidery machine. Fig.1 3. Prepare the pleated fabric according to good smocking techniques. Distribute the pleats evenly for the length needed. Some people use a fine-tooth comb or hair pick to get them even. Flatten about 5/8" at both ends of the pleated fabric where the gathering threads are for seam allowance purposes later. Fig.3 Fig.2
Fig.3 4. Prepare the pleated Swiss embroidery strip. With the pleated Swiss embroidery fabric strip face up, place a piece of sticky water-soluble stabilizer on top of it. Align the stabilizer with the top and bottom rows of the fabric. The stabilizer will hold the pleats in place and upright during the embroidery steps. Fig.4 Fig.4 5. Place the hoop on the machine. Select the combined embroidery design. 6. Stitch the first color onto the stabilizer only, for placement of the fabric. Remove the hoop from the machine. Fig.5 Fig.5 7. Place the prepared pleated fabric with stabilizer on top, right side up and centered onto the hooped stabilizer, aligning the center marks and basting line. Check that the pleated rows are parallel within the hoop. Fig.6
Fig.6 8. Press the fabric to the stabilizer and remove the pleating threads, except for the top and bottom rows. Fig.7 Fig.7 9. Re-select the first color again and stitch the first color basting stitch onto the pleated fabric. 10. Continue with the remaining design stitches until the design is completed.fig.8 Fig.8 11. Remove the design from the hoop and cut away excess pieces of the stabilizer from around the embroidery. Rinse and soak the remaining WSS away. Let dry. Place embroidery face down on a folded towel and press lightly.fig.9
Fig.9