Saturday, October 20, 2007

Sweet Arabella

So the next smocking project is pleated and ready to go:


This is Sweet Arabella from AS&E #73. Okay, it's not quite ready to go- I still have to block it. But here is the picture of the dress, the fabric I'm using, and the floss colors I'm considering. Final color choices will be made after blocking is complete.

Why Sweet Arabella? Well, I like it. And it calls for just under three yards of fabric, and I had just enough of this print. I bought this several years ago to make a winter dress for the Princess, back when three yards was more than enough for her. Now, it's a squeeze, and I'm afraid if I don't use it now, I never will.

There are a couple of other things I really like about Sweet Arabella. It's all one fabric, except for a bit of piping. The smocking design is very simple. In fact, the middle pleating rows are left unsmocked, forming a puffing row across the bodice, and I love puffing. And there are no bullions- the impact comes from the simplicity of the design. All this means it will smock fast!

So I'm off to block. Smocking should commence this afternoon and I anticipate spending a nice quiet evening in my armchair working on this. Don't tell my family, though. If they learn of my plan for the evening, they will do their best to keep me from it!

3 comments:

Tesla said...

Your smocked dresses are beautiful! I like to smock, but, there are no young girls in our family. I do have a size two doll and a premie doll that I'm thinking about smocking for. What is your favorite plate?

angie.a said...

Love this fabric! I want to make that one too. I really need to start smocking for Buffy's baby now. That'll give me 5 or 6 more years of smocking!

Shannon said...

Thanks, Austin! Gosh, I don't have just one favorite plate- there are so many gorgeous ones out there. But two of my favorite smocked projects have been Titania, which is a little dress smocked from the shoulder to the waist on the front and the back, and Mabel's Garden, which is a dress with a full smocked bodice and contrast hem, cuffs, and collar. Both dresses are from AS&E.