Tuesday, October 9, 2012

a little bit of smocking

Oh how I miss sitting and smocking. I have been doing so much knitting, and loving that, and have so many more projects I want to do but I so miss just sitting and smocking something.  So this is the latest effort, which is for the local show this weekend, then hopefully next week I can sell it at an art exhibition I was aasked to contribute some smocking to.


 
It has turned out very nicely, and is in such a lovely floral fabric.  A friend said yesterday she can always pick my smocking; I often pick simple fabrics with not too much of a print and I usually do the smocking tone-on-tone. I did get half way through this one though and think maybe i should have done it in cream, maybe with a row or two of the deep red I used in the flowers. Oh well, next time maybe!  i need to take a lead from my friend and do some things that are more colourful; although that is a bit of the motivation behind the last dress; with the colourful smocking around the waist.
Anyway, the smocking looks like this:

And the back looks like this (because every "swishy" dress needs a lovely bow on the back I think...)

And yes, there is a petticoat underneath this; which will NOT be for sale; I do not really enjoy the tedium of making petticoats. 

As for any other news, my eldest is away with school for two days on a learner driver course. What a great idea and should be done by all schools.  Hopefully he will come home fully capable of changing gears in my manual car; it was the thing I really did not want to have to teach him.  He wont be driving out on the roads for a while yet though, he doesn't turn 16 until December, so it will be two months of playing in the driveway I think.  I am not sure what I think of him getting his learner's permit; hopefully it will for the most part go well, with few arguments!  Time will tell. We have already made a pact where he will do what he is told without the eternal questioning and arguing back and i will try to be a bit more patient. If we can both stick to that, we should be okay!!

6 comments:

  1. Your smocked dress is gorgeous. My MIL used to smock everything for her daughter when she was younger but now her eyes arent as good as they used to be so she no longer does it. I have my 18 yr old son taking his first driving lesson on Monday night so I am hoping he goes well and gives him the confidence he needs to be a good driver. I think all schools should do driver ed too.

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  2. thanks Sue! I am hoping for lots of grandchildren (boys or girls) to smock for)
    As for the driver ed; it really is a great idea. I did send him a message last night asking how many times he crashed. He has taken the high road and not answered me!LOL!!!!

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  3. I love the dress - wouldn't change a thing! I think the design and colours are perfect for the fabric and style. I hope it does well at the Show - but brilliant regardless.

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  4. Thanks Jillian. I do like it, I just wondr if I could have made it better with different choices. (More daring choices!)

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    1. The daring choices are a hard call, I think. I reckon your choices are close to the best possible with the fabric and design and just lovely in their own right. If you went for brighter colours you might also want to vary the puffed sleeves and get quite a different look. Hope you do when you get a chance. Smock on, regardless!

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  5. Karyn!!!! This little frock is gorgeous. I have been an absent blog reader of late as you know, and what a treasure I've missed. Love the fabric and love the smocking you've used to make the frock so beautiful. I love bows too......... Cheers.

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