Bin preparing linen for smocking!

This beautiful cloth is kindly donated by a dear sister.

She gave me a pile of linen shirts!

I love working with linen as it seems to melt in your hands as you work with it.

Touch is such an important part of stitch and our relationship with cloth

(I've run out of pleated fabric that I've had stashed 

from a time when I borrowed a friend's pleating machine -

that was years ago)

Now it back to the 'iron' and 'gather' method

it takes time but it 'purrfect' for an evening with the cat

and 'Lewis'

Therese de Dillmont described 'smocking'

in her Encyclopedia of Needlework:

Decoration of the gathers, known as 'smocking'

This kind of work occurs in the national costumes of the Hungarians, 

as well as in England where it is still in vogue.

"Smock" is an old English word for shift or chemise, hence the term "smocking" came to be applied to the ornamental gathering of the necks of these garments

and also of the elabourate, beautifully embroidered "smock-frock" of the labourers...

( from page 13, under the chapter heading "Plain Sewing")