Smocking Pleating Demystified! Marking and gathering methods explained- 16th C Smocked Shirt Series

Smocking, or Pleatwork embroidery was a popular method of embellishment for shirts of the 16th Century German Renaissance. Pleating is an important step in creating the look. But there are many methods for creating the pleats. In this video we explore different marking and pleating techniques, so that you can decide which one is best for you! We look at different methods for marking dots, including “eyeballing it“, hand marking, and iron on dots. We also cover the differences of the “in and out“ and “pick up dot method“ and when its best to use each one. And we also cover the a pleater machine. Smocking Dots and Linen thread are available for purchase in our Thimble and Plume Etsy shop at 0:00 Intro 1:06 Background 02:03 Pleating by Eye 02:56 Marking Pleats 6:00 Iron On Dots 6:41 Gathering Stitches 9:08 Gathering the fabric 10:12 Smocking Pleat