I told my friend Rae Ann awhile back that I wanted to learn something new this year. We were going to try a Zumba class but we decided to take a smocking class instead!! I was excited because I remember my Grandma Federer making beautiful dresses with smocking, even for little boys!!
A little smocking history:
Smocking is an embroidery technique used to gather fabric so that it can stretch. Before elastic, smocking was commonly used in cuffs, bodices, and necklines in garments where buttons were undesirable. Smocking developed in England and has been practised since the Middles Ages and is unusual among embroidery methods in that it was often worn by laborers. Other major embroidery styles are purely decorative and represented status symbols. Smocking was practical for garments to be both form fitting and flexible, hence its name derives from smock — a farmer's work shirt. Smocking was used most extensively in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
I was surprised that I knew the teacher. Eva and I sang in the Relief Society choir at the Conference Center and few years ago.
Eva has made so many beautiful aprons and dresses.
Getting started... it was so fun and not as difficult as I imagined it would be.
Rae Ann is a dear friend and expert seamstress.
Well... I finished one row and hopefully I can finish this apron!
We walked out of class and saw this beautiful sunset.
Thanks for a wonderful evening Rae Ann!!
