pattern for smocked girls dress
 

In search of a pattern I came across Caroleens post:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...s-t140792.html

I send her a private message but she has not been on the board for a while. (and impatience is my second name :-) )

Does anybody know where I can buy a pattern similar to Caroleens dress?

Thanks for reading.
Granny_59

Try as I may, I can't remember the site I used to look at a lot, but google smocking plates. Maybe Sew Many Designs was the name. She has many animal and other designs.

Also do a search of smocking plates with cow designs. Some really cute ones.

Thank you for your answers. I am not looking for the smoking plates (can be found easily online) but for the sewing pattern of the dress. I am not able to find a sewing pattern in German online shops. I think this dresses are not too popular over here?

I am scared to draw a pattern myself as I made a test stripe with gingham fabric and ended up with a required width of 49 inches of fabric..........for the front only. What is a girl of 18 month doing with almost 100 inches of fabric around her knees???
I also don't have an idea on how I had to cut the seam line of the fabric that it will have the proper shape after smoking as I am not very experienced in sewing clothes. (as you might know I can sew broccoli........)

Granny

I never learned to smock, but that has not stopped me from picking up books on it. "Diane Durand SMOCKING Technique, Projects and Designs", Dover Press, 1979. Some of the photos show inserts, a band of smocking inserted horizontally or vertically. There are no dress patterns in this, just smocking. In "Instructions", it says to "cut the fabric to be smocked, allowing 2 1/2" to 3 1/2" of fabric for every inch of smocking." This is one of the few books I saw that did not tout the expensive pleaters. I need someone to hold my hand as I learn something like smocking and have yet to find someone teaching it close to me. In looking at Caroleen's post, that looks like a simple yoke with the smocking attached, falling into soft gathers below. From the looks of it, I'd say she made up her own pattern for the jumper. Pinafore would be another name for Caroleen's dress.

I don't know what your library system is like there, but here I would be looking into what they have by Martha Pullen. Her magazine "Sew Beautiful", always has a pull-out insert of patterns. Try Martha Pullen's website to ask for a pattern source from the people who post there. I have seen some of these smocked pinafores in older Vogue patterns. A search for "smocked pinafore pattern" at Amazon.com would be one of my first stops.

I did a google search for Simplicity pattern for child's smocked dress and came up with this. I didn't look through the ebay sites but maybe one might be available in the UK? https://www.google.ca/search?q=simpl...w=1280&bih=867

Here's the butterick pattern ones https://www.google.ca/search?q=butte...w=1280&bih=867

Thank you so much Ladies!
I was reading about Martha Pullen for hours today as well as on smocking technique. I think these dresses are so adorable and having a granddaughter (after four grandsons) wants me to make one and ignore my quilting ufos......
Granny

It is probably a version of a classic smocking pattern. Do a search for smocking patterns. You should find several like

Childrens Corner or Chery Williams.

I've been using the same patterns for 30+ years. Bought them when my girls were small and now use them for my GDs

Not quite the same but - http://www.smocking.com/holycow.aspx
https://www.smockingbooks.com/cows.html
Here is one already made? - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gymboree-Smo...item20fdb0323d
http://www.smockingbonnet.com/advanc...3ef44e&x=0&y=0

Thank you for the links. The selection at smockingbonnet is great!!

I might guess you bought the wrong size gingham checks? They do go from 1/8" to 1" checks. Try again with a smaller check?

I do have a 1/8" gingham and went in every third check. It pleats very nicely, just seems like a hell of a lot of fabric to me.........

I believe it is 3 pleats per inch of fabric. So if you were attaching a pleated skirt(or panel) to a yoke that was 12 inches, you would pleat 36 inches of fabric(plus seam allowance)

As far as a pattern is concerned, I watched one of Martha Pullens videos years ago, that had you do all the smocking on a piece of yard goods that ended up being larger than the pattern piece you are using. Take the pattern piece you want to use, and trace it onto light weight Iron-on interfacing. Cut it out and iron it to the wrong side of the smocked fabric, then cut it out, and now you have a smocked piece that is just the right shape. That is how she made a childs dress and a doll dress with smocking. Both had smocked bodice fronts, but smooth skirts and collars.

I saw a tutorial where it was done with freezer paper. My "problem" is that I would like the entire front in one piece. I like the look of the smoked bodice going seamlessly over into the skirt.

How does this look? Too tight, too loose.......maybe even just right?
Thanks for looking

pattern for smocked girls dress
 

It looks perfect. I too smock and have a size 6 dress started for my great niece. I get my patterns and plates at the Berry Patch on Hulen st. in Fort Worth TX. They have all sorts of both. The one I'm doing now is ladybugs and I have a piggy one I might do, though that was bought for her piggy loving sister a few years ago. LOL Good luck and please show us when you are finished.