Exploring Needlework of the Victorian Era

Sewing styles from the Victorian era have always been a major source of inspiration for Martha Pullen Company. From our Vintage Baby and Vintage Collection book series to countless antique reproduction garments, we have spent much of our time studying and recreating the exquisite designs and techniques made popular by sewists in this era. That’s why we are absolutely thrilled to present to you Weldon’s Practical Needlework: Deluxe Edition.

Weldon’s Practical Needlework was a popular Victorian magazine published in England roughly between 1885 and 1915. The go-to source for all things needlework, it offered a variety of technical instructions and projects. This special deluxe edition of the magazine is a box set containing the first six volumes of the series, and each hard-cover volume is comprised of 12 monthly issues. Each volume contains a variety of decorative needlework: smocking, embroidery, patchwork, drawn thread work, appliqué, macramé lace, beadwork, crochet and more.

It is such fun to read through these issues and see how the ideas and projects can be reproduced by today’s sewists. Here is a great excerpt on how to smock a herringbone pattern to give you a taste of what's inside:

In another smocking excerpt, read about the "Child's Smocked Princess Dress" pattern:

This set serves as a historical document and collector’s item that allows you open a window to another time and place as you explore the fascinating history of needlework. Visit our online store to read more about this limited edition set!

Smock an Alternating Cable Stitch

Cables, outlines, stems and waves - there are so many lovely smocking stitches we can combine to create beautiful smocked designs for our garments. Today, we'd like to share a step-by-step tutorial for the alternating cable stitch from our friends at Australian Smocking & Embroidery magazine. Also known as cable picot, this is an attractive stitch that can be worked in a single color or two colors for varying effects.

Example was smocked with two strands of DMC satin stranded rayon.

1. Base row of cable. Work a row of cable.

2. Bring the thread to the front on the right-hand side of the first pleat, a needle's width below the first stitch of the base cable row.

3. Take the needle back through the first pleat from right to left.

4. Pull the thread through. Work two cables (an over cable then an under cable).

5. For the third cable, keep the thread below the needle and angle it to emerge on the left side of the same pleat, a needle's width above the base row.

6. Pull the thread through.

7. Work two cables (under, over). With the thread above, take the needle through the next pleat, angling it to emerge on the left side of this pleat below the base row.

8. Pull the thread through. Work two cables (over, under). For the next cable, angle the needle through the pleat. Emerge above the base cable row as in step 5.

9. Continue alternating between three cables below the base row and three above. End off the thread securely.

For more inspiration, don't miss The Best of Australian Smocking & Embroidery. This special issue includes eight multi-size patterns, tips, techniques and much more!

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful,
Cyndi and Amelia

Royal Sewing for Your Little Prince or Princess

Our version of Prince William's Suit!

It's a boy! What fun it is to celebrate the birth of Prince George Alexander Louis. We watched in delight last week as Prince William and Kate Middleton introduced their royal bundle of joy to the world on the steps of St. Mary's Hospital in London. Of course, our thoughts immediately went to all the stitched finery little George will soon wear. 

As a child, Prince William was frequently photographed wearing English smocking. While watching William, Kate and George leaving St. Mary's last week, we were reminded of a photo that was taken of a young Prince William in 1984 on the same hospital steps. He had just visited the hospital to meet his new little brother Prince Harry for the first time, and he was wearing an adorable English smocked shirt with matching red shorts. 

Designer Laurie Anderson recreated William's precious suit for our new book, Sewing for a Royal Baby, and now seems like a fitting time to share the smocking graph with you! Check out the book for the complete guide to making Prince William's Suit, or smock the design on a garment of your choosing.

Royal diamond chevron smocking

Royal Diamond Chevron smocking graph
Design as shown was smocked with three strands of DMC #817 red six strand embroidery floss.

1. Pleat seven rows. Mark center pleat with a wash-away marking pen. Rows 1 and 7 are holding rows and will not be smocked. Block 102 pleats for each insert. (Refer to Royal Diamond Chevron smocking graph below.)

2. For the upper border, start at the center two pleats and cable across Row 1, beginning with an up cable. Invert your work and complete the other side of the cable row.

3. On Row 1 under the first down cable, work a three-cable combination starting with an up cable, step down to Row 1-1/2, and trellis stitch over just one pleat, down cable one. Step back up to Row 1 and over just one pleat beginning on the same pleat continue the pattern across the row. Smock carefully and remember to trellis up and down on the same pleat as the previous cable.

4. Start the bottom border at the center two pleats on Row 5 and work a mirror image of the upper border between Rows 5 and 5-1/2.

5. Between Rows 2 and 2-1/2 and Rows 3 and 3-1/2, work a half-step wave across the row, beginning with a down cable.

6. Mirror image a half-step wave between Rows 2-1/2 and 3 and 3-1/2 and 4.

Royal Diamond Chevron smocking graph

Be sure to check out Sewing for a Royal Baby for more royal sewing inspiration!

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful,
Cyndi and Amelia

How To Add a Smocked Insert to a Ready-Made Knit

Two Points Smocking Plate

Whether we like it or not, children spend a lot more time in sweats than they do in our meticulously stitched finery. 

In the technique how-to below, designer Janet Gilbert will show you how to get more mileage out of your smocking by adding an insert to a ready-made knit. The tutorial originally appeared in our September/October 2008 issue of Sew Beautiful magazine.

You can find the "Two Points" smocking plate that is pictured on the example in the "Web Extras" section of our website. However, this tutorial can be used with any smocking motif, so choose a design that best suits your little one!

Materials List:

- Purchased sweatshirt (navy blue shown) 
- Ready-made piping (one package) 
- Thread to match piping 
- Thread to match sweatshirt 
- 6-inch square German interfacing 
- 1/2 yd cotton broadcloth for insert and lining (example uses navy blue Kona cotton)
- Lace-shaping board 
- Wash-away tape (such as Wash-away Wonder Tape™ by Dritz®) 
- Wash-away marking pen or chalk marker 
- Soft pencil 
- Sharp scissor 
- DMC perle cotton (example uses black #8) 
- DMC Six-strand Embroidery Cotton 


Construction:

NOTE: My insert measured 3-3/4-inches across and 3-1/2-inches vertically. Yours may be slightly different. 

1. Block smocking so that it is perfectly square. Steam and dry. 

Step 1

2. Baste piping to each edge of insert using wash-away tape. Remove cording from seam allowances so that cords meet at corners, then machine stitch piping using a grooved foot getting as close as possible to cord using thread to match piping fabric. 

Step 2

3. Mark vertical and horizontal centers on a 6-inch square of German interfacing. Mark rectangle on interfacing, centering measurement of insert from piping edge to piping edge vertically and horizontally on non-sticky side. Draw a line on German interfacing 1/2-inch inside of outside rectangle. 

Step 3

4. Mark insert placement on wrong side of sweatshirt with vertical and horizontal center lines. 

Step 4

5. With sticky side of interfacing facing wrong side of sweatshirt, align vertical and horizontal center lines of sweatshirt to vertical and horizontal lines on interfacing square. Fuse interfacing to sweatshirt. 

Step 5

6. Stitch along outer lines with a 1.5 stitch length and cut out along inside lines. Clip each corner to, but not through stitching. 

Step 6

7. Turn sweatshirt right side out. Press seam allowances to back creating a window for smocked insert. 

Step 7

8. Place wash-away tape around piping on right side of insert. Place smocked insert inside of window on sweatshirt aligning edges of piping to edges of sweatshirt window. Double check that design is straight. Topstitch insert to sweatshirt along fold edges of opening with matching thread (I double topstitched the edges). 

Step 8

Finish: Turn sweatshirt inside out and trim seam allowances to neaten. To ensure there is nothing scratchy inside the sweatshirt, cut a lining out of cotton fabric, fold edges to wrong side and hand whip over insert to cover seams. 


Be sure to check out our newly released Sew Beautiful 2008 Collection for more great technique and project tutorials. Available in both CD and digital download format, this collection features full-sized electronic versions of all six issues of Sew Beautiful from 2008 and includes printable patterns, tips and techniques, how-to articles and more.

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful, 
Kathy and Amelia