Folk Sewing and Smocking- Hand Sew a Smock Shirt or Dress

What You Will Learn?

• In this class you will learn to make your own smock dress or shirt completely by hand. You will learn how to measure yourself, how to cut your pieces and all the stitches you need to create this beautiful garment..
• In the class you will be shown everything you need to buy to get started. This is not an expensive hobby and you can get all the basics very affordably. You don’t need a sewing machine but if you like to use a machine you can do some parts on a machine..
• In this dress making class I film close ups of each step and talk you through the process and you can sew along with me..
• This is for those with some basic experience of sewing, or loads of enthusiasm and patience! If you are totally new to sewing you might like to take my Gathered Skirt Class or Palazzo Pants Class first. Saying that I have broken everything right down so if you are totally new you will be able to do it, but some of the stitches take a bit of practice to get the hang of..
• By the end of this class you will be equipped with all the skills to design, measure, cut and hand sew your own smock..
• You will require some imagination and willingness to give it a go, and maybe get it wrong the first time. A growth mindset is most definitely required..
• I love making and wearing clothes I’ve made myself because it really makes me appreciate clothing and clothing production. Each piece takes hours and fits into the ethics of slow living. With everything available so quickly now, we can become impatient and lazy. Hand sewing has taught me patience and hard work!.
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• What will you needWatch Lesson 2 in Hand Sew a Gathered Skirt Fabric - I recommend watching the class on measuring and choosing fabric before you buying your fabric.Needles -I use a small one like this for hand sewing and a slightly bigger one for gatheringThread - A good quality thread in cotton makes your work much smoother. One in matching colour of the fabric, another in a contrasting colour for gathering. It’s also recommended that your gathering thread is a bit thicker/stronger so it doesn’t snap when you gatherTape measure - For measuring yourself and your fabricFabric Marker - Tailors chalk or iron off pen. I personally love a heat erasable pen, then you can iron your marks off when you've finished sewingGood scissors - Fabric scissors need to be sharp and the golden rule is only use your fabric scissors to cut fabricCalculator - To do some basic maths for working out your rectangle sizesThimble - To protect your fingers whilst sewingBeeswax - You can use beeswax to coat your thread so it doesn’t get tangled or stuck, but it’s not necessaryNotebook - Hand write your measurements, and draw your cutting plan, or use a notebook app on your deviceSeam Ripper / Unpicker - To unpick mistakesTeeny Button - For your button loop.