the.com/smocking
The needlework so dense it turns fabric into accordion armor for toddlers and royalty alike.
means Decorative needlework in which fabric is gathered into tight, regular folds and embroidered to hold the pleats, creating a stretchy, textured panel often seen on dresses and christening gowns.
from From 'smock,' the old loose linen garment worn next to the skin — a word going back to Old English 'smoc.' The gathering technique took its name from the way these humble smocks were stitched into pleats to give them shape and stretch before elastic existed. Possibly related to words meaning 'to creep' or 'slip into,' fitting for a garment you pulled on over your head.
- old purpose
- Stretched smock-frocks before elastic existed
- hidden math
- Pleats compress fabric to a third its width
- royal flex
- Worn by English peasants and princes both
- name origin
- From the loose 'smock' farmworkers wore
- modern twist
- Survives mostly on christening gowns now
smocking on yoke dresses — elaborate hand-embroidered honeycomb pleating on vintage children's smocking dresses, popular 1920s-1950s, collectible garments