Rosalind Atkins - Smocking and Dorset Buttons Smoking

Traditional English Smocking - History

used since the late 18th century for the production of practical, working garments in rural areas of Britain.
developed as a functional method of holding fullness whilst allowing some elasticity for ease of movement.
adds thickness to the garment, making it hard wearing and weather resistant.
latterly used for classic infants and young children's clothing.

decorative technique of surface embroidery where stitches are worked in rows on a pre-pleated fabric, each stitch picking up just the top of every pleat.
each stitch is essentially a back stitch, making the work strong and resilient.
skilled procedure requiring precision and patience.
gives rich textural quality.
can be worked in one colour, as traditional for smocks, or patterns can be built up using many colours and stitches.

I have over 30 years experience of smocking.
I make traditional smocks to order, often basing my designs on existing garments.
there are three main styles of smock: the round smock which is completely reversible, it was turned around if one side got soiled; the coat style, with a fully buttoned front opening and the hybrid, placket front with a short buttoned opening. For examples please see images in my portfolio.
all smocks are hand embroidered with Dorset feather stitch panels beside the smocking and finished with hand worked Dorset buttons.

I sell a range of items featuring smocking from hair clips to covered photograph albums and sketchbooks and rag dolls, see below for examples.