Ruffle Smocking

      Sometimes, on occasion, you just know you are loving what you are sewing before it is even finished. This was one of those rare times. Smocked clothing is a the top of my list of favorites. I like how it looks, I like how it fits, and I like how easy it is to sew. I also like ruffles, texture, and points of interest on garments. This little idea combines all my favorites into one stretchy, ruffly piece of goodness.
     Here's the basics of ruffle smocking. Have a shirt first off, I made a basic tank that was plenty roomy for the baby bump. Next cut lots of inch wide strips.

     Lay one strip at a time on your shirt and smock over it.
(Machine smocking is very easy. Hand wind your bobbin with elastic thread and sew straight, evenly spaced lines with the elastic on the inside of your garment. Spritz with water and pat with a hot iron when finished)

     Over lap your strips just slightly. When I finished one strip, I just laid another right down and kept sewing. I think I did about 6 rows, because I wanted a nice conspicuous band around the bottom. You can wet it and pat with an iron, or be lazy like me. Douse it in the sink and throw it in the dryer while you go read a bedtime story to the munchkin. Either which way it scrunches up just lovely.
     I added a very narrow ruffle around the neck to tie it all together.

     A lot of impact for very little effort...my kind of project!

Linking to:

The Freckled Laundry

Tatertots and Jello

Be Different Act Normal