Attempt 2 at a smocked apron
I have decided to take a second try at the honeycomb smocked apron. I wanted the apron to be narrower and longer than the first one I made, so I started with a piece of medium linen 75 cm wide and 95 cm long. With a little help from Des, we hemmed the sides about 1/2 cm wide. Then I prepared for the smocking by making 6 rows of dots 1cm apart. (More dots. More dots. Ok, stop dots.) I tried hard to follow the grain and it was a bit tiresome but worth the attention. I ran a stitch through and pulled the threads to create my pleats. I really like pleating. It's so satisfying. There's a couple lumps and bumps in there but nothing too alarming. I did the honeycomb smocking stitch in rows 1 cm apart, roughly, 2 rows at a time. I used a waxed, undyed linen thread that is close to grey. Once complete, I snipped out the gathering threads and WOW. Lovely, crisp smocking. I'm so much happier with this smocking than the first