Sewing Challenge
Julia's Smocked Dress

This dress comes from Julia Meadows. She writes:

Attached is photo of the dress I made for your sewing challenge. I made the dress from a lightweight linen blend printed with tiny polka dots. The collar is a single layer of handkerchief weight linen embroidered with a scallop stitch (Bernina 1230 #25) and trimmed. The skirt and sleeves are smocked with contrasting mini piping in the seam.

Special instructions for smocking:

Skirt: Add 1/2" to the length of the skirt (cut 6" x 44"). The extra length will be cut off, but aides in manipulating the pleated piece when attaching to the bodice. Pleat 7 half-space rows. Remove pleating threads from 2" on each side. Draw up pleated piece to the finished width of the bodice (16 1/2"). Smock 5 rows starting on row 3.

Sleeves: Pleat 6 half-space rows. Remove pleating threads from 1 1/4" on each side. Draw up pleated piece to width of sleeve band (5"). I smocked a chevron design on rows 3-6, with one chevron between rows 5-6, fpur chevrons between rows 4-5, and six chevrons betwen rows 3-4.

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