SMOCKING & FINE SEWING 19th Century sources

Near the end of the 19th century, when costume reached absurd proportions with the enormous bustle and mutton sleeve, smocking, primarily as dress ornamentation for women's garments, established a vogue for both casual and formal wear as well as for decorative items around the home.

The making of garments became a practical pastime with the latest published patterns easily available and the understanding that every detail could be mastered by the home sewer. Before the term French Hand Sewing became today's "in" term, all sewing of this period was simply denoted as Plain Needlework and covered all the knowledge required for the careful workmanship and detailing of these elaborate costumes.

This volume includes several of the lessons from Weldon's, the premier women's handwork magazine from England, published during the 1880's and 1890's, which focused on late Victorian needlework. From this rich source, the related subjects of Smocking, Plain Needlework, Jeweled Embroidery - focusing on exquisite embellishment ideas, and Knick-Knacks - showing how the same sewing techniques were applied to decorative household items, were selected.