I got a book in the spring about smocking because it's something I've been wanting to incorporate into a few pieces. I spent a bit of last week practicing, and got the hang of it (kind of) and over the weekend decided to put it on the back of a new dress design. While the smocking takes some time, so does all the gathering and the thin bias tape around the neck and sleeves, it's definitely the most labor intensive piece of clothing I've made to date & I spent a lot of time making sure every thing lines up just right! But it's very satisfying work on something over a few days than rushing to try to get something done in a half day!
p.s. Sleeves!! Finally! :)
