Kathy Showcases Her Beautiful Smocking and Tote Bag!

Sewist’s Name: Kathy Mackay Rankin from Waukesha, Wisconsin

Type of Project: Smocking and Bag

Name of Pattern: Original Design

Featured Date: 06-26-24

My name is Kathy Mackay Rankin and I have lived in Waukesha, Wisconsin almost my entire life. I now live around the block from where I grew up. My husband and I have 6 children and 11 grandchildren all living in the area to keep us busy. Being retired, I spend many days in the company of my treasured cat and dog.

Forty years ago I learned to do English smocking, mostly to make fancy dresses for my daughter who was only 3 years old at the time. I never afforded myself a pleater to pleat the pieces I would smock. I loved smocking but relied on others to pleat my fabric pieces before I could add smocking stitches. Last year I began collecting out-of-print counterchange smocking dress patterns to make for my granddaughters, just because they were so cute! They usually showed these dresses in gingham fabric. Not familiar with this type of smocking, I assumed that I could learn some way to do it. I told myself that I had used a book to teach myself to knit at age 11, learning counterchange smocking couldn’t be too difficult! This winter I joined a video course to make a smocked counterchange tote bag, hoping to learn the steps and stitches of counterchange smocking. Counterchange smocking is the kind of smocking that is usually done on gingham. In this course, I learned that you could do this type of smocking on any fabric without having to pleat it first since the stitches actually formed the pleats. This made it a more accessible craft for me. I me the course, I discovered that this type of smocking used the same stitches that created any English smocking pattern. With invaluable help from the instructor, I caught on quickly to the technique. I learned that counterchange smocking works faster on striped, plaid or gingham fabrics that have a regular repeating vertical pattern since you don’t have to do as much marking before beginning to stitch.

I found a blue striped fabric in my stash so I decided to use the colors from that fabric to base my fabric selection for the rest of the tote bag. Looking for a linen/cotton blend fabric, the cat fabric on Etsy caught my eye. My tote bag theme had been chosen since I love cats (and dogs)! Finding two other coordinating fabrics (canvas base and lining) was a breeze. I then went on a search for an appropriate counterchange smocking plate (pattern). I loved the simple smocking plate provided by the class but wanted a  a cat-themed plate, if I could find one. Luckily I was able to purchase an old smocking plate on eBay to smock my cats. It was by Ann Hallay, who I found to be an expert in counterchange smocking. I decided I was up for the challenge of this more difficult pattern to get the look I wanted. After watching the counterchange smocking videos over and over several times and referring to the smocking books I had, I began marking my pattern and proceeded to smock the cats on my fabric. I celebrated when each of those cats would appear on my pieces as I added the smocking stitches. What fun! 

I easily cut out, quilted, added the counterchange smocked piece and assembled my cat tote bag. I just love how it turned out!! I’m looking forward to embellishing little girl dresses, my own tops and dresses, and more accessories with counterchange smocking.

Thanks!

Kathy

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