Smocking glossary
These are the words used on the plates, in the Plate Designer and in most smocking books.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cable | Pick up each pleat on the row line and let the working thread fall alternately above and below the needle. |
| Outline | Pick up each pleat on the row line with the working thread kept above the needle the whole way along. |
| Stem | Same movement as outline, with the working thread kept below the needle the whole way along. |
| Baby wave | Cable-style bites that step half a row up, then half a row down, one step per pleat, between two guide rows. |
| Wave | Cable-style bites that climb two rows in half-row steps and come back down, one step per pleat. |
| Trellis | Two crossing passes: the first climbs and falls one full row per pleat, the second runs in opposite phase to close the diamonds. |
| Honeycomb | Pairs of pleats are joined on the upper row, the thread travels down behind the pleat, and the next pair is joined on the lower row. |
| Surface honeycomb | Charted as two crossing diagonal passes between the same two rows, one pleat per bite. |
| Plate | A chart of the stitching drawn on a grid of pleats and rows. |
| Pleater | A machine with rollers and needles that gathers fabric into even pleats. |
| Bite | One pick up of a pleat by the needle. |
| Holding row | A pleater row left in place above or below the smocking to keep the pleats parallel. |
| Ease | Extra width beyond the body measurement. |
| Pleat pitch | The distance from one pleat to the next, 0.25 inch on these plates. |
Learn the stitches
Read how to read a plate to see each term on a chart, and try any stitch in the Plate Designer.
Reading the stitch names
Stitch names describe how the thread travels. Cable rows alternate the thread above and below the needle. Outline and stem rows keep it on one side. Waves and trellises step between rows, and honeycomb joins pleats in pairs. Once you know these five ideas, most plates are variations on them.
Related pages
See using a pleater and sizing by chest for the setup terms, or open the free plates to see each stitch on a chart.
Read next
- Sundress and Top Yokes: Sundress and Top Yokes: eight printable smocking plates with sizing tables and floss estimates, $19 once, delivered as PDF and SVG.
- Wave and Trellis Sampler: Wave and Trellis Sampler: eight printable smocking plates with sizing tables and floss estimates, $19 once, delivered as PDF and SVG.
- My files: Download the smocking plate collections you bought.