Easter Egg Picture
Easter Egg Picture is an intermediate smocking plate charted on 17 pleats and 11 worked rows. A small picture plate: an egg drawn with cable stitches between two sage border rows. It uses cable and picture rows, stitched in butter, lavender and sage.
The plate at a glance
| Level | Intermediate |
| Pleats charted | 17 |
| Worked rows | 11 |
| Pleater setup | 13 pleater rows (11 worked plus one holding row above and below) |
| Mirrored | no |
| Pleated width | 4.25 in at 0.25 in per pleat |
| Raw fabric width at 3:1 | 12.75 in |
| Colors | 3: butter, lavender and sage |
| Thread in all | 4.62 yd |
Row by row
Rows 1 to 11 read top down, pleats 1 to 17 from the left.
| Rows | Stitch | Color | Pleats | Bites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cable | Sage | 1 to 17 | 17 |
| 2 | Picture row 1: Easter egg | Lavender | 7 to 11 | 5 |
| 3 | Picture row 2: Easter egg | Lavender | 6 to 12 | 7 |
| 4 | Picture row 3: Easter egg | Lavender | 5 to 13 | 9 |
| 5 | Picture row 4: Easter egg | Butter | 6 to 7 | 2 |
| 5 | Picture row 4: Easter egg | Butter | 9 to 10 | 2 |
| 5 | Picture row 4: Easter egg | Butter | 12 to 13 | 2 |
| 6 | Picture row 5: Easter egg | Lavender | 5 to 13 | 9 |
| 7 | Picture row 6: Easter egg | Lavender | 5 to 13 | 9 |
| 8 | Picture row 7: Easter egg | Butter | 6 to 7 | 2 |
| 8 | Picture row 7: Easter egg | Butter | 9 to 10 | 2 |
| 8 | Picture row 7: Easter egg | Butter | 12 to 13 | 2 |
| 9 | Picture row 8: Easter egg | Lavender | 6 to 12 | 7 |
| 10 | Picture row 9: Easter egg | Lavender | 7 to 11 | 5 |
| 11 | Cable | Sage | 1 to 17 | 17 |
The needle movement for Cable and Picture rows (cable) is described in the glossary.
Floss for this plate
| Color | Thread (yd) | Skeins needed | Skeins to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1.46 | 0.1 | 1 |
| Lavender | 2.24 | 0.15 | 1 |
| Sage | 0.92 | 0.06 | 1 |
Lavender carries 48 percent of the thread; estimate for 3 strands, formula in the floss guide.
Pleats by chest size
The plate is not mirrored: the 17 pleats read from the left edge. The chart's 17 pleats cover 4.25 in; a front panel for an 18 in chest pleats to 40 pleats (30 in of fabric), one for a 28 in chest to 60 pleats (45 in); the full table by chest size is in how the sizing works.
Compared with the other free plates
- Same 17 pleats as Heart Picture.
- Picture rows also appears in Heart Picture.
- With 11 worked rows it ties for the longest free plate; 13 are shorter.
- It belongs with Picture Smocking Basics, eight plates on 17 pleats; the closest to this plate are Twin Hearts Picture and Tree Picture.
Print at 100 percent and check the inch square. See also how to read a plate and using a pleater.