Soft Baby Wave
Soft Baby Wave is a beginner smocking plate charted on 29 pleats and 4 worked rows. Baby wave between two cable rows makes a gentle edge for a baby dress yoke. It uses cable and baby wave, stitched in powder blue and sage.
The plate at a glance
| Level | Beginner |
| Pleats charted | 29 |
| Worked rows | 4 |
| Pleater setup | 6 pleater rows (4 worked plus one holding row above and below) |
| Mirrored | yes, around pleat 15 |
| Pleated width | 7.25 in at 0.25 in per pleat |
| Raw fabric width at 3:1 | 21.75 in |
| Colors | 2: powder blue and sage |
| Thread in all | 1.91 yd |
Row by row
Rows 1 to 4 read top down, pleats 1 to 29 from the left.
| Rows | Stitch | Color | Pleats | Bites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cable | Sage | 1 to 29 | 29 |
| 2 to 3 | Baby wave | Powder blue | 1 to 29 | 29 |
| 4 | Cable | Sage | 1 to 29 | 29 |
The needle movement for Baby wave and Cable is described in the glossary.
Floss for this plate
| Color | Thread (yd) | Skeins needed | Skeins to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powder blue | 0.64 | 0.04 | 1 |
| Sage | 1.27 | 0.08 | 1 |
Sage carries 66 percent of the thread; estimate for 3 strands, formula in the floss guide.
Pleats by chest size
The plate is mirrored around pleat 15, so the garment sizes keep an odd pleat count. The chart's 29 pleats cover 7.25 in; a front panel for an 18 in chest pleats to 41 pleats (30.75 in of fabric), one for a 28 in chest to 61 pleats (45.75 in); the full table by chest size is in how the sizing works.
Compared with the other free plates
- Same 29 pleats as Three Cable Rows, Outline and Stem Ladder, Wave Stripe.
- Baby wave also appears in Bishop Yoke Classic, Sunrise Wave Panel.
- With 4 worked rows: 5 free plates are shorter, 7 longer, 2 the same length.
- It belongs with Baby Bonnet and Bib Plates, eight plates on 25 and 26 pleats; the closest to this plate are Bonnet Brim Baby Wave and Christening Bib.
Print at 100 percent and check the inch square. See also how to read a plate and using a pleater.