Pfaff Tiptronic 2030 Owner's Manual - Page 75

Smocking - Prog. 1 Smocking is achieved by sewing numerous parallel seams across your fabric to create a gathering effect Smocking is mainly used in children's wear and heirloom techniques. There are different methods of creating the smocked effect 1) Smocking with gimp thread (non-elastic) For beautiful smocking effects you will need two and one half to three times the desired finished width of fabric. The smocked section is usually made before the completion of the garment Light firm materials such as batiste or fine linen are best suited for this technique. Using a fabric pen, or other non-permanent pen or chalk, draw a straight line on the fabric as a guide for the first gathering seam. Attach the presser foot (the special accessory appli qué foot also works well): loosen the screw at the rear end of the presser foot holder and insert the edge guide through the opening. Position the edge guide 1 inch (2 - 2.5 cm) from the needle and tihten the screw. Place the fabric to be gathered under the presser foot right side up. Pdsition the gimp thread under the presser foot so it runs exactly along the groove at the center of the foot Sew the first gathering seam, leaving approximately 4 inches (1 0 cm> of the gimp thread at the beginning and end of the seam. Place the edge guide on this stitching line the next row will sew approximately 1 inch (2 - 2.5 cm) from the first row. Different spacing will achieve different gathering effects. Continue to sew the remaining rows using the edge guide for spacing. Carefully pull the ends of the gimp thread and gather the fabric evenly over the entire fabric width. 2) Smocking effect with elastic threads For this technique, elastic thread is wound onto the bobbin without tension. The needle thread may be a regular sewing or an embroidery thread. Since elastic threads are much thicker than normal bobbin threads, the tension on the bobbin case must be set extremely loose. However, the tighter you set the bobbin-thread tension, the greater the gathering effect you will obtain. For this kind of smocking, fine and light material such as lightweight knit fabric, silk or satin are also suitable. Mark the first line on the fabric to be gathered. Sew along this line and knot the threads at the beginning and end of the seams. For the remaining parallel seams the material must be stretched to its original length during sewing (do not overstretch fabric). TIPS: You may find having a second bobbin case for specialty work a convenience! Always sew a test seam first! 78