Smocking is stitching, done in a pattern, across the tops of tiny, regular pleats. Pleating the fabric is the first step.  
I do quite a bit of hand sewing, and we spend a fair amount of time at various pubs. I usually have a project with me to work on. I know a number of people who have stupid peer tricks. I'm not a peer, but I am a Lily. 

Gwendolyn
Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 16, 2014, at 12:47 AM, Stefan li Rous <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Then, I’m going to ask another newbie/non-sewer question.
> 
> What is the difference between pleating/gathering and smocking?
> 
> I *thought* I knew what the first was, but now i’m not so sure. And what is “smocking” and how does it vary from gathering? I thought pleating used sharp folds as opposed to just loosely gathering cloth together. Is that right?
> 
> “stupid Lilly” trick? Is that like a stupid squire trick?
> 
> Admittedly, it seems rather stupid to criticize or make fun of someone in a dark tavern wielding a sewing needle. Unless you do it as you are leaving the tavern.
> 
> “Oops, my lord. I seem to have just sewed your ear to this cushion. I guess you are right, it is a bit dark in here."
> 
> Stefan
> 
>> On Nov 14, 2014, at 7:35 AM, Gwendolyn <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> 
>> I've never used one, myself. It just does the pleating/gathering for you. All the smocking is still done by hand. 
>> From what I understand, it's very easy to break the needles, so frequent threading will be likely. Fortunately, I'm good at threading needles. I joke that my stupid Lilly trick is that I can thread a needle in a dimly lit pub. (And I do it fairly frequently.)
>> I sew a lot, both by machine and hand. I don't smock much. It's generally later period than I usually do, but I enjoy doing it. I don't want to spend a small fortune on a machine that won't get a huge amount of use. 
>> 
>> Gwendolyn
> --------
> THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
>   Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          [log in to unmask]
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksharris
> **** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****
> 
> --
> Manage your subscription at  http://listserv.unl.edu.
> listserv.unl.edu lists do not accept incoming email from Yahoo.com, AOL.com or Dropbox.com due to their DMARC policies.

--
Manage your subscription at  http://listserv.unl.edu.
listserv.unl.edu lists do not accept incoming email from Yahoo.com, AOL.com or Dropbox.com due to their DMARC policies.