Stitching textures: 32 patterns for origami tessellation pleating and modern smocking designs using square grids (color interior)

Be proud and confident, while having fun with the aesthetic of modern smocking designs

*** Dear readers, based on your valuable feedback, this book has been revised and updated! The last update was published in Nov, 2023. To bring more clarity and enhance the reading experience, language has been revised and more visual explanations have been added. Please feel free to reach out to us when you have difficulties using the book, and our small team will try our best to serve what we can! Please also note this book is available in different formats and price options; (1) e-book (ASIN: B09ZSTCF5G), (2) black & white paperback (ASIN: B09X5JDH37), and (3) full-color paperback (ASIN: B09X57L7N2). ***

It's amazing that designs made up of lines and dots alone can result in dramatic surface textures. But perhaps not so many people can explain why and how, thus limiting themselves to just a few certain designs. Based on generic knowledge and the author’s own study and experience, a systematic approach that will help you create and validate the design ideas has been developed and shared in many aspects. Not only open up new design possibilities, the technique will also assist you in a precise dimension calculation, which will save your fabrics, reduce unnecessary waste, and increase your confidence.

Here’s the good thing about a “systematic” one; once you are used to it, you can do any design for any dimension. To get the most out of this book, we encourage you to try making small samples of one (or ones) of the given 32 designs, to gradually discover all the wonders. This way, it would be easier when you return to content that seems complex initially, and will be ready to move on greater!

A simple square grid is a great companion to begin with. For stitchers who may not be very familiar with origami tessellation, you can still play with or use the given crease patterns as a tool to modify or validate your designs. And if you are an origami artist who’s keen to bring your fascinating surface texture onto a more durable or washable material like fabric, this book makes a great place for practicing.

With the main focus on pattern designs, this book is good for sewing enthusiasts and embroiders who wish to create fancy textures for various craft ideas, such as clothing, home décor, etc. Beginners with little or no experience in smocking and/or origami may need more time and effort to learn and grow the skills, but it’s possible, especially if you’re willing to understand all the explainable logic behind the creation of such fantastic decorative art style and develop your own designs. We hope the book will bring you joy and confidence.

This book features;

• A collection of 32 smocking patterns based on 4 different techniques
• A systematic approach that will help in the precise dimension estimation and design idea validation
• For 18 patterns derived directly from origami tessellation, paper-folding crease diagrams are provided side by side for easy comparison
• Same-scale illustrations and images for every pattern, to allow a thorough understanding of texture formation and dimensions before vs. after
• Pre-calculated dimensions for various sizing, to make use of right away

Table of contents;

• Stitches, gathers, and pleats
  • What is smocking
  • Dimensions, before and after
  • Paper vs. fabric
  • Using a square grid in designs
  • How to stitch, where to start
• 14 patterns from arrays of lines and dots
• 6 patterns from connected corners
• 4 patterns from twists
• 8 patterns from twisted corner pairs
• Appendix 1 to 3