Smocked Curtain How-To

Press gingham, and hem all around with a 1/2-inch seam.

Download the smocking diagram. Smock the first 2 rows: Starting on the wrong side of the fabric, stitch up through the fabric at spot 1. With the needle and embroidery floss, make a small stitch (catch just the corner) of spot 2. Stitch back through spot 1 to make the fabric pucker, then back through spot 2, and then slide the needle through the loop of thread to make a small knot on the right side of the fabric. Push needle through to wrong side.

Push needle through spot 3, and repeat process with spots 3 and 4.

Push needle through spot 5, and repeat with spots 5 and 6.

Continuing in this fashion, smock the uppermost 2 rows across. When you reach the right-hand edge of the fabric, knot the thread, and cut.

Starting back on the left-hand edge, repeat process from left to right, until the top 5 inches of the curtain have been smocked.

Press the long edges of the white fabric under by 1/4-inch. Machine-stitch to the upper edge of the wrong side of the curtain to create a channel for the curtain rod.