I'm pleating!!!!!!!

Having little girls in the South means they have to wear precious little smocked bishops.  Thanks to my "Do-it-yourself" nature, I wanted to learn how to smock...plus you can save a little when you make them yourself.  So 2 years ago I decide that I'm going to smock Kenley's Easter dress.  [It was a huge undertaking b/c I decided this kinda late in the game]  A dear friend, Ellen, sat with me at lunch one day and taught me the basics and my amazing mother-in-law (MIL) 'put the dress together' and Kenley had a beautiful handmade smocked Easter dress. 

 Here she is on her first Easter ('09)!

My love for smocking has only grown.  I seriously love it!  I love seeing my girls in those precious dresses and I love knowing that I made it for them.  Now I know how to put together my own bishop and [again thanks to my MIL] I can now PLEAT my own dresses!!!! 

Why is this a big deal?  Well pleating the dress costs about $15-17.  Multiply that by 2 and that means I'm spending roughly $30 just to have the dress pleated.  That does not include material, thread, smocking plate, etc.  By the time it's all said and done...you're really not saving that much making it yourself. 

MIL surprised me at Christmas with my very own pleater and I finally got the courage to give it a try today.  After doing some reading and watching a couple of videos I grabbed some spare fabric and turned the crank and successfully pleated for the first time!  I'm so excited!!!!  Now I can make dresses for my girls, gifts for friends and maybe over pleating services.

Once I finish my first 'start to finish' smocked bishop I will post pictures!!

 SQUEE!!!!!  Here's my pleater!!!

Check. It. Out.  I pleated something!!

This is a dress I smocked for my friend's little girl ('09).  LOVE this blue!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress!  I made this for Kenley last summer ('10)

This one is very precious....this was Taylor's coming home dress ('10).  It was the first dress I ever put together.  She was so beautiful in it!