The Basics
I've had a few requests for information regarding the design of my smocked tie purse on PR, so I thought I'd share a few links and the basics of how I went about assembling things.
I'd like to note that while my bag turned out looking alright, I would not recommend using ties for smocking. Smocking is always created on grain as far as I've seen and there's probably a good reason for it. Using bias strips of fabric made the bag a little squishy and less stable, I was able to add a sewn on fleece but if I did things over I would use on grain scrap fabrics, or instead I'd have cut the ties on grain and used the small squares in another design.
This site is one of the honeycomb smocking tutorials that I referenced the most when designing the bag, although I focused solely on the technique. For my "crazy quilt" adaptation I divided each smocked section into rectangular strips that were seamed at the folded edge. This measurement could differ depending on your needs but the gist of it is that you want the visible top facing pleat to be smaller than the hidden one. For my bag it was 1.25" plus a half an inch seam allowance per side; for the hidden "reveal" piece I then doubled the seam allowances and added that number to the bottom piece because (like a box pleat) it's folded under the top pleat, therefore it requires extra material which will go unseen. The reveal pleat ends up overlapped and hidden by the top pleats. As in the above linked tutorial pleats are pressed and tacked into position with hand sewing.
There is a lot of pressing which also did not lend itself well to the materials used. Some fabrics were too sensitive and it took hours to steam creases out. I had to use a scrap of the tie interfacing (fleece) to keep seam edges from showing through when pressing by tucking the material under the fabric and above the seam before pressing. I learned that the brocade acetate tie was the absolute worst to press, it almost wouldn't crease at all and had an obnoxious amount of body. Not all ties are created equal and some are far thinner than others, it's not always easy to tell as they contain a stabilized piece inside that maintains the tie shape which can be thicker or thinner depending on the manufacturer.
For the remainder of the bag assembly I loosely referenced this tutorial, again I adapted the lining assembly to fit my zipper and materials.
I think it's a really cute bag but it definitely needs a little touch up down the line. I couldn't find the right size d rings so I used interfaced strips of fabric on grain and I'm not confident it'll hold up to the metal chain over time. A slightly heavier interfacing might give it the rigidity of a clutch purse, it's a little too soft.
I would like to try this same technique again but with some fabric scraps instead. I might use ties to create decorative bias stripes for garments though, especially on a blouse collar for a bit of glam!
