Tortoise Cube Smocking

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There are many ways to personalize a tortoise's shell. You can crazy quilt, use faux fur, paint, embroider, and embellish it. One fun way to add texture and personality is through smocking. This new shape of smocking uses many of the same techniques from my other patterns (Grinning Gator, Friend Owl, and Plucky Penguin). Smocking is not difficult, but it is time consuming. The good news is that hand stitching is portable and it is something you can do on the train, waiting for a doctor's appointment, while watching tv, or even while supervising kids at the playground. 

Find My Smocked Patterns 

I used braided smocking for the Friend Owl pattern and arrow smocking for the Grinning Gator and Plucky Penguin. To get these pattern check out the Fostering Sewing Etsy shop here: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/FosteringSewing

The full tutorial for arrow smocking can be found here: 

 https://fosteringsewing.blogspot.com/2021/08/arrow-smocking-tutorial.html 


The full tutorial for braided smocking can be found here: 

Let's Get Started! 

Materials Needed to Create a Smocked Tortoise Shell: 

  • You will need fabric that is at least 28” wide x 24” tall. This will give you a 3” border around the smocking guide. 
  • Marking tool
    • white gel pen or metallic sharpie for dark fabrics, marker that disappears with water, crayola washable marker, etc. Note that marks may show on the front of the fabric so test any fabric you want to use for an actual project. 
  • NEW: Optional projector smocking file for the tortoise shell. Get the file here FILE TO COME 
  • OR manually mark the grid with a pegboard (my favorite), quilting ruler, or DIY template with holes in a grid 1". At least 10" x 10" needed  
  • Hand sewing needle and thread
  • Thimble (highly recommended)

1-Marking the Fabric Grid

I recommend marking at least 12" x 12" as a practice to get started. This will give you an idea of how the smocking all fits together. If you are making the tortoise shell, you will need a grid that is 22" wide x 18" tall. This video shows how to make a 10" x 10" grid, but you can make it any size. 


 

2- Marking the Smocking



3- Let's Get Sewing 




4- Arranging the Smocking (Finishing Details) 



Before finishing details: 

After finishing details: 


You Can Do It! 

If you would like to smock something other than the tortoise pattern, measure the tallest and widest points of the pattern piece. Then double the measurements and mark the grid for the doubled height and width. Example- if you would like to smock a pattern piece that is 5" x 10" you will want a grid that is at least 10" x 20". 

I can't wait to see what you do with smocking! It is such a fun technique and makes such cool effects for final projects. 

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