ASG member, and former Board member, Joi Bostic, recently had an opportunity to visit to the Textile Center in Minneapolis. The following is a recap of Joi’s visit, in her own words:

I was incredibly excited to learn that my brother-in-law who lives in the Minneapolis/St Paul area and knows about my love of sewing, had planned a trip to the Textile Center in Minneapolis during my visit. Due to road construction, we had to enter through the rear of the building, so I covered my eyes and carefully navigated the hallways until we reached the front. He really wanted me to experience the space from the front entrance, and he was absolutely correct.    

Upon my second time “entering” the building, I was greeted by a beautiful quilt exhibit to my left and a store to my right that was filled with treasures just waiting to go home with me.

But let’s start with the exhibit… 

We were able to move through “Stitching Black Legacy: The Quilts of Carolyn Mazloomi.”  Ms. Mazloomi’s attention to detail is amazing—the quilts were done in black and white with some having a splash of color to better tell the story. The most impressive part of the 19 quilts is that they were all created between 2024 and 2025 and the story that each one told was breathtaking. The “Stitching Black Legacy” exhibit will be there through July 12 in case you find yourself in Minneapolis. 

Then, the Shop

To the right was the Textile Center Shop which was filled with handmade fiber art and gifts featuring over 100 artists, as well as supplies to purchase for use in creating your own masterpiece.

Towards the rear of the shop was the entrance to a lounge area where a young lady was making yarn cakes for knitters or crocheters. The lounge area then ushered me into The Stashery. This area is where you can find a variety of previously loved materials at great prices. I had to exercise great restraint as I walked through and repeatedly reminded myself that I flew to the area and would not be able to fit the fabric, rulers, or big bundles of thread in my suitcase, not to mention not being able to transport rotary cutters or shears in my carry-on bag. Note that due to its nature, their selection changes constantly, but I was impressed that there were items for every type of fiber artist. 

Into the Library

Across the hall from The Stashery is the phenomenal library. In this space, you can find the largest collection of fiber arts books, magazines, and media materials in the country with over 35,000 holdings. The stacks are arranged by topic, so all quilting materials are together, then sewing, then surface design which is subdivided by type of design. Finally, there is a a catch-all section. The end of each aisle features what can be found on that stack.   

The librarian is a wonderful 81-year-old woman named Nancy. Nancy took the time to walk us through the entire library and explain how to find things. At one point she mentioned that members of various guilds can check out materials so, of course, I asked whether American Sewing Guild members could take advantage of checking out materials and the response was “YES!”

Ms. Nancy has an interesting story—she was a schoolteacher for many years then, after she retired, she started volunteering at the Textile Center. The librarian at the time became pregnant and needed to leave the Center and Ms. Nancy was asked if she could step into the role temporarily. Twenty years later, she is still their librarian and continues doing a fabulous job. 

On to the Classroom

Down the hall from the library is a large classroom. This is a versatile space which can used for a number of purposes. When we arrived, a class was being held, but I didn’t see what it was as I was shielding my eyes to make my way to the front. Across from the classroom is a Dye Lab. Ooh, how I wished I had the time to play is that space! Along one of the hallways is a Guild Wall where fiber creations are featured. 

Needless to say, I am grateful to know about the Textile Center. Its mission is to honor textile traditions, promote excellence and innovation, and inspire widespread participation in fiber art. It does my heart good to know that fiber arts continues to be appreciated and is here to stay for a long, long time.

Learn more about the Textile Center at https://textilecentermn.org/.   

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~Joi Bostic, ASG Member

Smocking is one of those enduring needle arts that quietly transcends trends. While it’s often associated with heirloom baby dresses and delicate children’s clothing, smocking is far more versatile than its sweet, vintage reputation suggests. At its heart, smocking is a form of embroidery that adds stretch, texture, and beauty to pleated fabric. Whether used for function or flair—or both—this technique has stood the test of time for good reason. Smocking is also often called “shirring;” however, there are differences. Shirring is a sewing machine gathering technique, while smocking is an embroidery technique on pre-pleated fabric.

The technique originated centuries ago as a practical solution for shaping garments. It allows an item of clothing to fit close to the body for a flattering look but also be super comfortable because there’s plenty of give. Before elastic, smocking allowed clothing to stretch and move with the body. Farm workers in England wore “smocks” with stitched panels that gathered fullness across the chest, back, or sleeves. Over time, what began as a functional feature evolved into a decorative art. Smocking, aka shirring,

English smocking is worked over a panel of evenly spaced pleats. Each stitch catches the top third of adjacent pleats, forming a flexible chain across the fabric. The stitches can be simple or elaborate, depending on the design. Pleats are usually created using a hand-crank pleater, which feeds the fabric through a set of rollers and onto threaded needles. These gathering threads form a grid that serves as the guide for embroidery.

A popular method of smocking in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s was the “pick up the dots” method. This technique involved transferring dotted patterns onto flat fabric, usually by ironing a transfer on the fabric, then stitching and pulling the threads to form pleats as you worked—a process that felt like cutting-edge technology at the time.

Then, in the early 1980’s a true game-changer arrived in the form of the hand-crank pleater. Smockers would feed a flat piece of on-grain fabric (usually batiste) through the geared rollers, and would carefully turn the handle. Like magic, the gears would fold fabric into crisp, even pleats. The pleats were then pushed onto threaded needles, which held them in place. When the fabric was pulled off the needles, it remained gathered on the threads that were buried partway into the pleats and created something ready for smocking. The thread grid served as a handy guide for stitching charted designs. Today, smocking (or shirring) can be done using your sewing machine.

In the mid-1990s, a new style emerged called “stacking” or “picture smocking.” This technique stacks stitches to form recognizable images—teddy bears, toy trucks, Christmas trees. However, these motifs become distorted when stretched so an additional layer of stabilizing stitches is worked on the back to hold the panel in place. Picture smocking is most often used as a decorative insert, rather than a stretchable garment section.

Classic smocking is rooted in geometric patterns—zigzags, diamonds, hearts—repeated across “the pleated fabric. Traditionally, geometric smocking serves a structural role in clothing—shaping yokes, blouse fronts, sleeve caps, or ruffled dress shoulders. The smocked sections are anchored by flat fabric, which controls the stretch and gives garments a graceful silhouette without losing structure.

Shirrring with your Sewing Machine

Work with lightweight woven fabrics like cotton voile, chambray, or rayon challis. The lighter the fabric, the more it will gather during the shirring process.  As a general rule, a lightweight fabric will shrink to about half its original width after smocking—sometimes slightly more depending on the fabric and stitch spacing.

1. Wind the Bobbin by Hand

• Use elastic thread to wind your bobbin by hand, not with the machine.
• Wind it evenly and with just very slight tension—don’t over-stretch the elastic as you wind.
• Place the bobbin in your machine as usual.

2. Thread the Top as Usual

• Use regular thread in the needle and thread your machine like normal.

3. Mark Your Stitching Lines

• On the right side of the fabric, use a washable fabric marker or chalk to draw evenly spaced horizontal lines. Common spacing is ½” to ¾” apart.
• Mark as many rows as you want shirring. Start with 4–6 lines for a small area like a cuff or waistband.

4. Adjust Stitch Settings

• Set your machine to a longer straight stitch (3.0–4.0 mm).
• Do not backstitch at the beginning or end—just leave long thread tails to tie off.

5. Start Sewing

• Begin sewing on the first marked line. Sew slowly and evenly.
• As you stitch, the fabric will begin to gather. That’s the elastic doing its job!
• Repeat with each marked line, sewing rows parallel to each other.

6. Secure the Threads

• At the beginning and end of each row, tie the thread tails together to keep the elastic from pulling out.
• You can also backstitch, but tying is usually more secure with elastic thread.

7. Steam or Press

• After sewing all rows, use a steam iron to press the smocking.
• Hold the iron above the fabric and blast it with steam—don’t press hard.
• The heat will tighten the gathers and give a polished look.

Smocking or shirring adapts to suit nearly any vision. It can be bold or delicate, sweet or sophisticated. From vintage to contemporary, from baby clothes to bold fashion statements, smocking stretches far beyond its origins and remains a timeless technique that allows fabric—and imagination—to gather, flex, and flourish. And while it requires patience, the end result is a textured work of art that adds charm and craftsmanship to any project.

More Information

• Smocking explanation and examples
• Smocking by Machine
• Machine Smocking Techniques

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With all due respect to traditional hand sewing techniques, if there’s a faster, easier way to do it by machine—I’m in. So I started wondering: could I replicate needlepoint with my sewing machine? Turns out, I can!”

Full disclosure: I don’t do needlepoint by hand, so if you sense a lack of familiarity with the subject or terminology, that’s why.

You’ll find plenty of simple needlepoint patterns available, or you can create your own. Coloring books offer a great source of easy designs to experiment with or just grab a sheet of graph paper and start sketching!

Machine Needlepoint Basics

Thread

The world is your oyster in terms of thread, but there are several on the market that mimic hand needlepointing wools. These specialties can be acrylic, wool or blends—they are thicker than normal sewing threads and have a fuzzy texture.

Examples of these threads include:

• Sulky’s Filaine (100% acrylic)
• Aurifil’s Lana (50% acrylic/50% wool)
• Madeira’s Burmilana (50% wool/50% acrylic) or BurmalanaCo (50% cotton/50% wool)
• Wonderfil’s Ellana™ (50% wool/50% cotton).

In addition to those fuzzy strands, you can also use this technique with metallic threads, finer pearl cotton, or buttonhole- and topstitching-weight threads for a less fuzzy look to the stitching.

Machine Set-up

• You’ll need a large-eye needle for any of these specialty threads—a 100/16 topstitching needle is a good choice because of its elongated eye.
• As you test stitch, if the fuzzy threads tend to shred, move up a needle size to avoid damaging the thread and the look of your piece.
• Thread a matching standard or bobbin-weight thread in the bobbin, and the specialty thread on the top of the machine. Use a needle threader if you need help to get fuzzy threads through the needle eye.
• Some machines may require slight tension adjustments with the heavier threads, so be sure to test-stitch and adjust as needed.
• Lower the feed dogs on the machine and if you have a darning or open-toe foot, use it for better visibility.
• Keep a tiny lint brush handy as fuzz will build up on the machine’s needle area and in the feed dog area, so frequently cleaning is encouraged.

Canvas

• Choose a canvas for your base. Canvasses are designated by the number of spaces (holes) per inch. For machine work, use a 10- to 14-count mesh, depending on the thread you’re using—a smaller number for heavier threads and a higher number for lighter weight threads.
• Draw your design either directly onto the canvas, or onto a piece of stabilizer that you can secure to the canvas underside so you can see the design through the canvas holes.
• Cut the mesh with enough room around the design for the intended use. If you’re going to frame the piece or sew it into something else, allow extra space for those finishings. It’s also helpful to leave space enough to hang onto as you work.

Getting Started

Note: Test-stitch before you begin your project to get a feel for what you’re doing and the look you want to the finished piece.

This technique is admittedly quite mindless, as all you’re doing is stitching back and forth in adjacent canvas holes.

• Set the machine for a zigzag with a width compatible to the span of the needlepoint canvas holes. The more holes you span, the wider the stitch width. Working with adjacent holes produces a tighter looking design than spanning multiples.
• Stitch the zigzag between the holes to fill the space (5-6 times for heavier threads). Don’t stitch too many times or you’ll create a mound of thread rather than a flat finish. The important part of this test is to count the number of stitches, as you want each set of stitches to be the same.
• If your machine has memory capabilities, save the number of zigs and zags so it will be the same on each set of holes.
• Stitch slowly, as it’s important to stay within the hole openings and not stray to adjacent openings.
• Once you’ve filled a hole pair, move the canvas so that you can stitch again in an adjacent set of holes, moving across the design in a horizontal row pattern.
• Continue filling the hole pairs across the width of one row of the design. At the end of the row, move to the next row and do the same, noting that the needle goes into one of the holes of the previous stitching area each time.
• Be aware of your design, as thread color changes are needed as you stitch the various design areas.

Once you’ve completed the entire design, steam and block the work before framing it or incorporating it into a project.

Voilà—easy peazy!

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~Linda Griepentrog is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and three dogs, Yohnuh, Abby, and Lizzie. Contact her at .