Smocking involves decorative needlework to hold the gathered fabric together so that it can stretch. The fabric is gathered and then stitched creating a textured and intricate pattern (honeycomb or diamond). The gathering allows the fabric to stretch and fit more comfortably while also allowing visual detail. Before elastic, it was more commonly used in cuffs where the buttons were undesirable.
The band cuff is one of the simplest types of cuffs made from a separate piece of fabric and joined separately at the end of the sleeve. The band is cut from a straight fabric piece. The widths of these cuffs vary and sometimes may have attached ruffles or pieces of elastic pulled through the bands.
The machine should be turned off during threading.
Raise up the presser foot lever, then raise the needle by turning the handwheel towards you (counterclockwise) so that the mark on the wheel points at upward direction. The sewing machine cannot be threaded if the needle is not properly raised.
Pull up the spool pin (in some models) insert a spool of thread to it.
While holding the thread from the spool with the help of right hand, pass the thread in the groove on the thread guide towards your direction. Be sure that the spring present in the groove catches the thread.
Guide the thread through the thread-take-up lever from right to left. The upper thread cannot be wrapped around the thread-take-up lever if it is lowered, therefore first raise the needle by turning the handwheel counterclockwise that is towards you.
Pass the thread behind the Needle bar thread guide. Next thread the needle from front to back leaving a tai; of thread (some machines are equipped with a needle threader).
Cuffs are strips of fabric bands which are attached to the end of a sleeve with straight or gathered or pleated patterns. It can be a separate sewn-on piece or a turned back extension of a sleeve. They can be in the same material or a contrasting one. The cuffs at the end are thicker than the rest of the sleeve and creates a frame for the wrists and fingers. The cuffs impart great importance to the sleeve, whatever the length and also protect the garment from fraying.
Cuffs are of two types:
Cuffs Without Plackets: Plackets are an opening or slit in a garment. This type of cuff is ideal for both long and short sleeves and are created big enough around for the arm to slip in and out easily without a cuff-and-placket opening.
Cuffs With Plackets: These types of cuffs are generally attached to a long sleeve and unlike the first type requires a cuff-and-placket opening fastened snugly around the wrist. Most popular cuffs of this style are Shirt cuff, Lapped cuff, French cuff Etc.
Hobble women's skirt is rounded over hips and tapered to the ankle so narrowly that significantly impede the walking of the wearer. It was designed by Paul Poiret a Paris fashion designer in about 1912. The hobble dress is so narrow below the knees that it would 'hobble' or make the wearer walk in an awkward way.
The lower thread should be pulled up by lowering the needle before starting sewing.
Lightly hold the end of the upper thread and then slowly turn the handwheel towards your direction (counterclockwise) by hand to lower and then raise the needle.
Pull on the upper thread to draw up the lower thread.
Finally pull out about 4 inches or about 10 cm of both the upper and lower threads and put them toward the back of the machine under the presser foot.
(For some models with a quick-set bobbin, lightly hold down the bobbin with the help of the right hand, and then guide the thread through the two slits, pull the thread toward you and then cut it with the thread cutter at the end of the slit. Start sewing after threading the lower and upper thread).
Lower threading involves installing the bobbin wound thread to the machine. The machine should be turned off during threading to avoid any accidents.
Before threading the lower thread prepare the bobbin so that it is wound properly and evenly.
Remove the bobbin cover on the machine by sliding it and lifting towards you.
Insert the bobbin 'in' so that the thread comes out in the direction shown by the arrow (comes out at the left side). Set the bobbin so that the thread unrolls in right direction shown by the arrow, otherwise it may cause incorrect thread tension or break the needle.
Holding the end of the thread, push the bobbin down with the help of the finger and then pass the thread through the slit.
Replace the bobbin cover, put the thread projection into the bobbin race retainer grove and push it closed (be sure that the end of the thread comes out from the cover towards the rare of the machine.
