An Old Photo...

Will you look at the beautiful smocking...on the smock. All that work to produce an item worn for milking the cows perhaps or turning the hay...

The photo is dated to 1870.

[redted]

My Mum used to do smocking on my sisters babies dresses. it looked so pretty.

[Azure_Sky]

I do love smocking, wasn't nice to see Prince George wearing a smocked top at his sister's christening? Maybe it will come back into fashion.

Your old gentleman looks very smart, I thought to myself that around the country different areas had different crafts.

My husband's grandmother and great grandmother were lace makers.

Up in the Scottish Islands and in Ireland beautiful jerseys are made and have been for hundreds of years.

With no television, radio, cinema for entertainment, there was time to do these crafts. I expect the women gathered together to sing as they worked.

I have a very old photo of fishermen mending their nets.

[Hidden]

Just amazing. And to think, that chap was probably alive at the time of Trafalgar and Waterloo. I wonder if he he shook in his shoes at the thought of 'boney' invading?

[velvet55]

Hello Vashti

My mum used to do smocking on my dresses ( I was 18 at the time !! )....only joking.

It was fabulous. She also knitted all our jumpers etc. I used to be fascinated when it was fashionable to have...I think it was called Fair isle ?.....pattern around the neck part of a jumper, she would have various coloured balls of wool on one circular knitting needle, following a pattern book that looked like a foreign language to me..At the same time, she would have her crossword puzzle on the other arm of her chair, and Watch a TV programme !!

Happy Days.

Velvet xx

[Nikkers]

I can remember a relative of mine doing smocking....... So clever and pretty.

I don't know of anyone doing it nowadays, not by hand at least?