Smocking mistakes and fixes
Grid and tension.
- Pleats off grain: enter and exit at exactly the same point on each row.
- Puckering or breaking thread: check the tension, not too tight or loose.
- Not enough fabric: allow about three times the finished width.
- Fabric too drapey or thick for a pleater: hand pleat instead.
Watch
AVOID These Smocking MISTAKES! (7:15)
By Thimble And Plume · Open on YouTube
Chosen from its title and channel: a 7-minute video from Thimble And Plume on the same topic as this guide. Embedded from YouTube with credit; we don't host it. It only loads when you press play.
All guides ›Smocking
Sources
All checked November 1, 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.