What is a smocked bishop?

I'm really enthusiastic about the "smocking a bishop" series I'm featuring in my Sewing Journal! I hope you'll share the link with anyone keen on joining us. Since some of my followers might not be well-versed in smocking or familiar with what a "smocked bishop" entails, I'll provide a brief introduction before we get started.

What is a smocked bishop? 

A smocked bishop dress is a classic garment for babies and little girls, prized for its loose and comfortable fit. It's considered one of the easiest smocked garments to make and is renowned for its ability to fit for a longer period than other dress styles. For authenticity, a bishop dress must be meticulously hand-smocked from the neckline out to the shoulders with raglan sleeves, resulting in a charming round yoke.

While most bishop dresses share a similar look, there are variations in sleeves and closures. While some have shoulder or front openings, the back closure is the most common, and that's what I'll be demonstrating in this series. To begin, I'll be using a Smocking Pleater along with a bishop pattern from The Children's Corner.

Although many of my followers are experienced with smocking, some may be unfamiliar with or hesitant to work with gingham fabric. To address this, I'll include a bonus demonstration using brown gingham fabric. However, for clarity's sake, I'll primarily use light-colored fabric during the lessons.

You're welcome to use any bishop-style pattern you prefer; I'll be working with View A "Betsy," which is shown on the far right. Let's gather our supplies this weekend, as we'll start on Monday with laying out the pattern pieces, cutting out the bishop, and preparing for pleating!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments, and I'll do my best to address them in the next blog post. Let's embark on this sewing journey together!