Smockers meet to preserve disappearing art
Posted on Wednesday, August 2, 2006
“ We’re a violent group, ” Helen Lively said. “ We stab, punch, roll,
whip and bleed. ”
Lively, who had a twinkle in her eyes, was talking about smocking, embroidering and sewing. She is president of the Ozark Foothills Chapter of the Smocking Arts Guild of America. Vice President Bidetta Valentine said Lively’s name suits her.
Villagers Maxine DeCannire and Valentine attend meetings in Springdale the fourth Tuesday of the month.
DeCannire doesn’t sew and smock as much as she used to, but she still attends the meetings to visit with other needle artists and to see the new creations.
Valentine has been a smocker for about nine years. When she lived in Maryland, she decided to make a dress for her new niece and walked into a fabric store that had displays of heirloom quality clothing with smocking and embroidering. She fell in love with it and decided she had to learn how to do it.
“ If you want to do it, you will find it, ” she said.
Creating heirloom quality clothing was a way for Valentine to reduce the stress in her life. She was a securities examiner and had a round-trip commute of three to four hours from her Maryland home to Washington, D. C., each day.
Today, Valentine creates little girl’s dresses, christening gowns and other items for sale. She also teaches others — in a class or singly — at Sew a Stitch in Bentonville.
For her show and tell, she brought several items including a pink dress for a 1- or 2-year-old girl, which is for sale. She had seen a pattern for it in a magazine in blue with ecru trim, but she decided pink and white would be pretty, too. The cotton dress has embroidered smocking, shadow work embroidery, bouillon rosebuds and English lace edging.
Most of the fabrics the members use are natural fabrics such as cotton, linen and silk.
Each month the members work on a project. This month they were working on a Christmas ornament with lace, shadow embroidering and Swiss beading.
They also ask for help with their other projects.
Lively was working on a peachcolored Easter dress she is going to take to the guild’s national convention this summer in Anaheim, Calif. She asked Barbara Stewart for help in choosing embroidery thread colors. Stewart was an art teacher, Valentine explained.
Stewart, as is the case with most members, has to drive from Oklahoma, an hour and 20-minute drive. Lively drives from Ft. Smith.
A couple of members are from Springdale, including Carol E. Kick, the national guild’s president, and Sarah Howell, the local chapter’s newest member.
For their public service project, called Wee Care, the members make little gowns for premature babies. Often, these gowns also become their burial gowns, according to Lively. Having something special for their little babies means so much to the new parents, she said.
Anyone interested in buying one of Valentine’s creations, taking some classes or going to a chapter meeting should call give her a call at 876-6083, or visit the national guild’s Web site at www. smocking. org
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