Adding texture to your quilts: polka dot smocking

Do you have any polka dots in your stash? This fabric manipulation is a lot of fun. I’ve also used it in my quilts. It’s a beautiful addition to any quilt and it looks very special.

How to make polka dot smocking

While I made this with a polka dot print, you can make it with other type of print that can be used as a grid as well.

Don’t stop at quilting, you can use this fabric manipulation on a bag, or on clothing.

Another example.

And a print that can also be used as a grid.

If you’d like to try this fabric manipulation and 24 more:

• Check out the fabric manipulation tutorials in one single PDF.

And watch a closeup of all the fabric manipulations.

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• Look for the Subscribe button on my blog
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Share your work!

If you make any of my tutorials this is how you can share your pictures:

• On Instagram please tag me with @teresadownunder and hashtag #teresadownunder
• Join my Facebook group and post your pictures there

My book Turnabout Patchwork

“Turnabout Patchwork. Simple quilts with a twist” is all about playing with blocks – making a block, slicing it up, and turning or repositioning the pieces to make a completely different block (sometimes two smaller blocks) to yield endless quilt tops.

• Order Turnabout Patchwork on Amazon

Buy individual chapters of my book

Now that my publisher is going out of business I have bought the rights to publish my book. Now you can download individual chapters. Each digital download is a bundle with 4 quilt patterns in it.

• Block Modern shoofly.

• Block Quarter snowball.
• Half square triangles and squares block

As well as the instructions and fabric needs to make the blocks you’ll find a section on quiltmaking basics at the end of the pattern that discusses:

• Tools
• Squaring up blocks
• Borders
• Assembly and quilting
• Binding

See all the quilts in the book in a real life project