What is a honeycomb stitch?

A honeycomb stitch is a decorative stitch made of overlapping rows that produce a cell-like pattern. Its practical use is smocking: rows worked over gathered fabric hold the gathers and let the panel stretch.

Where it is used.

Smocked bodices and cuffs, particularly on children’s clothing, where the panel needs to stretch over the body.

Over shirring elastic, adding a decorative surface to an elasticated section.

Attaching flat elastic, since the stitch stretches with it.

As a flat decorative border on plain fabric, worked in a contrasting thread.

How to work it as smocking. Gather the fabric first — either with rows of long straight stitching drawn up evenly, or by winding elastic thread onto the bobbin and sewing parallel rows. Then sew the honeycomb rows across the gathers, keeping them parallel and evenly spaced. Marking the rows with a chalk line or a quilting guide is what makes the finished panel look regular.

Settings. Width 4 to 6 mm, length 2 to 2.5 mm as a starting point, adjusted so the rows read clearly. Test on a scrap of the actual gathered fabric — the pattern looks quite different over gathers than it does flat.

Fabric. Light and soft: lawn, voile, fine cotton, batiste. Heavy fabric will not gather finely enough for the effect to work.

Allow extra fabric. Smocking takes roughly three times the finished width, so measure that before cutting rather than afterwards.