I thought that I would show how I make honeycomb smocking, the technique I used while smocking the leather belt thing.
smocking leather - overview

honeycomb smocking - 1
Start with drawing a net of dots on your fabric, I do the dots directly on the fabric but many makes a paper patterns with squares first, and then uses the corner of the squares to mark out the dots.

my squares are 1*1 cm (0,4 inches), it is a bit small to work with, so if it is your fist try it can be good to start with some larger squares such as 2*2 cm (0,8 inches). With a lot of smocking techniques one usually marks on the back of the fabric, but now we mark on the front.

honeycomb smocking - 2
You need a needle on a thread that is knotted in the end.

honeycomb smocking - 3
Stick the needle up in the first dot.

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At the same place, pick up a few millimetres of fabric (just like 3 threads or so).

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Go to the dot beside it and pick up some fabric here to.

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Pull together.

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Sew some stitches and secure the “fold” you just made.

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There, now on to the next stage.

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Stick the needle down from where it just came from.

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And stick it up the dot under it.

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Now you are not going to pull the threads together, let it lie loose on the back.

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Secure the thread again.

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Pick up some fabric, go to the next dot and pick up some fabric there.

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Pull together, sew some stitches and secure the thread.

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Stick the needle down the hole it came from again.

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And stick it up the dot just above it, remember to let the thread on the back lie loose.

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Secure the thread.

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And continue this way all the way to the end of the row.

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This is how it can look when you come to the end.

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Stick the needle down the hole it came from, skip one dot and come up the next.

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Secure the thread. Remember that all the thread you do not pull together should lay loose on the back.

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Pick up some fabric, go to the next dot and pick up some fabric there, pull together, sew some stitches and secure the thread.

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Down from where it came from, and then down to the dot directly under it.

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Pick up some fabric, go to the next dot and pick up some fabric there, pull together, sew some stitches and secure the thread and move on.

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If one keeps going like this, this is how it will look like, and now you hopefully know how to make honeycomb smock.

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