"Smocking Plates"
(if you can call them that...)

Here is what I've come up with for my smocking plates.  Originally I intended to make a 'true' smocking plate, but as every vertical line
equals two stitches/two pleats, I think I'll be alright using it as-is.  The only graph paper in our house that I could find was an old
chemistry lab research notebook, but hey - it worked.  I've found that the number of pleats I have for the front and back pieces must be
remarkably close to the original since it's working out almost perfectly as far as the smocking pattern matching the dimensions and
number of pleats.
Front/Back Design:
The back on the original is supposedly 5 cm long as opposed to the 6 cm of the front.
 I think I will still use the same pattern as I have not encountered a picture of the
back to compare to the front for noting differences.  Or perhaps I could just leave  
the triangles off the top to take away some height . . .
Cuff Design:
The cuff pattern height is unknown, therefore I traced a quarter, nickel, and dime to find which
size fit the best - the dime has a diameter that fits across 17 pleats perfectly and should be well
within the 'narrow' description of the cuff embroidery.  Also unknown is the type of half-circle
pattern that was used.  For all I know it could be quite complicated, but I have settled for a
rather simple design that should still look fairy elegant.  Again, not a true smocking plate, but if
I can understand it, it's good enough for me.  
A Note on the Thread I'm Smocking With:
The original embroidery was done in a silver thread which, in the photos, has obviously tarnished a bit over the years to bring it
to a dark color that can easily be mistaken for something resembling black-work done in black thread.  Therefore, in trying to
recreate the look, I am using rayon thread (since I don't have access to real tarnished silver thread) for it's shine.  To create the
color of 'tarnished'  silver, I am mixing one strand of black with one strand of dark grey for the stitching.  Thus far I am quite
happy with the blackened silver look it's making.  
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