Shirring with Ruffles & Ridges

Fluffy Ruffles Sundress

Shirring with Elastic Thread

 created and written by Susan Stewart

 

This is a great tutorial written by Susan Stewart of www.SusanStewartDesigns.com.  We love using our "Ruffles and Ridges" Fabric with elastic bobbin.  There are so many fun, easy things you can do.  We have made both women's and children's skirts and swim cover-ups with this same method.  Thank you, Susan!

This sweet little dress is easily made with Ruffle Fabric and elastic thread!  No pattern is required, just the desired dress length.  The stretchy bodice makes the fit very adaptable, so the dress can work as a tunic long after it is too short for a dress.  The dress shown was made from Ruffles and Ridges fabric, but Mini Ruffles will work, too.  You will need the length of the dress plus ¼ yard.

You will also need polyester sewing thread to match your fabric, a stretch or ballpoint sewing machine needle in size 75 or 80, and a spool of elastic thread.  You can probably find this thread displayed with other elastic, not threads.  It is usually wound on a long narrow tube.  You want elastic thread, not elastic cord, which is much heavier. 

GETTING STARTED AND TEST STITCHING

1.     The elastic thread is wound on the bobbin, not threaded through the needle of the machine; it is too heavy for that.  And it must be wound by hand, which really doesn’t take as long as you might think.  Wind the elastic thread on the bobbin with just enough tension so the thread lies smoothly in the bobbin.  Because you will need more than one bobbin of elastic thread, you may want to wind several to start.

2.     Check your machine manual, it may have instructions for using elastic thread or other heavy threads in the bobbin.

3.     Insert the stretch needle in the machine, and thread the machine with the matching poly thread.  Position the bobbin in the bobbin case of the machine as usual.  Pull up the elastic thread, and leave a tail of a couple of inches.

4.     Do some test stitching on samples of the same fabric you will be using for your dress.  Each machine will be different, so I can't give any absolute settings.  Start with a stitch length of 4mm.  Straight stitch on the right side of the fabric, so the elastic thread is on the wrong side.  For testing, stitch at least half an inch from the edge of the fabric, in the middle of the fabric under a ruffle, and stitch at least 4 or 5 inches.  The stitched fabric should gather up, yet still allow for the fabric to stretch to its full width when the elastic is stretched. 

a.     If the needle thread forms loops on the wrong side of the fabric, increase the needle tension.

b.     If the elastic thread is loopy on the wrong side, slightly increase the bobbin tension.

c.     If the fabric doesn’t gather at all, or very little, slightly increase the bobbin tension or increase the stitch length.

d.     If the elastic is very tight, with tight gathers that will not stretch out, decrease the bobbin tension. 

Note:  To change the bobbin tension, consult your machine manual.  Bobbin cases usually have a little screw that turns “lefty loosey, righty tighty.”  Before changing the bobbin tension, use a fine-tip permanent marker to mark the position of the tension screw, so it will be easier to return to the regular bobbin tension when you return to regular sewing.  Tighten or loosen the screw in small increments, no more than one-eighth turn at a time.  Some people like to buy a separate bobbin case just for bobbin work, so their main bobbin never gets altered.  Changing the tension on drop-in bobbins will vary by machine; check your manual.  Some machines have special bobbins for bobbin work.  On other machines, it may work best to completely avoid the bobbin tension mechanism.  Test, test, test, and use the settings that work best for you and the particular fabric you are using.

e.     Leave tails of several inches at the ends of the stitched row.  After stitching the first row satisfactorily, stitch consecutive rows, stitching in the middle of the fabric under each ruffle.  Stretch out previous rows as you are stitching, so you are always stitching on flat fabric.  Be careful not to catch the ruffles in the stitching.

f.      If you run out of bobbin elastic (and you will – the bobbins don’t hold enough to finish a project), leave tails of both elastic and thread about 2 or 3 inches long.  Pull the thread to the wrong side.  Insert a new, filled bobbin and continue stitching so just a couple of stitches overlap.  Make sure the tails don’t get caught in the stitching.  Pull the thread from the new stitching to the wrong side.  Securely tie together the elastic thread ends; likewise tie together the thread ends.  Cut off elastic and threads, leaving at least ¼ inch tails.

g.     After the stitching is completed, steam the shirred section. If one or more rows are not pulled up as much as the others, gently pull up the elastic thread, as if it were a regular gathering thread, and distribute the extra gathers, so that all rows are consistently taut. This is what it should look like on the wrong side:

 

SEWING THE DRESS

1.     Lay out Ruffles and Ridges fabric right side up, with ruffles lying flat.  For dress upper edge, cut between the first (uppermost) and second ruffle of a “Ruffles” segment.

 

1.     Measure down desired length, and cut lower edge between ruffles.  No hem is required!  If in doubt about length, cut fabric a little longer.  The dress can always be shortened after it is finished, simply by cutting off a few ruffles! 

2.     Stitch rows of elastic thread, as directed above, on the fabric between the top two ruffles.

3.     Stitch subsequent rows of elastic thread between the other ruffles in this top “Ruffles” section.

4.     In the “Ridges” segment, stitch right on the little knit-in ridges (perfect – no marking required!)  Because this part of the fabric is a little heavier than the fabric between the ruffles, you may need to increase the stitch length a bit, or tighten the bobbin tension a little, to make the shirring consistent.

5.     Stitch as many rows of elastic thread as desired for bodice of dress. 

6.     Steam the shirred section of fabric.

7.     Now it’s time to stitch the center back seam.  You need to hold the ruffles in place while you stitch, so they don’t get bunched up or flipped up in the seams.   I have “tamed” the ruffles in these different ways:

a.     Simply pin, pin, pin, and pin some more!

b.     Serge or zigzag along the edge of the fabric before seaming to hold the ruffles in place.  Stitch from top to bottom, in the direction the ruffles lay.

c.     Near the seamline, use a tiny bit of water-soluble glue stick under each ruffle to hold it in place.  After gluing, press lightly with a warm iron and press cloth to dry the glue so it won’t gum up your sewing machine needle.

Use blue painter’s tape about ¼ inch from the seamline to hold the ruffles in place.

 

1.     Fold the fabric right sides together, matching rows of ruffles in the skirt, and pin.

2.     While seams can be serged, I usually prefer to simply zigzag them.  Why?  Because if a ruffle is caught in a zigzagged seam, it’s easy to open a few stitches, release the ruffle, and re-stitch.  If it is caught in a serged seam, it may be cut off!  Zigzag (approx. W = 2.0, L = 2.0) on the seamline, and again about ¼ inch from the first stitching, within the seam allowance.  Trim seam allowance close to second stitching. 

3.     To help prevent the elastic thread from pulling out, press or simply fold the seam allowance to one side, and zigzag topstitch from the right side, through the bodice and seam allowances.  This stitching does not extend into the skirt, only on the elasticized bodice.

4.     Now it’s time to do the shoulder straps!  Cut a strip of Ruffles, cutting the upper edge as you did for the top of the dress, and the bottom edge below the lowermost ruffle in a strip (the cut strip will include 7 ruffles from the Ruffles and Ridges fabric.  If you are using mini Ruffles, cut a strip 2 to 3 inches wide.)  Stitch elastic thread between each row of ruffles, as you did for the dress.  Steam.

5.     Cut shoulder straps about 7 inches long for baby and toddler sized dresses, 8 inches for little girl sizes, and 9 to 10 inches for big girl sizes.  Remember, this stuff is very stretchy, so precise measurements are not necessary!

6.     Fold under about ½ inch on each cut end, then securely hand stitch straps to upper edge of bodice at desired locations, catching folded-under ends in stitching.  Hand stitching gives a much nicer look than machine stitching, and takes only a few minutes.

7.     Have a little girl try this on, and watch her twirl!

 
 

If you like these instructions, check out my Ruffles Idea Booklet, available on my website www.SusanStewartDesigns.com

 

Magic Diagonal Ruffled Scarf

Ruffle Fabric "Magic" Diagonal Scarf

Using 2" Ruffle Fabric

PLEASE NOTE: THE PRINTED RUFFLES ARE NOT MEANT FOR THIS TUTORIAL- THEY WILL BE PARTLY UPSIDE DOWN...

Follow these easy steps:

1.  Visualize the finished scarf.  Choose and cut the width and length desired.  The length of your fabric must be a multiple of the width.

2.  We used our 2" blush ruffle.  We cut 6 ruffles wide (about 8") and two widths (48" each) long.  Finished scarf size is 4" wide and 76" long.

3.  Seam together the two widths of RUFFLES at the short, selvage ends to make one long piece.  Sew with the ruffles down, but the last ruffle needs to be bunched up.  See bottom ruffle in above photo.

 4.  Baste the ruffles at both end of the scarf in the down direction, scrunching up the last ruffle as before.

 5.  Corner A is the top right-hand corner.  Corner B is the bottom left-hand corner. 

6.  Create the first pointed tip by folding the corner A across the width of the scarf to the opposite side, right sides together and positioning the ruffles down toward the point.  Scrunch the ruffles together at the point.  Pin or machine baste in place.  Note:  the ruffles will stick out of the seam a little.

 7.  Corner B is the lower left-hand corner of the scarf.

 
 8.  Repeat to created the second pointed tip.  Fold the opposite direction using corner B to form the second tip of the scarf.

 9.  Begin stitching with 1/2" seam allowance (or using the presser foot width) at the pointed tip and continue to just before the edge of the original corner A- do not sew all the way to the edge- stop 1/2" (or the same distance as the seam allowance you are using) from the corner, with the needle down into the fabric.

Showing the stopping point before the reaching the edge of the fabric, needle down.

 You will pivot the top layer of fabric to match up with the bottom layer.

 10.  Pivot the top layer of fabric to match up with the bottom layer.  Continue sewing an inch or two with the same width seam allowance, joining the two long sides of the fabric.  Be sure the ruffles are tucked into the scarf and are not caught in the seam.  Repeat for the second pointed tip.

 11.  At this time, we recommend pinning the sides together from each end to the approximate center of the scarf.  The scarf will turn and twist, which is normal.

 12.  Stitch scarf closed down long ends beginning from each end with right sides together.  Take care not to catch a ruffle in the seam!  Leave a space of approximately 3 inches in the center of the scarf (near original seam that joined the two widths of the fabric together).  NOTE:  this seam will not match up!  You will turn the scarf right side out through the opening.

 While stitching, the scarf will turn and twist- this is normal!  It is easier to sew if you untwist the scarf after it goes through your sewing machine.


Note the sewn scarf wrong side out (with the opening in the middle).  This shows why the original measurement requires the width to be a multiple of the length... the long diagonal seam ends perfectly at the point of the scarf end.


13.  Before turning the scarf, you may want to trim the seams at the pointed ends.

14.  Turn the scarf through the opening and hand-stitch the opening closed.

The Magic Diagonal Scarf cascades beautifully!  Enjoy!

Ruffle Fabric Flower Tutorial

Ruffle Fabric Flowers

There are a million ways to make these simple flowers.  This is how we make them!  It is not necessary to worry about being too precise- they always seem to turn out!

Gather your materials:  your Ruffle Fabric, mesh, tulle or any other "filler" if you choose, small piece of felt, hot glue, E3000 glue and beads/buttons/etc. for center.  Sewing machine to gather Ruffles and mesh.

  

1.     If using tulle or English Nette, cut one strip 2 ¾ “ wide, using rotary cutter.  We like the look of the nette with the 1” and mini ruffles, but the two-toned stripes are darling on their own. 

  2.  Cut one ruffle, between the ruffles.  If using mini ruffles, we use three ruffles.

                                            

 3.     Using a long stitch, 3.5-4 on my machine, sew next to each ruffle on the thicker portion of the knit fabric behind the Ruffles.  We do not need to adjust the tension on our machines to make the fabric gather- in fact, I often gently pull the fabric from behind the presser foot to prevent too tight of gathers.

4.     Using same method, stitch one row up the center of the long strip of nette.

   5.  Fold mesh in half for the first layer of the flower.

 6.  Using hot glue, place glue in a circle (about the size of a quarter for smaller flowers, and a little bigger for larger flowers) on scrap of felt.

  7.  With mesh folded in half, place the stitching of the mesh on glue, overlapping the ends by about 1/2". 

 8.  Place glue just on inside of edge of mesh.  Place first layer of ruffles on the glue, and repeat, spiraling around until you have two layers of ruffles.

 9.  Glue another layer of mesh.

 10.  Glue another one or two layers of Ruffles.

11.  Finish off the center!  We will stitch/glue buttons, seed beads, etc. with E6000 glue.

Ruffle Fabric Baby Shoes

Our mini ruffles are the perfect size for making darling baby shoes. We used the Simplicity 2471 pattern for this tutorial. There are also free patterns found online, one option is found at http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/Booties.html. We'd love to view your photos of your own baby shoes - post at http://www.facebook.com/rufflefabric.

Click on the link below to view the full tutorial and printable.

Ruffled Fabric Baby Shoes

Color Block Ruffle Fabric Option

COLOR BLOCK RUFFLE FABRIC SKIRT

This skirt always turns out cute! The hardest part is deciding your color combinations. There are so many possibilities. This is a great project for leftover fabrics- we try not to waste any fabric!

First, determine the colors and number of RUFFLES of each color block to be used to add up to the desired finished length. For the skirt shown our finished length was 11-12 inches- we had 4 sections of the skirt, with 3 ruffles in each section.

It is helpful to notice the knit fabric behind the ruffles- with the 1" ruffles, there are two strips behind the ruffles- one is opaque and one is more sheer. The line between these two strips is a nice straight line to follow when cutting.

Starting with the color block closest to the elastic top, cut half way between ruffles for the very top of the skirt.

Top of skirt

Now, cut your first section, cutting right up to the next ruffle- leaving both the opaque and the sheer strips of fabric intact. Repeat for all sections: for the second section, the top of the section should be cut between the ruffles and the bottom should be cut right up to the next ruffle - leaving both the opaque and sheer strips behind the last ruffle intact. For example, our second section was 3 ruffles- we cut right before the 4th ruffle. You will need both strips to overlap and zigzag the next color block series to join them together.

Bottom of color block section- with both strips intact and attached to color block.

Second section- 1 strip on the top and both on the bottom.

Repeat with the other color block ruffle sections. On the top, you will only need one strip, but at the bottom you will need both in order to overlap them and zigzag them together. You may have to cut off ruffles in order to give you the right amount of knit fabric... don't worry, you can use the ruffles for accessories or embellishments- (the tank top shown in the example uses 2 leftover ruffles).

Color block section- showing the knit fabric needed for joining the sections.

Cut off ruffle to be used for accessories later on!

Lay your color block sections out and re-measure.

Finished length will be 12"

JOINING COLOR BLOCK SECTIONS
Overlap the bottom of the first section with the top of the second section. Which fabric goes on top when zigzagging? Use the one that matches the thread you are using so that you will not have to change threads with each color block layer.

Zig-zagging the ruffle fabric sections.

Repeat for all layers.

Join the skirt as described in the Gathered Skirt Tutorial.

Gathered Ruffle Fabric Skirt with Elastic Waistband

This is our most requested pattern. There are several ways to complete a gathered skirt with elastic waistband. This is the way we do it. We have written very detailed directions but please don't be scared off- it is really quite simple. The fabric really turns this simple design into a fun and flirty skirt.

The first consideration in making the skirt is how you’d like it to fit and where the waistband will be worn. Some like the skirt to sit a little lower towards the hip rather than tight around the waist. In this example we are using two different fabrics for the skirt. The directions for the skirt portion is found in the Color Block Ruffle Fabric Tutorial.

Ruffle fabric & elastic

FIGURE TWO MEASUREMENTS

Many professionals suggest deducting one-half to one inch from the waist measurement so the elastic fits nice and snug. (This is especially important when using our 3” elastic. We deduct a full inch.) If when the measurement is taken, the tape is pulled snug, no deduction is taken. Because we overlap the ends of the elastic to sew it together, add 3/4" or so.

Our waist measurement for this skirt was 19.5 inches- we cut the elastic 20.5 inches

The length measurement is taken below the elastic to the desired length. Some prefer above the knee, some below. When using 2” RUFFLES the length needs to be flexible—an inch longer or shorter. Because we cut between the 2” RUFFLE, the length is usually an even number. (When using the 3” elastic, we opt for a shorter length because the skirt slips down slightly, even when the elastic fits snugly.)

We also consider the hip measurement (for adult-sized skirts) to determine if the full width of the ruffle fabric being used will allow the skirt to drape nicely in the back- we would not want the gathered skirt to be tight around the bottom. (This is also a consideration in determining the length of the skirt. Will it be too short in the back after draping over the buttocks?

For infant sizes up to 5-6 toddler sizes, we use approximately 36 inches of the RUFFLE width, leaving 12” or so for another project (embellishments, etc). It is an individual preference how much fullness or how many gathers to put into the skirt. In some instances, with a large adult waist size, we have used a number of inches from an additional width of ruffle fabric, adding to the full width of the fabric.

CUTTING

If uncertain, cut the skirt one extra RUFFLE longer. It can easily be trimmed off at any time during or after the skirt is completed.

Decide which cut end will serve as the top of the skirt. (See note for sewing with Cotton Candy 1” RUFFLES and Candy Cane 1” RUFFLES.) There is no need to hem the bottom of the skirt as it will not fray. But if you desire to serge, it will add a little weight to the bottom of the skirt.

ELASTIC

We like to serge the ends of the elastic and apply a drop of Fray Check to the ends of the threads. Set it aside to dry. (optional step)

After fray check dries, trim the thread on the elastic.

Stitch elastic ends together, reinforcing at both edges.

Stagger the ends to reduce bulk in finished elastic

Turn right side out, then stitch 1/4” from seam (stitching down the seam allowances), then again, 1/4” away from the first seam line.

First seam on right side of elastic

Second seam 1/4" away from the first

Finished elastic, wrong side showing

Finished elastic, right side showing

SEAMING THE SKIRT

We have found this to be the fastest, easiest way to sew the skirt together. The seam becomes the SIDE rather than the back of the skirt.

Serge off (or baste) the right selvage so that it holds the RUFFLES in place. Then after determining how much of the width to use, serge on the wrong side of the RUFFLES, which holds the RUFFLES in place on the left side.

Make sure all ruffles are facing down when serging (or basting). This will hold all the ruffles in place for the next steps.

Place right sides together, matching RUFFLES. Using the lines on the wrong side of the fabric, pin the fabric together.

If the lines match, the RUFFLES on the right side will be perfectly (or nearly) matched. Serge off the previously serged edges of both sides as you seam the skirt together.

Finished side seam

GATHER THE TOP OF THE SKIRT

There are several ways. If you have a serger and have not yet used your serger to gather your RUFFLE FABRIC, you may want to check with the manufacturer to see if you can increase the tension, lengthen the stitch and change the differential to allow gathering. Another way to gather the top is to sew a long stitch, then pull the top thread to gather the FABRIC. Or zigzag over a heavy thread (dental floss even works!), then secure one end and pull the other to create gathers.

zigzagging over thick thread (dental floss shown here)

TAILOR TACKS

Divide the elastic into fourths and mark with a single thread. Repeat with the gathered top of the skirt. Match the two seams, then half mark, the fold to find and mark quarters.

Bring the tacks from the elastic to the corresponding ones on the skirt top.

Adjust gathers to fit elastic, and pinning with the point up to the top of the elastic. (Take care to prevent the RUFFLES from catching on the pins!) The elastic will line up at the top of the RUFFLE (Note exception for 1” Cascading Brown, Pink and Yellow with White Dots).

STITCHING ELASTIC TO SKIRT

Professional/industrial Cover Stitch machines deliver a flawless dual seam to join the elastic and skirt together. You can create a similar finished product by using a twin needle.

Using a twin needle, the top of the waistband will have two adjacent rows of stitching. The underside has a zigzag stitch which allows the elastic to stretch without breaking or popping the stitch. Twin needles come in various widths. You will need to explore which widths are compatible for your sewing machine. We use the 4.0 or 6.0 (the 6.0 makes the parallel stitches further apart than the 4.0). When sewing over the seam of the elastic and skirt, it may be necessary to “walk” the machine over the multiple layers by moving the wheel by hand to prevent skipping stitches.

FEW NOTES:

CANDY CANE AND COTTON CANDY RUFFLE FABRICS – have a definite one way design to allow the RUFFLES to cascade, showing the fine colored edge beautifully. Cut the fabric one RUFFLE longer than the desired length of the skirt, then trim the top RUFFLE, leaving both parts of the fabric between RUFFLES, the opaque strip and the sheer strip. Both parts are needed to allow enough room to gather and attach the elastic.

BROWN, PINK, AND YELLOW POLKA DOT 1” RUFFLE FABRICS – When attaching elastic to skirt, we drop the elastic down slightly (about 1/8”) to cover the portion that is not colored, otherwise there is a white strip between the elastic and the beautifully colored design of the fabric.