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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Tuesday Tip: no-frustration ruffling!

As you can tell from my last couple of posts, I'm in a ruffly mood. And why not?  Ruffles are feminine, flirty, fashionable, and fun.  However, they can also be another "F" word - frustrating!  Here's a super simple technique to take the frustration out of making a ruffle. 

The classic technique has been to make two basting stitches, then pull the loose ends till you have made the ruffle the length and density you want - although I usually found that one or the other of my stitches would snap, and I would have to start over again.  Then Audrey, the brilliant and sweet manager of our Bremerton store, told me this simple technique, and I send her mental thank-yous every time I need to ruffle anything.  

You'll need a spool of strong thread - I like Coats and Clark upholstery thread for this. The color does not matter, as it will be hidden in the seam anyway. Tie it around a pin, then pin to one end of your piece to be ruffled.  Using a thread that matches your project, zig-zag stitch along the edge with the thicker thread in the center of the zig-zag,  being careful not to catch the thread in your stitching.


When you have reached the end of your piece for ruffling, cut off your zig-zag thread, and pull the loose end of the strong thread  till the ruffle is the desired length and density. When you have the right length, place a pin at the end, then wrap your strong thread around it in a figure-eight motion to hold it in place. Do a quick straight stitch over the ruffle, stitching it all in place. Now you have a nice ruffled length for your project, with no broken threads - and no frustration.

 - Anna-Beth



3 comments:

Bonny said...

Thank you! That is a fantastic tip! I can't wait to use it -thank you for sharing!

Melanie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Melanie said...

What an awesome idea!! This will also create the most evenly spaced ruffle ever. Thanks so much for the tip!!! 👍🏻