How to gather fabric perfect every time
How to gather fabric is a question that many of us ask as sewing beginners. Although to some people this technique may come easily, to other however, it may take some time.
Without a doubt, this post will not only help you master your fabric gathering skills, but will also aid in make perfect gathers and ruffles every time.
As with many things in sewing, it is important to take your time and practice. Throughout this tutorial we will guide you through how to make ruffles and gathers using a straight stitch on your sewing machine.
Alternatively, if you are not a fan of this, you can also purchase a special sewing machine foot that will attach to your sewing machine and ultimately make the gathers for you. You can purchase Ruffle feet HERE. However it is important that you check to ensure they are compatible with your sewing machine before you purchase them.
Furthermore, when practicing this, we also suggest that you use 2 different colours for the top thread and bobbin thread. As a result, you will clearly be able to see which thread you are using.
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What is a basting stitch?- How to gather fabric
To begin our guide on how to gather fabric, we will first look at; what is a basting stitch?. Without a doubt, this is the most important step to know, as these stitches will be used to bring the fabric together.
Overall a basting stitch is used as a temporary stitch and is usually removed after the garment or project is complete. In In order to sew these, first; adjust your sewing machine to the highest stitch length and slightly loosen the tension on your top thread.
Once you have adjusted these, pull out some excess thread from both the top thread and the bobbin thread in order to make a small tail.
Next, it is time to sew your basting stitch; sew a straight stitch along the side that you are going to gather. In addition to this, it is important that you DO NOT back stitch at the beginning or end of this line. As you did with the thread before, make sure that leave a tail of thread after you have finished sewing.
Although you can complete a ruffle with one line of basting stitch, we do however suggest that you sew another line slightly below this. Equally, it is also important to ensure that these 2 lines of stitching do not touch or cross.
Knotting your thread- How to gather fabric.
After you have completed your 2 rows of basting stitch, it is now time to start making the gathers.
First, you need to begin by knotting your thread. In order to do this, began at one side of your basting stitches and bring together the bobbin thread from both lines of basting stitches. Next, you need to tie them together securely.
Once you have completed one side, repeat again with the other. As a result, the thread will be much more stable when you move onto the next steps.
Gathering your fabric
In addition to having a firm grip, you also need to ensure that you are not tugging too hard on the fabric. Once you have completed that side, it is then time to repeat this process on the other end of the stitches.
Continue sliding your fabric along the basting stitch until your gather is the length that you need it. After you have gathered and checked that the ruffles are evenly spread out, it’s time to securely tie all the threads together at each end.
Furthermore, it is a good idea to keep the temporary basting stitch in place until you have completed your sewing. If these stitches are still visible, you can remove them easily with a stitch un-picker.
Overall, we hope that you have found this useful and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to message us or comment below.
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