Gathering (Ruffling)
Technique: Gathering (Ruffling)
Materials: Cotton (unbleached) muslin, Cotton (bleached) plain weave, both unwashed
Spacing/Size: Small gathers about 1/16" - 1/8" apart from one another across the length of seam
Gathering Methods:Machine (baste) stitch two rows on longest stitch length (5); Leave long tails; Knot off bottom threads and pull top threads to bunch up evenly; Pin right sides of each fabric together
Anchoring methods: Machine stitch 1/4" seam, size 12/0 needle, polyester thread
Notes and Reflections: Advantages, Disadvantages, Ideas, Evaluations
• Gathering needs to happen evenly across the surface
• If the basting stitch is not pulled evenly, there are flat spaces that have no folded/gathered texture
Advantages:
• Gathers can pull a lot of fabric in to a small space at seam
Disadvantages:
• Gathers require lightweight fabric
• Heavier fabric would cause pleating to happen instead of gathering
• Must have seam to hide the basting stitch anchor
Ideas for Exploration:
• Could begin to experiment with other types of thread used for basting stitch
• Ruffling could occur on all sides of fabric instead of on just single seam
• Fabric could be cut on bias and stretched around a more organic shape, like a circle or oval