Doubled + Centered Tucks
Technique: Doubled + Centered Tucks
Tucks are parallel folds pulled up from the surface of the fabric and held by stitching from one end of the fabric to the other. Doubled and centered tucks “are subdivided with secondary seams into two parts which, when centered with one seam over the other, form two tucks stacked one on top of the other.” (Wolff, pp. 150-151, 156)
Materials: Cotton print cloth (Testfabrics) 400M, bleached, not washed
Spacing/Size: Parallel tucks 3” apart across the fabric
Folding Methods: Ironing along the fold in the correct direction
Anchoring methods: Machine stitching, size 80 needle, white cotton thread, 1.5” and .5” from fold
Notes and Reflections: Advantages, Disadvantages, Ideas, Evaluations
• Doubled centered tucks require taking a large initial tuck, with a row of stitching, then putting in a smaller tuck by sewing closer to the fold—that is, a primary row of stitching and a secondary row of stitching
• The stitching forming the primary tuck should be nearest to the fabric, and should be wider than the secondary tuck
Advantages:
• More detailed and decorative than regular centered tuck
• Very thick
• Provides strong structure that holds the fabric stiffly in place
Disadvantages:
• Uses more cloth
• Very thick
• Difficult to line up the two rows of stitching with the topstitching to anchor them
• Difficult to get them parallel and straight
• The doubled tucks are very heavy in relation to the fabric ground which can cause draping problems
Ideas for Exploration:
• Irregular spacing
• Diagonals
• Patterned or striped fabrics
• Slitting or notching the tucks
• Decorative stitching to anchor the doubled tucks