33 Ruffles
Sheri Deaton
Ruffles
What do German soldiers, Jerry Seinfeld, and Marie Antionette all have in common? Ruffles. Ruffles have been in fashion since the 1500s when German soldiers began the trend of slashing the outer layer of clothing to reveal a wrinkled layer of clothing. These wrinkled layers caught on and have seen the ebb and flow of implementation in fashion ever since (Deaton, 2021).
For more information on the history of ruffles, check out Nicole Livey’s (2019) article Charting the Unlikely History of Ruffles and the Fashion History Timeline Ruffles.
| Charting the Unlikely History of Ruffles | Fashion History Timeline: Ruffles |
Ruffles, which were once unisex, have now been integrated into clothing and home goods as a flirty and feminine accent. Dresses, skirts, home décor, and craft projects are likely to integrate this apparel production skill. Ruffles can be used to distract or disguise larger areas of the body, accentuating most body types when implemented effectively.
Ruffle applications are as varied as their history. Different types of ruffles include cascading, center, circle, fold-over, straight-cut, and tube. Check out the resources located at the end of this chapter to continue exploring the various styles of ruffles and their applications.
Ruffle Recommendations
Always follow the guidelines in the pattern instruction sheet when creating a ruffle from a pattern. The following guidelines are helpful when making any type of ruffle and can be followed when creating sample ruffles for a portfolio or when you are learning these new skills.
- Generally, a ruffle fabric piece is going to be 2-3 times longer than the edge it is sewn to. The longer it is, the more full the ruffle will be. For practice, consider using a ruffle fabric that is two times longer than the fabric you will be sewing the ruffle to. Example: If one piece of fabric is 10”, the ruffle fabric piece would be 20”.
- Before sewing the ruffle, clean the finished edge or hem the ruffle’s edge. This can be accomplished through a variety of measures, including using a serger, magic tape, hand stitching the hem, or using a clean finish hem.
To remind yourself of hemming techniques, check out the “Hemming Stitch” chapter embedded in Unit 5: Hand Sewing of this text, or see the “Hemming Techniques” chapter located in Unit 9: Finishing Touches.
- After finishing the hem of the ruffle, you are ready to start with the basting stitches. We will be following the same steps we used for gathering located in the “Gathering and Easing” chapter found in this text in Unit 8: Apparel Construction.
- Adjust the stitch length on your machine to make it a longer stitch. (3.0 – 4.0)
- Sew one row of basting stitches ⅛” from the edge of the fabric across the area to be gathered. Do not backtack. Leave tails of thread at the end of the seam.
- Sew a parallel line ⅛” from this first basting stitch, following the same method.
- Grab the top strings from both seams and pull the fabric