Burda Style For people who sew

Reprinted from Built by Wendy Coats and Jackets by Wendy Mullin. Copyright © February 22, 2011. Published by Potter Craft, a division of Random House, Inc. Get the book here: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307461346&ref=crn_excerpt_burdastyle_builtbywendycoatsandjackets_9780307461346_0311

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12 Comments

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  Mar 22, 2011, 12.46 PMby wardrobelady

  Thank you sewverytall. Just what i wanted to know.
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  Mar 21, 2011, 08.21 AMby sewverytall

  I wish I’d seen this article sooner so that I could add this rather important formula that’s been left out of the instructions: For an average amount of ruffling, use double the length of fabric…for a highly gathered ruffle, use 3 times the length…I would never use less than 1 1/2 times the length because this makes the skimpiest of ruffles. In other words, if you wanted to put a ruffle around a neckline for example, and the neckline measured 20 inches, you would want the strip of fabric you’re using to make the ruffle to be between 30 and 60 inches long. A 30 inch strip would make a minimally gathered ruffle. A 40 inch strip would make a nice average amount of gathering. A 60 inch strip would make a ruffle that’s gathered a lot.

  Oh, and just to add another note…some of the photos included in this article have ruffles that are made without using any gathering. They are actually referred to as flounces. Flounces are made by cutting donut-shaped pieces of fabric…in other words, a circle of fabric with a hole in the middle of it. This donut is then cut open to use as a strip. You can experiment with this by cutting the donut out of newspaper. This will allow you to see how ruffled the flounce will be as the circle of fabric is cut open and straightened out to use as a strip. The bigger the hole is in the center of the circle, the less the ruffle of the flounce. The smaller the hole, the greater the amount of ruffles.

  Flounces can be much nicer than gathered ruffles because they don’t add the bulk of all that extra fabric in the gathered area.

  1 Reply

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    Mar 29, 2011, 11.54 PMby yesicap416

    omg i think ily thank yo for this explination…=] …..wow.. this clears everything up.

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  Mar 16, 2011, 01.48 AMby tonierenee

  I saw a project by janice allen, (an other member of Burda Style) with circle ruffles and asked if she would do a technique or tutorial here. After some time of trying she could not get it to post. So she emailed it to me. It was very helpful. If anyone wants it I can pass it along. :-)

  8 Replies

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    Mar 16, 2011, 02.08 AMby wardrobelady

    Yes please !

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    Mar 16, 2011, 09.52 AMby dillinger

    Yes please!!??

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    Mar 16, 2011, 04.47 PMby sreardon

    Yes Please, I would love the tutorial.

    thanks
    Susie

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    Mar 17, 2011, 10.42 PMby JanMadeIt

    Yes I would love to see the tutorial. I can add a ruffle to anything but have always needed a pattern for a flounce. I’d love to be able to add them wherever I want.

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    Mar 18, 2011, 04.11 AMby patipana

    please post it

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    Mar 19, 2011, 02.47 PMby radhiaw

    Hi! Please mail me the tutorial for the circular ruffles on radhiaw@gmail.com.

    Thx so much.
    Radhia

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    Apr 14, 2011, 08.43 AMby Alicia Donovan

    yes please :)

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    Aug 11, 2011, 07.18 AMby babettemunchkin

    I would like to have this tutorial as I never know how to take measurements for my flounces, even though I know that they are made of ‘dounuts’ Thanks

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  Mar 16, 2011, 01.47 AMby wardrobelady

  Thank you Yvette. I was excited when i saw the red Valentino dress and saw there were instructions to make ruffles so was very disappointed to see instructions for an ordinary frill. Your instructions made sense and thanks for the reference. I shall look it up. Last year we had a Valentino retrospective at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane and it was divine. I went several times and I loved the ruffles(amongst other things). Sorry if I sounded ungrateful about the tutorial. It is good, just a bit misleading.
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  Mar 15, 2011, 09.02 PMby marietake3

  I cheat and zigzag over topstitch or button hole thread. As chicknribbs said, mark your ruffle and your fabric in even sections and pin baste the two pieces together. I put the pin perpendicular to the seam. For each section gather by pulling on the thread under the zigzag. Smooth it out for the section and stitch. Repeat for each part and you’ll have a nice evenly gathered ruffle without cursing about broken threads.
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  Mar 11, 2011, 08.59 PMby Timea Schmidt

  I make my ruffles from circular pieces, this way there is no need for gathering. See Valentino dresses. Need more fabric, but I prefer the smooth look at the seam in most cases.
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  Mar 9, 2011, 07.43 PMby Yvette Stanton

  I like the tutorial – it is very clear. However, the photos chosen to illustrate the idea of ruffles could have been better chosen. It states clearly in the first paragraph of Wendy’s page that ruffles are just long rectangles. I think you will find that the ruffles on the Valentino dresses (beautiful!) are definitely not made from rectangles. ;-)

  2 Replies

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    Mar 11, 2011, 06.58 PMby flynnflynn

    Oooh – what are they made from if not rectangles? I always make mine from rectangles, but it leaves something to be desired sometimes. Any tips? I know I’d appreciate them. =D Thanks!

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    Mar 12, 2011, 09.58 AMby Yvette Stanton

    Flynnflynn, as Timi55 says, they’re from circular pieces. In Colette Wolff’s “The Art of Manipulating Fabric”, she refers to these sorts of ruffles as flounces.

    I quote: “A flounce is a flowing attachment that gradually flares and swells from a smooth seamline to a floating edge of rolling waves and folds. It starts as a curvilinear piece of fabric with one edge longer than the other. When its incurved shorter edge is straightened and stitched to a stabilizing fabric, the longer edge develops graceful fullness.”

    Its a book definitely worth looking out for – perhaps try your local library?

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  Mar 9, 2011, 05.45 PMby chicknribbs

  Another TIP!! To ensure even gathering in your ruffles, mark the ruffle at its middle, then mark it at each quarter and each 8th, if needed. Do the same for the piece you’re attaching it to, then you can match up the edges and each of the points you’ve marked. This makes it easier to distribute the fullness of the ruffle evenly, and ensures an even-looking result!
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  Mar 9, 2011, 03.09 PMby raechan

  I adore those D&G spring dresses <3 <3 <3
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  Mar 9, 2011, 01.42 PMby nutmeg1

  Awesome. I have a summer dress I started a little while ago that I need to finish with a big ruffle on the bottom. Bumping it to the top of my to-do list!!
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  Mar 9, 2011, 02.21 AMby MsYuliya7

  Good to know that 2 lines of basting works better, thanks.
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  Mar 9, 2011, 01.06 AMby mez53

  Living down under I miss sooooo much with fashion that is why I’v joined Burda style so I want to say that the dresses for summer/spring are gorgeous. Just a small comment on the instructions of ruffles is that if you do two lines of basting in the seam allowance you will get a much even gather, hope this helps.