Ruffles! I love them! Making them is another story. I use to consider making ruffles nothing short of torture. Then one day, I discovered the secret to stress free ruffle making. Today I am going to share that secret with you and show you the easiest way to sew a ruffle.
Ruffles on windows, ruffles on sofas, ruffles on pillows, and ruffles on chairs. They speak to my decorating heart. Breaking thread and sore fingers from the traditional method for making ruffles does not. I had always made ruffles by using a long loose stitch, and then creating the ruffle by pulling the thread. The thread would constantly break and it was especially difficult on heavy home decor fabrics. But no longer!
What is this secret way to easy ruffles? Dental floss.
How To Use Dental Floss For The Easiest Way to Sew A Ruffle
Grab some dental floss. I don’t think it matters if it’s waxed or unwaxed, but I think I prefer no flavor.
Prepare the Fabric
Cut a strip of fabric to be your ruffle. A ruffle needs to be 1.5 – 2 times the length of what you will be attaching it to. My outdoor cushions were somewhere in between.
Hem the two sides and one end of the strip.
Use Dental Floss To Make The Ruffle
Stick a pin into the side hem.
Wrap the dental floss around the pin in a figure 8 to keep it secure.
Sew the dental floss on the wrong side of the fabric. Use a zigzag stitch to sew over the dental floss. I keep the floss pulled up through the presser foot. This prevents the dental floss from being stitched.
The dental floss is now an easy to pull “string” to gather the ruffle. No more breaking threads and much easier on your fingers.
Gather The Ruffle
Fold the ruffle strip in half and mark the center with a pin. Do the same for the piece you are attaching it to.
Pin the two pieces with right sides together. Working with one side at a time will help distribute the fabric more evenly.
Take the pin out and pull the dental floss to gather the fabric, spacing the gathers evenly. Pull one side to the center, then do the other side. Pin the ruffle to your fabric.
Stitch the ruffle to the fabric.
And there it is, the stress free, easiest way to sew a ruffle. This was a game changer for me. I still don’t love making ruffles, but I don’t avoid them like I use to.
You can see how I made custom cushions for my outdoor sofa here, and how I made the slipcovers here. See, I really don’t avoid making ruffles!
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