How To Ruffle Fabric With Your Sewing Machine

December 15, 2010 12:11 pm

I think the number one question I get is how to ruffle fabric. I thought I would show you how I do it with my sewing machine. There are different ways to do it, by hand or with a  basting stitch, but this is my favorite way. Not all machines will do this. If you have a very inexpensive machine the tension and stitch length might not be capable of this. But my first brother machine did it, so most of yours will. Here’s how to make an easy ruffle.

Locate on your machine your tension dial and your setting for the length of the stitch. These are my settings.

First, set your stitch length to the longest stitch. Mine is 6.

Then set your tension to the tightest tension, or the highest number.

Now you should be all set.

When you stitch away it will automatically ruffle.

A couple notes- you will come to see that different fabrics ruffle more or less than others. You can control how ruffly you want the fabric to be with your length and tension.  You can make something more ruffled by the tightest tension and the longest stitch, or for just a slight ruffle, use looser tension and a shorter stitch. You’ll learn the settings you like  for knits, cottons, upholstery etc…

Hope you enjoyed an easy way to ruffle!


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