How to Make Even Gathers (9142 Views)

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  Step 1 of 11

  This tutorial begins at the point in your pattern where you gather one piece and attach it to another. So you'll have the shorter piece (like a waistband) and the longer piece (like a skirt or ruffle). The longer piece will have two rows of gathering stitch on it, as shown here.

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  Step 2 of 11

  Lay your shorter piece flat, with any side seams to the sides. Place a pin at each end.

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  Step 3 of 11

  Now, lay the piece flat again, but match up those pins in the center this time.

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  Step 4 of 11

  . . . Now you've divided this piece into four equal parts.

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  Step 5 of 11

  Repeat Steps 2-4 with your longer piece, so it's also divided into four equal parts.

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  Step 6 of 11

  Starting at a side seam, match the four pins on the short piece to the four pins on the long piece.

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  Step 7 of 11

  . . . Now you have the two pieces pinned together at equal intervals. And it's time to begin gathering!

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  Step 8 of 11

  It's so much easier to gather fabric evenly across shorter distances. So you just gather between one pin and the next. Adjust your gathers evenly, and then move to the next section.

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  Step 9 of 11

  I like to make one continuous set of gathering stitches on my longer piece. Then, when I need to continue my gathers to the next pin, I just pull up the thread a bit, and then keep pulling it to continue the gathers.

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  Step 10 of 11

  It's also a good idea to tie up your gathering threads at each of the pin-points, so they don't pull out.

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  Step 11 of 11

  And there you are! An evenly-gathered skirt/ruffle/cuff.

  This technique works great for straight seams as well as circular pieces. Just fold the flat pieces in half, and place a pin at the center of each. Join the pins, and then gather in sections between the pins.