How to… Gather fabric the easy way!
The softly gathered style in our All the Cute Skirts pattern is one of my favourites. I love the way fabric looks when it’s neatly gathered into a fitted waistband or bodice.
Machine gathering works particularly well using lightweight fabrics like cotton lawn or even silk or satin. On lightweight fabrics, you can easily gather the fabric with two rows of long stitches on your sewing machine.
Distribute the gathers evenly and when attaching the gathered panel to the flat panel, use lots of pins to hold them in place, to keep the raw edges aligned.
For heavier weight or stiffer fabrics, you may find this alternative method more successful. It may sound whacky, but dental tape is an unlikely hero when it comes to gathering thicker fabrics. Dental tape is strong and slippery making it ideal for gathering tougher, thicker fabrics like bouncy stretch cotton sateen or jacquard fabrics.
How to use dental tape to gather heavyweight fabric
Take a length of tape approx. 15 – 20cm longer than the skirt panel and instead of stitching the two rows of gathering stitching, zigzag stitch over the floss.
Start approx. 1.5cm from the side seam edge of the skirt panel and begin with a few zigzag stitches backwards then forwards to secure the stitching. Next, lay the tape under the sewing machine foot and stitch over the top of it.
Make sure to set your stitch width wide enough so you don't catch the tape anywhere otherwise it won’t work. I set mine at width 4mm, length 3mm.
Make sure to set your stitch width wide enough so you don't catch the tape anywhere otherwise it won’t work. I set mine at width 4mm, length 3mm.
Stitch about 1cm from the edge of the fabric, so the stitching will be hidden in the seam allowance.
Tie a big knot at each end of the tape. Or better still, tie a button or bead on to each end to stop it accidentally slipping out.
Pin the centre of the waistband and each end to the un-gathered panels and follow the pattern instructions to gather the panels and attach the waistband, matching any seams and notches.
After you have attached the gathered skirt panels to the waistband you can remove the tape and re-use it for more gathering projects.
How To Finish The Gathers Off Neatly
People often find attaching the gathered panels to the waistband a bit tricky and the gathers can get caught and stitched in the wrong place. To avoid this, use lots of pins or tack the gathered skirt onto the waistband before sewing it on the machine.
Stitch on the gathered side so you can see the gathers as you sew. Take extra care to check the underside as well as the top of the gathered panel as you stitch and smooth the gathers sideways rather than forwards to keep them consistent.
After you have attached the gathered panel to the waistband, don’t press the gathers as you will knock the life and bounce out of them. Instead, press the seam allowance only with the tip/edge of the iron.
Stand back and admire your beautiful gathers with pure satisfaction.
All the Cute Skirts Sewing Pattern
Did you know the ‘All the Cute Skirts’ pattern comes with four different skirt styles! Including the gathered version and this super cute a-line.
