Hello
Thank you for all your tips. Has anyone ever used clear elastic? I put in three rows of gathering threads and separated them at each seam and then proceed to gather each section separately. It is going slow,because I am a perfectionist and I haven’t sewn for a long time. Thanks again for your help. Sheri
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Replies
Hi grammy. Sorry your gathering is going slow. Have you considered gathering by serger? It is done in an instant just by adjusting the differential feed.
My sister just taught me a new gathering method that works especially well on thicker fabrics:
Using your hand to turn the wheel, take a single stitch at the beginning of the row. Fish out the tail of the bobbin thread (I think she uses a long pin) and pull it to the top of the fabric. Pull out enough bobbin thread to lay it over the fabric, and then zigzag over it. Finally, pull on the bobbin thread at the loose end to the desired gathers.
This is a variation on "zigzag over a separate cord or thread" and it works especially well because the pulling thread is already there and it's secured by the subsequent zigzagging.
I have and it has ended in a stretched disaster both times. It seems to me that clear elastic once stretched keeps that way; also, the stitches need to be sparse for the elastic to hold its elasticity. I am going to get some quarter inch elastic and redo the one I did most recently.
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