Everyone,
I was in a Children Place store and found an adorable skirt that I would like to adapt for my great nieces. There were two skirts under the outside fabric. Both were the shape of the skirt with more ease and there was a ruffle at the edge.
Would someone here know if the ruffle is 2 times the diamter of the bottom skirt edge? Maybe 1.5 times the diameter? What length of fabric will work for a little ruffle at the edge to pouf the skirt out?
Thanks,
Cookymom
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Replies
double or one and half will work. having a shirring foot or ruffler makes it super easy.. I love to ruffle on my serger.
Just to be accurate, the "diameter" of the skirt bottom is not the measurement used, since diameter is the measure of the width of a circle through the middle. What you want is the circumference of the skirt bottom, multiplied by two or one-and-a-half, depending on how full you want the ruffle to be.
Sounds like a darling skirt, by the way.
Thanks, you are right about circumference. Can you tell math is not my strong point?
Will post photos.
Ruffles are deceiving. I find 2 times the circumference of the skirt is a pretty wimpy looking ruffle. 3 times the circumference makes a good full ruffle. 1 1/2 times, well, you might as well not bother. It will look like a mistake because you won't have enough to gather.
Berna
I agree with Bernaweaves about the more, the better! On sheers, netting, and costumes, I use four or more times the finished length for ruffles. Sheers and netting are fairly cheap, and children's skirts are small, so it doesn't cost much to be extravagant with the ruffle. Most recently, I bought a spool of 6" wide wedding tulle so that I wouldn't have to cut lengths; with a coupon, it was $2.99 for what seems to be an almost unlimited length of perfect ruffling!
To make really full ruffles, I pleat the fabric just before it goes under the presser foot and stitch with a long basting stitch so that I can pull it up even more before attaching it. The really full play skirts hold up better through years of play, and some of mine have lasted through four sets of girl cousins!
Thanks! I'm so inspired!! I've been wanting to make my daughter a petticoat but didn't know where to begin. Now I think I have a pretty good idea about how to go about it. Hey.. how do I change my "name" on this forum. (I don't like the one I orig. came up with.) Anyone know?
I agree that 3 times more is usually much better, but it does depend on the thickness of the fabric used. Finewale corduroy or suedecloth both use less than cotton. Are you using a gathering foot or a ruffler?
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