Shirring sure is simple!
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You’ve seen those cute sundresses with the stretchy tops right? They are really simple to make. The process is called shirring. Often, it’s mistakenly called “smocking,” but smocking is a very old form of embroidery that creates a stretchy, pleated effect without using elastic. Shirring uses elastic and a sewing machine to create a stretchy, gathered fabric.
It’s deceptively easy to do. The only special tool you need is elastic thread, which is easy to find and comes on a spool. |
Supplies
(Click fabrics for direct links for purchase at Warehouse Fabrics Inc.)
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| Your fabric will shrink up quite a bit, but how much depends on different factors, for instance, how many rows you shirr, how close together they are and how tightly your shirr, if you adjust your tension. It also depends on your fabric and project. Depending on what you’re making, you may want to play around with a sample piece first. In my example, I started with a piece 11 inches wide and it ended up 8 inches wide after shirring. Some people don’t change their machine tension at all. I took mine up a few notches. That worked better on my machine. You may need to play around a bit to see how your machines shirrs best. If your rows are farther apart, you may want to increase the tension. If they are close together and there are lots of them, you may want to keep the tension regular. This is because the more rows you do, the more apparent the gathering becomes. | |||
The process
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I decided to use a ruler and chalk to mark my shirring lines. This isn’t a necessary step, but I thought it would be easier for illustration purposes. You want the shirring lines close together, like 1/4″ to 1/2″. You could just use the edge of your presser foot as a guide instead of drawing lines. My lines here are 1/2″ apart. |
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You’ll wind your elastic onto a bobbin by hand. Some people say to stretch it and others say to have no tension whatsoever. I add just a touch, but not too much. If winding a bobbin by hand alarms you, don’t fret. With the elastic, it only takes a moment. |
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You’ll insert the bobbin as you would normally and pull up the elastic as you would regular thread. The thread on top should match your fabric. As you can see, I have a purple thread on top and the elastic in the bottom. |
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Sew along the lines, making sure to backstitch at the start and end of each row. You can either clip and turn or you can just turn and start the next row without cutting the thread and elastic. The shirring will become more obvious as you do more rows.
It’s a really pretty design element that looks much more complicated than it is, so show off a bit and give it a try! |
