This weekend was full of several new things for me, and shirring was one of them! I must admit, it was one of those things I had kind of been intimidated by and had failed to attempt, regardless of owning multiple patterns that I wanted to make that required shirring. Well, Lucy did it for me. I finally jumped in....figuring after the rough sewing night I had shared on facebook the other evening, I really had nothing to lose but a little fabric. ;) And guess what? It really IS easy to shir!!!
Here are the basics....and I'm including a link at the end of this post for an in depth tutorial that you may find very helpful as well.
The main ingredient for shirring is Elastic Thread. It is gently wound around the bobbin and will create the stretchy stitch once sewn and steamed.
As is suggested in the Lucy Little Flower pattern, using a stretch or elastic stitch on your machine when sewing will also help.
This is what your rows of stitching will look like.
When first sewn there will not be much gathering. It is the magic of STEAM from your iron that will release the instant ruffling. This pic really doesn't do it justice, but you can seriously watch the fabric gather up right before your eyes!
For an excellent and detailed example of the process of shirring, see Sandi Henderson's Shir Madness PDF Tutorial HERE.
Shir Delight! ;)
Here are the basics....and I'm including a link at the end of this post for an in depth tutorial that you may find very helpful as well.
The main ingredient for shirring is Elastic Thread. It is gently wound around the bobbin and will create the stretchy stitch once sewn and steamed.
For an excellent and detailed example of the process of shirring, see Sandi Henderson's Shir Madness PDF Tutorial HERE.
Shir Delight! ;)
