So you’ve all heard about the ruffle fabric in my various posts. I love it. There is so much to love about it. One of the best things is that it requires no hemming. Yes, that’s right. If you make a skirt out of it you don’t need to hem it. Wait, wait. Back up a bit. What is ruffle fabric?
Okay. A few years ago at Quilt Market, I discovered a booth that was selling ruffle fabric. Quilt Market is a wholesale market where shop owners go to get all the newest ideas and fabrics. There are classes to teach you what to do with all these great new innovations as well. So, I stumbled across the ruffle fabric booth. Now, remember, I am originally a garment maker. This set my mouth to drooling…I couldn’t believe my eyes. But it wasn’t just for garment sewing. These incredible people had used this unique fabric for bags, quilts, garments and even little tents!
Ruffle fabric is a wonderful knit fabric that has the ruffles built right in. The ruffles are part of the fabric. They are layered. It is so beautiful, flowing, and the colors are incredible. There are tie-dyed ruffle fabrics, and printed ruffle fabrics. There are variations in the length of the ruffles. And, we have quite a few different ones at the Bungalow. I have sold so much of this fabric. It is 60 inches wide. If you want to make a little skirt for a little girl we will need less than a half a yard. The ruffles are perpendicular to the selvedge, so you cut along them, and you get 60 inches of beautiful ruffles.
Take a look at this bag. I used a very small amount of ruffle fabric for this bag.
So, you can get about a half a yard or less, make a little skirt, and trim a bag or shirt with the remainder of the fabric. It goes a long way. So, it’s economical as well.
There’s a wonderful little girl who comes to the shop with her grandmother. Her grandmother has really taken off in the sewing world since she’s retired. Well, she needed to get her 4-H sewing project done for the fair. So, she decided to make a ruffle skirt. She sewed a yoke at the top, and attached it to the ruffle fabric. Then, I taught her how to make a casing and insert the elastic.
She worked very hard on it and it turned out so well. She’s a brand new maker and even she was able to sew with it!
So, I made a baby blanket, not pictured here, but hanging in the shop. It’s ruffle fabric on one side, with knit fabric on the other side, and a binding around the edges. It’s 36″ x 60″. So, it takes exactly one yard of ruffle fabric and a yard of 60 inch wide knit fabric. It’s a beautiful, elegant, flowey baby blanket.
So, I expanded on that. I added batting, and on the one side there is ruffle fabric and on the other side there is double gauze. That’s right–another new substrate. Double gauze. It’s beautiful. So here it is. Not yet complete.
So, you lay out the batting that is the same size as your ruffle fabric piece–36″x 60″. Then you pin it very well. Leave no space between the pins. It is important that you pin it well so that the ruffles all lay the same direction.
Then you take it over to the sewing machine and and sew along the edge. Make sure that you keep the ruffles flat, and all going the same direction.
I use a walking foot. That works the best.
Once you have sewn around the entire perimeter, then you add the double gauze to the other side. Double gauze is about 60 inches wide as well. My double gauze in the shop comes from Shannon Fabrics. It is the highest quality of double gauze. It doesn’t allow the batting to beard through.
Pin the double gauze as carefully as you can, just like the ruffle fabric, around the entire perimeter.
When you finish sewing around the perimeter, then trim it all up around the edges so that it’s even. Bind off using either regular cotton or double gauze, using your favorite binding technique.
I will post a picture when it’s completely done.
Come in to the Bungalow and check out the ruffle fabric and the double gauze.
