Gathering creates fullness in an area of a garment, such as a skirt or sleeve. It can be used for fitting or style purposes. You sew long temporary stitches across the seam then pull the stitches up to gather the fabric before sewing it onto another piece. Gathering works best on light to medium weight fabrics that aren’t too stiff.
Follow these simple steps to perfect gathering.
Sewing Supplies You Will Need
You’ll need some sewing thread, ideally in a contrasting colour like this bright orange. And you’ll need some pins to pin your gathering onto the piece it is to be sewn onto.
Step 1 – Sew Your Gathering Stitches
If you thread your sewing machine with a contrasting colour of thread it will make it easier to see the stitches when you come to pull them out later. Set your stitch length to it’s longest setting. Turn the thread tension dial all the way down to create long stitches that you can pull on.
Sew two rows of long stitches parallel to each other about 5mm (1/4″) apart along the edge to be gathered. Place your stitches close to the edge of the fabric, inside your seam allowance. Avoid sewing over the area where your “real” stitches will be.
If your seam is very long you can divide it into sections to gather separately. Fore example from the centre back to one side seam, from that side seam tot he centre front and so on.
Avoid sewing over any seams such as the side seams on a skirt because it will make your stitches tricky to pull.
Don’t back tack at either end, instead leave a loose length of thread at each end so you have something to pull on.
Step 2 – Pin
Pin your gathered edge to the piece it is to be sewn onto. Pin right sides together at the points between the lines of gathering stitches. On a skirt, for example, this would be the side seams, the centre back and front.
Insert the pins at right angles to the edge of the fabric.
Step 3 – Pull Your Stitches
Starting at the end of one set of gathering stitches take hold of the thread tails and gently pull on them. Gather the fabric until it fits the edge it is to be sewn onto.
Step 4 – Smooth Out the Gathers
Smooth out the gathers so that they are evenly distributed all the way along the fabric.
Pin the pieces together using plenty of pins inserted at right angles to the edges of the fabric.
Step 5 – Sew The Gathers
Before you start sewing don’t forget the to turn your thread tension back up to it’s normal setting and reduce the stitch length on your sewing machine. Change your thread to one that matches your project.
Sew the seam with the gathers facing up so that you can keep them smooth whilst sewing.
If you need to adjust the gathers as you sew pause with your needle down and adjust the distribution of the gathers with your fingers.
Step 6 – Remove the Tacking Stitches
Remove the tacking stitches. You should be able to pull out each line of thread in one piece but if they get stuck you can pick out a few stitches with your seam ripper.
Step 7 – Press
Finish the seam allowances. Then fold the gathered piece of fabric away from the other piece and the seam allowances. Press the flat side of the seam using the tip of the iron and being careful not to press over the gathers to keep their fullness.
I hope you have found this sewing tutorial useful.
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A Little Bit About Me . . .
Hi there! Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the interweb. I’m Bridie.
I’ve been crafting since I was toddling around craft shows while my mum sold knitting yarn. She used to buy me a new craft kit to keep me busy. When I grew up I set up my own online craft shop and loved every minute of it. There’s is nothing like the thrill of getting to be one of the first people to see new craft collections. I sold my business to focus on raising my two children.
They’re still young so for now I’m blogging my craft projects and sharing tutorials to inspire you. I love creating handmade cards to show my loved ones how much I care. I scrapbook to preserve precious memories of my kids childhoods. I knit and sew to keep my kids in comfortable, unique clothes they love. I create batch cooked meals to give me more time to craft. And because I’m not currently earning I do all of this on a tiny budget.
I’ll show you all the best ways to craft on a tight budget so you can still create a life you love.
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