How do I use a gathering foot?

Have you just bought a beautiful ruffling presser foot for your machine but you're still not quite sure how to use it?

Tilli explains it all to you!

Source:Pinterest

Set up your gathering foot and adjust your machine

Remove the conventional presser foot from your machine and its holder by unscrewing the screw. Fit your gathering foot in its place, taking care to screw the screw back in tightly.

Adjust the thread tension to maximum (or close to it).

You'll then be able to play around with the stitch length and work out which is right for you. Take a scrap of fabric and test a stitch length at 2, 3 and 4. Choose the one that suits you.

Determine the length required for your gathered fabric

Once you have chosen your stitch length, take a new scrap of fabric, measure its length (for example 15 cm) and gather again. Now measure the size of the scrap (for example 5 cm). This means that for your sewing project, you will need to multiply the length of your fabric by three (3 x 5 = 15 cm).

Source:Rose capsule

Jeans bottoms with a coloured fabric band addition

Source:Pinterest

Add a piece of fabric and increase the length of your denim

If you're looking for something a little less flashy, you can also sew a piece of fabric of your choice to the bottom of your Trousers.

This could be denim, a plain or patterned fabric. The important thing is to choose a fabric whose weight is close to that of your jeans.

This will give it a good hold.

Sewing a gathered fabric

Thanks to your gathering foot and its small groove, you can sew the gathered fabric directly to another (non-gathered) fabric. This technique will be ideal for decorative items, such as cushions.

For a perfect end result, on a garment for example, it may be better to gather the fabric first and sew it to the other fabric in a second step. This will give you better control over the seam allowances.

Source:Pinterest

As you can see, the gathering foot is perfect for large quantities of fabric to gather. Don't hesitate to test it out before you take the plunge!
And for those of you who don't have a pucker foot at home, we explain here other methods for puckering fabric.

This article was written with the best intentions for our clients thanks to Chloé

No time to start sewing?

Check your home
Check who can advise and help you recycle and personalise your dressing room
Check carries out transformations in its workshop
Check et livre le vêtement après transformations chez vous