Gathering the fabric by hand
with CHLOE JONASON
Lesson 12 of 21
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If you don’t have access to a sewing machine, you can easily achieve a beautiful gather in your fabric using hand sewing techniques, and Chloe shows you how.
From the Lesson Workbook
Gathering the Fabric by Hand
If you don't have access to a sewing machine, you can easily achieve a beautiful gather in your fabric using hand sewing techniques.
What You Will Need
- Cut piece of outer fabric
- Needle
- Thread
- Ruler
- Pencil
Gathering by Hand
Step 1
Begin sewing by securing your starting stitch in place.
Step 2
Proceed to sew along the fabric in a straight line using a running stitch with a width of roughly 1 cm. If you are using a patterned fabric that contains a line you can follow, this is ideal. If not, consider using a ruler and pencil to mark out a straight line on the fabric to follow.
Step 3
Once you've sewn along the entire width of your fabric, allow yourself a generous excess length of thread at the end.
Step 4
Gently pull this length of thread in one hand, and guide your fabric in the opposite direction with your other hand until it gathers up into a ruche.
Step 5
The fabric is now ready to be used in the next part of the course.
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Your Instructor
Chloe Jonason
Designer and soft furnishing expert specialising in vintage textiles and hand-crafted homewares.
Chloe is a designer and textile artist, specialising in upholstery, soft-furnishings, vintage textiles and unique objects for the home. Chloe's fascination with the art of hand sewing was ignited at University when studying History of Art, after which she embarked on a career rooted in furniture and soft furnishing making. In 2015, she founded her eponymous design business - based out of her studio in the South Lincolnshire countryside - where she crafts bespoke homewares and handmade lampshades using colourful vintage fabrics and carefully curated textiles sourced from across the globe.
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