what is wrong with me?
 

ok so to fu yesterday's post; the ruffles for the quilt bag; I thank you all for the techniques you suggested; so I sewed the longest stitch and increased my tension, well I started to pull the bobbin stitch and at first the ruffles started to look great, then as a con't to pull the string it popped! whhhhyyyyyyyy? is the tension too tight? do I have strong Shrek hands? I was trying to be as gentle as I could; it can't be this difficult, this kept happening so i said I said I was goin to forget the ruffles but without them the quilt bag does not look as nice, so has anyone ever tried elastic thread? and do you have to hand wind it on your bobbin?

I have a ruffled foot for my sewing machine but it has yet to see the light of day!!! I would do like someone recommended on you other post: do a zig zag stitch over dental floss. Seems like this would be a simple remedy to you issue. I've never used the elastic thread so I don't have any insight on it.

Elastic thread won't give the full gathers you want. Did you use three rows of big stitches, secure one end by winding all three threads around a pin then pull gently from the other end - all three threads together. You pull the bobbin thread, not the top. As your gathers bunch up, hold the threads and slide the bunched gathers further toward the pinned end. When it's the length you want, wrap the threads around a pin and distribute the gathers evenly.

My friend just made ruffled skirts for her GD's and she used the clear elastic that is about 1/4" wide. You just stretch it as you sew and it gathers the fabric.

I usually attach a long piece of yarn to the end of the fabric for the ruffle, and do a wide zigzag over the yarn, making sure not to catch the yarn in the stitch. Then when I pull the yarn and it ruffles.

When I made doll clothes I would use a long stitch and zigzag over crochet thread. It doesn't break. When sewing clothes I always used a long straight stitch and secured by wrapping the threads at one end and pulled with the two threads. Something like irishrose said.

Here is a video showing you how to do it this way. http://m.videojug.com/film/how-to-sew-ruffles-2

I have done many gathers for various costumes and I usually hang onto the thread with my left hand and move the fabric across it with my right, as opposed to pulling on the thread, which can break easily. Don't know if this will work for you, but good luck!

In garment sewing, I don't change the tension at all -- just use a big stitch, anchor the top thread, and use the bobbin thread to gather. If you're gathering very tightly and/or over a long distance, you do want a strong bobbin thread -- dual duty plus or good quilting cotton should work fine. Usually if I'm going over a long distance with tight gathers, I'll break the line of stitches into 2 or 3 sets so I don't have to haul on the same thread for so long.

I also gather by zigzagging over a thicker thread and pulling it to mke gathers.

I just did the zigzag over buttonhole thread that I had around the sewing room. Color doesn't matter as no one will see it anyway.