Originally Posted by
kellen46
I saw this method demonstrated on YouTube, sorry to say I lost the link. However it is so simple and effective I thought to pass it on. Here it is, set your tension to #8 and stitch length to #5. If you cannot do either of these things then this won't work for you. However once things are set just sew along the edge. Do not back stitch and be sure to leave at least 4inch thread tales on either end. The gathers are easily then adjusted as needed.
Making theatrical costumes, I found the easiest way to gather a skirt or a ruffle was with crochet cotton. Lay the crochet thread on top of your fabric and zig-zag over it - don't use a tight stitch, about a 3 length instead of 2.5 is okay. When you've finished the length of the fabric, just pull on the crochet thread. It's the quickest and easiest way to gather a large amount of fabric (I made a lot of nylon-net petticoats for a production of Grease once) in the shortest time.
If you want, you can zig-zag two pieces of crochet thread on the fabric to give you a wider "flat" area to work with along the gathered edge.