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copycat 05-10-2020 01:53 AM

Give me your Ruffle Making tips please!
 
I am thinking about putting a ruffle around a baby quilt. I have viewed a few tutorials on u-tube.

If you have put a ruffle around a quilt please share your tried and true tips or tutorials you have found helpful!

Many thanks!

illinois 05-10-2020 03:25 AM

My advice on a ruffle on a baby quilt is --don't. I remember one that was a gift when one of my babies was a baby. It was non-functional as far as warmth and was flipping around in the way of baby care. The only way a ruffle on a baby quilt is good is for decorative purposes. My opinion.
If you are really wanting to do this though, I'd advise making it not too wide, double and probably on the bias so it will hold its shape in laundry and be more durable than a single layer of fabric. If you have a ruffler for your machine, that will be a big help creating the piece and it will hold its shape while being attached to the body of the quilt.

kalady 05-10-2020 03:49 AM

I agree with no ruffle. On my daughter the ruffle edge grazed her eye and made for a trip to dr. Had to give the quilt to a friends cat bed.

Rhonda K 05-10-2020 04:18 AM

I have only added them to pillows.

Here is one way to add interest to the quilt. You could use left over fabrics and make it scrappy too.

https://jordanfabrics.com/pages/faux...-ruffle-pillow

For our pillow class, we used the adjustable ruffle foot. Be sure to use the hand wheel first to check needle alignment before stitching. Most of the class members had issues with the foot alignment slipping that caused broken needles.

I finished my project at home. I zig-zagged over a long piece of heavy upholstery thread. Then pulled and gathered the cording to ruffle the fabric strip. Mark the ruffle fabric when it is flat so you know how much to ruffle. You can put a straight pin at the mark and then wrap the cord around to hold in place after you have the fabric gathered to size. Then go onto the next section of ruffle. The holding pins allow you to gather the next section of marked fabric into the right size.

The goal is to have the ruffle spaced evenly on the project. Good luck!

Tartan 05-10-2020 04:31 AM

I haven’t put ruffles or prairie points on a quilt for years because it is more difficult to finish the quilt edge. I put the prairie points on but then had to hand stitch the backing to the points edge to finish.

RedGarnet222 05-10-2020 08:16 AM

I think making them with a ruffle foot is the best way really. But, I saw an episode of "Sewing with Nancy" that she used a string and zig zig method that I have used too. I think many of her shows are on her site, so maybe you could watch it? I am sure utube.com would have a demo you could watch. They have many sewing shorts that you could check out. Sorry I could not be of more help. But that gives you a starting point if you want to go searching a little to find a video.

juliasb 05-10-2020 08:44 AM

I put a ruffle on a baby quilt one time. I regretted doing that in short order. I did the ruffle by hand on the bias by folding over the fabric, pressing it so there was less movement. then using the logest stitch on my machine pulled one thread, the bottom thread, until I had the ruffle I wanted. I then sewed over with a regular stitch,
The ruffle can be problematic putting on the quilt but moreover it is problematic for parent and child.

bjgallent 05-10-2020 08:51 AM

Maybe you try prairie points.

meyert 05-10-2020 09:56 AM

2 Attachment(s)
I say go for it! I really like putting ruffles on quilts for babies and little ones. I use satin like fabric and the little girls just love the feel of that and they cuddle a little more with the quilt

I too recommend a ruffling foot. What i have had the most luck with it the birthing style to get the binding on the quilt. Once the I put the backing face up on the floor. Then i pin the ruffle on - facing in. Then I lat the quilt top face down and use the pins that I had in the ruffle to pin all of the layers together

mindless 05-10-2020 10:05 AM

If you decide to make the ruffle, here are some you tube videos you can watch for tips and tricks:
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...aking+a+ruffle

this one shows how to use a fuffler foot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YduH3bn3fGk

Iceblossom 05-10-2020 11:47 AM

3 Attachment(s)
I used to do more ruffles and fancy trims around quilts when I first started, gave them up for the standard french double fold bias... That is, you put the two raw edges together and stitch on, then flip over and hand finish.

Anyway, I found the purchased trims or making my own to work the best, basically I just make it all into standard double fold bias. That is where you press in half, then fold the raw edges into the middle and press again.

So, next thing is don't be stingy on how much fabric you use. Twice is not enough, you really need 2.5-3 times plus for a good gather or ruffle. If you are using quilting fabric it needs to be pretty substantial depth, at least 2" finished or it will just be a big heavy lump. It will still be a heavy finish if using double thickness but can be rather nice for a deep 4" or so ruffle.

If using a lace or purchased single thickness trim, gather first and then case into the binding. You would have one long raw side plus one folded side of the bias tape, stitch with a zig zag the quarter inch seam allowance with the raw edges together, the folded edge would be sewn to the top.

Figured it would be easier to make an ugly example than explain it well...

First shot shows the bias pinned to either side of the ruffle, you can carefully pin both sides at the same time or do once each for a sturdier finish. I enhanced my ironed press line with pencil so they can be seen.

Second shot shows the inner fold.

Third shot shows the encased binding you can miter like regular binding or I usually gently curved (like around a quarter). Depending on what you used for the ruffle depends a bit on how you finish that seam.

bakermom 05-10-2020 03:01 PM

I learned to make ruffles on my serger recentIy. It is the way to go if you can. I doubled the fabric(width-wise) and gathered the raw edges. Made a nice full ruffle.

quiltedsunshine 05-10-2020 06:05 PM

There are gathering presser feet and ruffler attachments, which are two different things. Back in the 1980's we put ruffles on everything. I used my ruffler attachment to make the gathers on a folded fabric, which I usually cut 6" to 8" wide. I rounded the corners on the quilt, then sewed the ruffle to the front of the quilt, and hand finished it on the back.

If you don't have a gathering foot or ruffler attachment, you can zig-zag over a size 10 crochet thread, which easily draws up the gathers and doesn't break, like the 2 lines of basting stitches does.

copycat 05-11-2020 03:05 AM

The satin like fabric ruffle is what I planned to try!
 

Originally Posted by meyert (Post 8384419)
I say go for it! I really like putting ruffles on quilts for babies and little ones. I use satin like fabric and the little girls just love the feel of that and they cuddle a little more with the quilt

I too recommend a ruffling foot. What i have had the most luck with it the birthing style to get the binding on the quilt. Once the I put the backing face up on the floor. Then i pin the ruffle on - facing in. Then I lat the quilt top face down and use the pins that I had in the ruffle to pin all of the layers together

I like your idea of using satin like fabric for the ruffle. The satin like ruffles shown on your quilt look to be softer than ruffles using quilting cotton. Did you quilt your quilt top first before doing the birthing method and after birthing, go back and top stitch around the quilt edges to keep the ruffle flat?
Can you please share what fabric you used as it looks like it washes well without wrinkles.

Thank you!

copycat 05-11-2020 03:12 AM

Iceblossom! You are so kind to make photos for your how to method. Thank you!

I never thought of buying purchased ruffles. Thanks for the idea. I don't have a ruffle attachment, so I would have to do the zig zag and pull the thread method to make the ruffles.

I would like to use a satin like fabric for the ruffle that is very soft. Do you have a ready made ruffle that you have used that you would recommend ?

copycat 05-11-2020 03:31 AM


Originally Posted by Rhonda K (Post 8384324)
I have only added them to pillows.

Here is one way to add interest to the quilt. You could use left over fabrics and make it scrappy too.

https://jordanfabrics.com/pages/faux...-ruffle-pillow

For our pillow class, we used the adjustable ruffle foot. Be sure to use the hand wheel first to check needle alignment before stitching. Most of the class members had issues with the foot alignment slipping that caused broken needles.

I finished my project at home. I zig-zagged over a long piece of heavy upholstery thread. Then pulled and gathered the cording to ruffle the fabric strip. Mark the ruffle fabric when it is flat so you know how much to ruffle. You can put a straight pin at the mark and then wrap the cord around to hold in place after you have the fabric gathered to size. Then go onto the next section of ruffle. The holding pins allow you to gather the next section of marked fabric into the right size.

The goal is to have the ruffle spaced evenly on the project. Good luck!

Rhonda K...thanks for the video link to Jordan fabrics. I learned a lot...especially placing a pin in the middle of all 4 sides to get an even amount of ruffles. I appreciate each and every tip.

copycat 05-12-2020 03:21 AM

thanks for the videos...love the ruffler attachment!
 

Originally Posted by mindless (Post 8384422)
If you decide to make the ruffle, here are some you tube videos you can watch for tips and tricks:
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...aking+a+ruffle

this one shows how to use a fuffler foot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YduH3bn3fGk

Now I want a ruffler attachment as it makes the ruffle perfect every time, so it says. I appreciate your posting the links!

Rhonda K 05-12-2020 03:18 PM

Glad you liked the tutorial.


UFOs Galore 05-12-2020 03:50 PM

Have you ever tried to get all the baby vomit out of the ruffle creases? I would take a hard pass on the ruffles.


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