Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Style Dictionary: Gathers, Ruching, and Shirring


Ooh, here's a good question that came from a commenter. Have you ever noticed how the terms gathering, ruching, and shirring are often used interchangeably? Well, it's probably because there's a lot of overlap between these three methods. I'm going to talk about what I understand these techniques to be, but feel free to jump in with your own opinions in the comments, as always!

Gathering

This term refers to a length of fabric being drawn up into gathers and sewn into a shorter length of fabric. The best example of gathering in vintage style is a dirndl skirt, which is a rectangular pattern piece that is drawn up to fit into a smaller piece, like a waistband or bodice.
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I think of gathering as generally being on one side of a piece of fabric, and then releasing into fullness on the other side. Neckline gathers are another example.

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Gathers are made by using a long basting stitch and then drawing up the bobbin thread, or (my favorite method) using a wide zigzag over dental floss or a thin strand of string and then pulling the floss or string tight.

Ruching

Ruching is a gathered overlay. The fabric is gathered on two parallel sides and stitched to an underlay. It's often done in sheers, like chiffon.

Here's a bodice that has a ruched chiffon overlay.

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 This dress is ruched in the bust only, creating a shelf effect.
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This dress pattern has vertical ruching on the bust, horizontal ruching on the waist, and a gathered skirt. Oh my!
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Ruching is made by creating two or more parallel lines of gathering.

Shirring

Shirring is a gathering technique done with elastic thread, which creates a stretchy garment. Elastic thread is used in the bobbin, causing the fabric to gather up when stitched. Shirring is very common on the side panels on 50s swimsuits, rompers and sundresses a la Alfred Shaheen.

I love the form-fitting effect shirring has on this Shaheen romper.

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Isn't it awesome? One of my goals this summer is to finally try shirring to make a hot Shaheen-style bombshell dress.

There you have it: gathering, ruching, and shirring as I understand them. Please share your own definitions!

34 comments:

  1. I once had a vintage hawaiian dress re-shirred by a dressmaker, when I picked it up, she said don't ever ask me to do that again! So I've never tried myself but would love to as it makes those garments fit lovely and gives them a bit of movement!

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  2. what's the difference between shirring and smocking...or is there one?

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  3. Gertie, can you give a tutorial on the shirring? Or if you have already, can you post the date?

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  4. Oh! I can answer that. Modern shirring is done with elastic. Setting aside the oddballs like counterchange and Canadian smocking, classic (or English) smocking is a form of shirring, too since the fabric is gathered in regular intervals to form narrow pleats. However the stretchiness comes from the embroidery, which is done on top of narrow pleats, after which the gathering threads are removed, as opposed to using elastic thread.

    Vintage smocking texts often call the pleating process "shirring" and they use to sell "shirring dots", which were grids of tiny iron-on dots for gathering. The terminology's just shifted in modern usage so that today, smockers refer to pleating their fabric, not shirring it.

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  5. Thanks for doing this post. My big peeve is when shirring is called smocking probably bc I do both and a smocked garment takes weeks while a shirred one takes about 20 minutes.

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  6. Hi Gertie- I've been following you for a while but have never commented before.
    Just wanted to say I think you and your blog are great.
    Thanks for the tip on the dental floss for gathering.
    Terry

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  7. So interesting! Love reading your definitions, esp as some things can get lost in translation...

    Another question for the style dictionary: What is the difference between a half-slip, a crinoline and a petticoat?

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  8. There is something about gathering that is so feminine. This is one sewing technique that allows you to go a little crazy and still be okay.

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  9. This dictionary thing is great. (I thought ruching was when you tickle the soles of somebody's feet and make them sneeze.)

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  10. I think these are good explanations. It's so funny, I was looking at RTW yesterday in a store and saw a T-shirt with a ruched front detail in the center front and thought, "I'll bet most people don't know that's called 'ruching.'"

    Shirring with elastic thread in the bobbin's not that tough, just time-consuming (and I would not want to do it on a already-sewn garment! Flat pieces only!)

    Hats off to those who smock.

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  11. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!! lol. I have to admit, I get a bit irked when people confuse these three terms when explaining a style that they don't have a picture for. Because the methods of construction and effects are totally different! But I guess that shows that I'm a sewing geek... rofl.

    I too have been trying to work up to shirring for a 50s style dress. I keep thinking about it and need to do a few experiments before I commit to anything. I have a length of an awesome (and bright!) kitschy tropical print I picked up last summer that is dying to be made up into something like what you pictured. ;)

    ♥ Casey

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  12. Wait, what? Gathering using a piece of floss and a zig zag stitch?!? Oh my, what a fabulous idea. Any chance you could give the reference for where that idea came from (I think I get it, but pictures always help!)...and if it was your fabulous idea, could you post a few pics? Please please pretty please?

    Thanks for another informative post!

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  13. Thanks for the smocking vs shirring info, Claire!

    Krista, there are so many tutorials out there. If you google 'shirring tutorial', you'll get a ton.

    Jasmine, I don't remember exactly where I first saw the dental floss idea. I bet if you google 'dental floss gathering' you'll get some results with pics.

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  14. THANK YOU, Claire (and Gertie). I'm sure I've mistakenly used the terms smocking and shirring interchangeably, but now I *think* I've got it (shirring = elastic used to create the stretchiness, smocking not). Whew, so much to learn!!

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  15. I just learned a nicer way to gather fabric than I had been doing it for years. I'm really excited about the nice results this creates. http://tinyurl.com/3hsup65

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  16. Hey Everyone! I've been doing the dental floss gathering for years - it works beautifully for really huge gathering projects like a wedding dress skirt! Your blog posts are awesome, Gertie!

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  17. This is great information. And I too am totally going to steal the zig zag/floss gathering technique. Imagine...no more broken gathering threads... :)

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  18. I have never used dental floss but have used light weight fishing line. I have a roll of it in my notions at all times. It's cheap and since there is so much on the roll it will last a lifetime. Before the fishing line I used yarn.

    The fishing line can also be used in tulle, netting or lightweight fabric such as the edge of a wedding veil or hem when a lettuce edge is wanted.

    The Style Dictionary is such an inspired idea!

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  19. oh my goodness, that dental floss idea is actually genius. i hate gathering with a passion (when i move back to the states i've decided my third purchase, post sewing machine and serger, will be a gathering foot) but the dental floss idea seems brilliantly wonderful.

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  20. Amy,

    The only sure way to see what stitch length to use with a particular thread and fabric is to do samples and take notes. There's no magic to it, even with a gathering foot.

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  21. Thanks for schooling people on this! It totally drives me crazy when people call things one way and I understand them a different way.

    Oh, and I'm always annoyed when people call it "sheering", since the word sheering is a nautical term which refers to a ship swerving off course. It has other definitions as a noun but they pertain to nautical stuff, not sewing. Since it's probably a mistake in pronunciation, I'm sure being annoyed with it makes me a snob, of sorts. Oh well. :)

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  22. This is such an informative post!! I will definitely have to research that dental floss gathering idea. :]

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  23. I've used the zig-zag gathering with much success. In fact, I have a tutorial for it in one of my blog posts, complete with illustrations. Go to Yesterday's Thimble and look under Tuesday's Tips and Tricks, or just click here.

    As far as the difference between ruching and shirring, I learned it a little differently: Ruching is when you gather a row that's away from the edge, such as in the middle of a garment, or the middle of a row of trim, and shirring is when there's multiple rows of gathering, regardless of whether there's elastic in the bobbin.

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  24. Oh Gertie, I can't wait until you try shirring. It is the most fun thing. I made several little dresses for my daughter with shirred bodices a few years back when I was a super-novice sewer, so trust me, it's easy. The key is to dampen and then steam the heck out of the elastic after sewing, and then voila! Watch it shrink like magic, pulling the shirring even tighter. I'm pretty sure Heather Ross has a tutorial on her blog for this. You'll love it. Absolutely love your blog and so excited for all your success!

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  25. Good on you for posting this. It's not uncommon for women to not know what ruching is!

    And I didn't know what shirring was (or rather, I knew what it was but didn't know its name) so yay!

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  26. Shirring is time consuming, but not hard, and the results are so very worth it! A couple years ago, a friend and I decided to be Tinkerbell and goth-Tink for Halloween. I made the costumes out of panne velvet with shirring to define the bodice, and not only were they easy, but they looked fantastic.

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  27. I tend to think that gathering is a generic term for pulling up fabric along a line. Shirring, ruching, smocking pleating etc are specific forms of gathering. I have a 1906 sewing manual that defines gathering as "to collect or bring together in one mass" and a 1961 book that says simple gathers are one or two rows of stitching drawn up, and shirring is multiple rows, whether or not elastic is used. My 1938 edition of Mary Thomas's embroidery book refers to the basis for smocking simply as "gathering" but the 1961 book calls it "gauging". I think "pleating" is USA usage. I agree with Lisha that ruching is when the gathering is away from the edge of the fabric piece.
    Zig zag gathering over fine crochet cotton or dental floss is brilliant for very large pieces - bed valances for example,but for smaller items or fine fabrics the technique Amy refers to does, I think, give better results.
    All this is so interesting! Thanks
    Anne

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  28. wow - the dramatic tension created by leaving the pivotal factor out of the ruching definition until
    the
    last
    line
    of the description!!

    "Ruching is made by creating two or more parallel lines of gathering."

    i didn't realize i was holding my breath until i audibly released it. nothing beats the beauty of word AND sewing geekity together in one post! Thank You! steph

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  29. Having been a sewer for over 30 years, I've always done gathering by making two rows of long stitches, and then pulling the threads, praying they don't break. Recently, I tried the zig zag over a length of crochet thread - made me a believer for life. I do it on Long strips, short ones, anywhere I used to do 'regular' gathering, I now do the zz gathering. Faster, easier, have not had a breakage - although I probably will now! :)

    I'm about to make my DIL a dress with several and many rows of shirring!

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  30. This was really helpful! thanks:) I'm a gcse student and this really helped me understand the difference:) Thanks:D

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  31. I'm trying to make a gathered or shirred baby beanie with knit fabric - which method is better for knits? I tried gathering and then stitching the ditch to keep the gathers in place but it doesn't hold. I haven't tried shirring yet.

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  32. i always used to pull bobbin thread when gathering but i think ur method of dental floss and zigzag will give it a much smoother look u r a sewing genius ... going to use your method from now :D

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Thanks for your comments; I read each and every one! xo Gertie

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