A ruffle is a strip of fabric, longer than the edge it joins, drawn up with gathers or cut as a curve so it falls in waves. For a gathered ruffle, cut a strip 1.5 to 3 times the length of the finished edge, hem one long side, gather the other and sew it into a seam or onto a hem. For a circular ruffle, also called a flounce, cut a ring whose inner circumference equals the edge: it ripples without any gathering and lies flat where it joins.
What is the difference between a gathered ruffle and a circular ruffle?
A gathered ruffle has fullness all the way up, so it stands out at the seam with small folds and looks soft and full. A circular ruffle is flat at the seam and the fullness grows toward the hem, which gives a fluid, wavy edge with no bulk at the join. Gathered ruffles suit light cottons, lawn and voile on blouses, children's clothes and tiered skirts. Circular ruffles suit drapey fabrics such as viscose, crepe and silk on sleeves, necklines and hems.
| Gathered ruffle | Circular ruffle (flounce) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cut | Straight strip, 1.5 to 3 times the edge | A ring, inner edge equals the seam length |
| Fullness | Even, from seam to hem | None at the seam, grows toward the hem |
| Bulk at the seam | Some | Almost none |
| Fabric use | Economical, cut from strips | Uses more, cut from a square |
| Best fabrics | Crisp and light: lawn, poplin, voile | Drapey: viscose, crepe, chiffon, silk |
What do you need?
- The fabric of the garment or a contrast, cut to the strip or ring described below.
- A ruler or tape, chalk and a pin for the ring's compass.
- Strong thread for the gathering rows, or a cord to zigzag over for long ruffles.
- A narrow hem foot or rolled hem foot, optional but helpful on a long hem.
How long do you cut a gathered ruffle?
Measure the edge the ruffle joins and multiply it by the fullness ratio. The ratio depends on the fabric and the look:
- 1.5 times: a soft ruffle in a medium cotton or linen, or a tiered skirt where each tier is gathered onto the one above.
- 2 times: the standard ratio for a lawn or poplin ruffle on a blouse or hem.
- 2.5 to 3 times: full ruffles in very light fabric such as voile, organza or chiffon. Heavier fabric at this ratio becomes stiff and bunchy.
For a hem 120 cm (47 in) around at a ratio of 2, cut strips totaling 240 cm (94 in) plus 3 cm (1 1/4 in) for the seams that join them. The gathering ratio calculator does the arithmetic and tells you how many strips of your fabric width to cut. The strip's height is the finished ruffle depth plus the seam allowance plus the hem allowance: for a 10 cm (4 in) ruffle with a 1.5 cm (5/8 in) seam and a 1 cm (3/8 in) narrow hem, cut strips 12.5 cm (5 in) high.
How do you sew a gathered ruffle?
- Join the strips into one length with 1.5 cm seams pressed open, or into a ring if the ruffle goes all the way around a hem. Join them before hemming so the hem is continuous.
- Hem the lower edge with a narrow hem: stitch 6 mm (1/4 in) from the edge, press up along the stitching, fold again and stitch close to the inner fold. On a long ruffle a rolled hem foot is faster; how to sew a rolled hem shows both ways.
- Sew the gathering rows. With the longest stitch and the top tension loosened, sew two rows along the upper edge, at 1 cm (3/8 in) and 2 cm (3/4 in) from the raw edge, leaving long thread tails. Break the rows every 60 cm (24 in) on a long ruffle: the threads are then easier to pull and less likely to snap. For a very long ruffle, zigzag over a thin cord instead and pull the cord.
- Divide and pin. Fold the ruffle and the edge into quarters and mark each with a pin, then match the marks. Pull the bobbin threads from both ends of each section until the ruffle fits, wind the tails around a pin, and spread the gathers evenly between the pins. How to gather fabric shows how to keep them even.
- Stitch the ruffle on with the gathered side up so you can see and control the folds, at 1.5 cm, between the two gathering rows. Remove the row that shows from the right side afterward.
- Finish and press the seam allowance with a zigzag or a serger, press it away from the ruffle, and press the ruffle from the wrong side only. Pressing from the right side flattens the gathers.
How do you cut and sew a circular ruffle?
A circular ruffle is a ring: its inner edge is the seam, so the inner circumference must equal the length of the edge it joins. Divide that length by 6.283 to get the inner radius, and add the ruffle depth for the outer radius. For a sleeve hem of 30 cm (12 in), the inner radius is 4.8 cm (1 7/8 in); with a 12 cm (4 3/4 in) depth, the outer radius is 16.8 cm. The ring is cut open at one point to lay out as a curve.
- Draw the ring on paper: pin a tape at a center point and swing both radii, adding 1.5 cm to the inner edge for the seam and 1 cm to the outer edge for the hem. Mark a line from the inner edge to the outer edge where the ring opens.
- Cut one ring per flounce. Cut several rings and join them on their straight openings for a long hem; each ring gives a length equal to its inner circumference.
- Staystitch the inner edge at 1.2 cm (1/2 in). It is mostly bias and stretches the moment it is handled; staystitching holds it to size.
- Hem the outer edge with a narrow or rolled hem before attaching. The hem is long and curved, so sew it slowly and let the curve feed without pulling.
- Clip the inner edge every 1.5 cm up to the staystitching, so the tight inner curve opens out to a straight line and lies flat against the garment edge.
- Stitch it on right sides together at 1.5 cm, with the flounce on top, easing the clipped edge around the seam. Finish the seam allowance and press it toward the garment.
How do you attach a ruffle on top of the fabric?
Both ruffles can also sit on the surface instead of in a seam, as a flat-set ruffle with a heading. Hem both long edges of the strip, sew the gathering rows 2 cm (3/4 in) from the upper edge rather than at the edge, draw them up, pin the ruffle onto the garment along the stitching line and stitch over the gathering rows from the right side. The 2 cm above the stitching stands up as a small frill, the heading. This is how ruffles are added down a blouse front or across a yoke seam, with no seam to open.
What are the most common mistakes with ruffles?
- Too little fullness. A ruffle at 1.2 times the edge looks like a mistake. Use at least 1.5 times, and 2 for light fabric.
- Hemming after gathering. The hem is then sewn through folds. Always hem first.
- One gathering row. It snaps when pulled and gives uneven gathers. Sew two rows, or zigzag over a cord.
- Gathers pinned in a lump. Divide both edges into quarters or eighths and match the marks before you pull.
- A deep hem on a circular ruffle. The curve will not fold. Keep the hem to 1 cm or use a rolled hem.
- Pressing gathers from the right side. Press the seam allowance and leave the gathers alone.
When should you use a ruffle instead of gathers, pleats or a tier?
A ruffle is a separate piece added to an edge. If the fullness should be in the garment itself, gather the panel directly, as in a gathered skirt onto a waistband; the methods are compared in gathering methods compared. Pleats give a controlled, pressed fullness that suits crisp fabric and tailored looks: see box, knife and inverted pleats. Tiers are gathered ruffles stacked one onto the next; the gathered skirt pattern in Sewly offers a tiered version and lists the strip dimensions as cutting measurements, with the gathering ratio already applied, so you can cut without drawing a pattern piece.