How to…Shirr fabric

Techniques

6 Oct

I love shirring. It’s a great technique to add to any dress or top to create a more casual, summertime feel. It’s easy too, find out how to do it yourself!

I added an elasticated shirred panel to the back bodice of my sweetheart neckline dress for Love Sewing Magazine to fit the bodice to the body and provide a comfortable way to get in and out of a dress. This helps to create a figure hugging silhouette whilst still giving plenty of room for movement.

Shirring in created by using shirring elastic thread in the bobbin. Regular strong polyester thread is used in the top. An elongated straight stitch is most effective for creating lots of lovely gathers.

How to shirr fabric

Start by winding shirring elastic onto the bobbin by hand.
First push a little elastic through the hole in the bobbin then, holding this in place with your thumb - you can use a little sticky tape if it helps - slowly wind the elastic around the bobbin.

I found 1 bobbin full of elastic was enough to do the whole shirred panel but you might want to wind another spare just in case!

2. Thread up the machine as normal and put the bobbin full of elastic in the bobbin case. If your machine is modern, you might not normally have to pull up the bobbin thread, like you’d have to with older machines. when using shirring elastic, you do need to pull the bobbin thread up and pull quite a bit, 10cm+, out before starting to sew otherwise it may ‘ping’ back into the bobbin case.

3. Bear in mind the seam allowance and start your first row of shirring at least 1cm down from this. You might want to mark your stitching lines on the fabric. You can also use the foot as a guide to keep your stitching straight.

Stitch rows of shirring, pulling the fabric out flat for each row.

When you get to the end you can pivot, stitch down a few stitches then turn and continue the next row of stitching. I like to do this to secure the elastic and prevent any cut edges wriggling loose later on.

Shirring works well on most light to medium weight fabrics. It works best on lightweight cottons and jerseys and creates a beautiful textured effect with lots of stretch!

It can be used to pull in cuffs on lightweight trousers and tops or anywhere you want to bring the fabric closer to the body whilst retaining plenty of ease of movement. So why not give it a try!