For shirring you need use two different kinds of threads. You’ve probably owned a garment or two with shirring on the bodice or sleeve edge. For shirring, you need to wind the bobbin with elastic thread — by hand, not by machine. Find the Right Tension First you need insert usual thin thread in needle . Topstitching is a line of stitching on the outside of a garment that either can be solely decorative or both decorative and functional in helping to reinforce a seam. In dress making, gathers are often used at yokes line, waist line, neck line, upper and lower edge of sleeves for kid's and ladies garment. A hand-operated machine for shirring casing onto a stuffing tube ( 1 ) includes a body through which the stuffing tube ( 1 ) covered in casing may pass. But for winding a bobbin you need use a thick elastic thread. Now start shirring. In this case it’s called “smocking”. Note: When you are make shirring you must wind a bobbin with elastic thread by hand only without using a bobbin winder of sewing machine. The result is a stretchy finish that is great for sundresses, skirt waistbands, and cuffs on sleeves. As you wind, avoid pulling tightly on the elastic. One clarification, smocking looks like shirring but it does not stretch. It was traditionally done on by hand, often on a fabric with a very repetitive pattern, like gingham. Shirring is created by using elastic thread in the bobbin and all-purpose thread in the needle, while sewing rows of stitches 3/8″ – 1/2″ apart with 3-4mm stitch length. Do not use the bobbin winder on your machine – it will stretch the elastic thread and you will not get the shirring effect you are looking for. I just might see if my machine will do that! It may seem faster to use your machine but when it comes to elastic thread, winding by hand is in fact faster and less tricky. It was used as trim on the front yoke of a dress but not all the way around. In between the simplicity of gathering and the intricacy of hand-smocking, lives one of our favorite texturing techniques: elastic shirring. Instead, hold the bobbin in one hand and use the other hand to wind the elastic thread around the bobbin. Shirring is an effect that you can create using elastic thread and non-elastic thread together. Wind your bobbin by hand. Shirring is a way of making a garment more fitted, and it’s a beautiful way to add uniqueness to a project. Smocking is created by hand using embroidery stitches in decorative patterns to gather fabric which creates stretch without the use of elastic thread. Just make sure you don’t pull the elastic as this will create tension. See more ideas about shirred, sewing hacks, sewing. Thanks Lauren for the challenge. Shirring may also be worked vertically on bodices or sleeves, and is sometimes employed in creating trims, as well. The shirring machine has casing engaging means ( 4 ) that engages the casing as the machine is pushed along the stuffing tube ( 1 ) from the discharge end ( 12 ) so that the casing is drawn onto the stuffing tube. It was the style on those iconic 1970s peasant dresses, and it remains popular in new fashion trends. Then insert the bobbin into the machine as usual and load the top thread as you normally would. To hand wind your bobbin, begin to wrap the elastic thread around the bobbin without pulling or … If you’re shirring a lot of rows, make sure you have a … Hand wind your bobbins with the elastic thread. Shirred garments sometimes have a row of trim laid along selected shirring lines, covering the shirring stitches and stabilizing the fullness, while adding a decorative element. Gathering by hand, Machine, using elastic and Shirring Gathering is an effective and decorative way of distributing fullness over a given area. 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