moderately easy – WhatTheCraft

February 25, 2012October 18, 2018Tutorials, Video Tutorials

How to Sew Fabric Appliques

Here’s my video tutorial for fabric appliques / patches. Appliques are a great way to embellish or customize a project. You can add them to bags, clothes, Xmas stockings, and more. Appliqued handmade goods make great gifts because you can tailor each one for the recipient!

If you scroll down, there’s also a photo tutorial version so you can go at your own pace, or go to a specific step.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel! There are lots more tutorials on the way!

And if you have any tutorial requests, leave me a comment!

This tutorial was filmed using a Creative Labs Vado HD Digital Video Camera, a Canon Rebel (for still shots), and edited in Sony Vegas Movie Studio.

Here’s the photo + text version of the tutorial:

How to Sew a Ruffled Hem the Easy Way

Making a ruffle (aka gathering) is a basic sewing technique that you can use a million different ways once you know how to do it.

There are a lot of ways to ruffle or gather. In this tutorial, I create the ruffle as I sew, instead of gathering the fabric ahead of time. It takes some practice to be able to create even gathers, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a quick way to do it.

Difficulty:

Step 1

I want to add a ruffled hem to the bottom of a dress. The first thing I need to do is determine how much fabric I need for my ruffle.

How much fabric I need for the ruffle depends on 1. the width of the bottom of the dress and 2. how full I want the ruffle.

Laying flat, the bottom is 20″ wide, which means it’s 40″ wide total.

How to Ruche or Gather with Elastic

This technique is super simple and can be used so many ways!

What is ruching? Well, it’s a fancy word for a fancy way of gathering fabric.

batty_goth_silver_pixie_dress — dress by SmarmyClothes.com

You’ll need some elastic- 3/8″ wide or less is best, and a scrap of fabric (let’s just practice for now!).

Difficulty:

Step 1

Here are the two basic rules of ruching: Your elastic should be the length you’d like the finished product to be. The fabric you are going to ruche should be significantly longer than your desired finished length.

For this example, our desired length is 7″, so we’ve cut a piece of elastic that is 7″ long. The fabric has been cut to 12″.

NOTE: Make sure your elastic can stretch the entire length of the fabric you are ruching. Duh, I know.

How to Sew Set In Sleeves (the easy cheater way)

Attaching set-in sleeves (the easy, cheater way).

Okay, so it’s not really cheating. It’s a perfectly legitimate way of attaching a sleeve, and it is way easier.

However, a set-in sleeve is a set-in sleeve because you’re supposed to be setting it in, and with this method, you don’t.

Anyway, I’m splitting hairs.

Keep in mind, though, that this will only work if you haven’t already sewn up your side seams. If your side seams are sewn, you’ll either have to cut them open, or use the other method.

And if your garment doesn’t have side seams that line up with the sleeve seams, you’ll also have to use the other method.