Shirring is a great technique to make clothes more accessible to people of all shapes and sizes. Dresses and shirts with shirring around the bust and waist are very common.
Shirring necessitates more fabric, which varies depending on the fabric and the thickness of the shirring. Allow an extra 25cm for each measurement as an approximate estimate. This allows the object to shrink and get a shirred appearance without sacrificing width.
I’ll explain what shirring is, how it works, and how much more fabric you’ll need to get the shirred appearance in this post.
What Exactly Is Shirring?
Shirring is, at its most basic level, the process of multiple sewing layers of thread into a garment in such a manner that the region you’ve stitched is pulled inwards toward the wearer’s body.
This is accomplished by stretchy sewing thread into an area such that the stitched region works as a basic corset-style piece of cloth. That part of the garment has been pulled in to emphasize something, whereas other parts have been left to hang more freely.
Shirring is most commonly found on the website of long clothes like gowns. However, it can take a variety of shapes. Shirring is a technique used on dresses to draw attention to the wearer’s waist.
Shirring can also be done at the neckline or on the sleeves, depending on the style you want to achieve. This is particularly frequent in historical clothes when the neckline is more frilly than the rest of the garment.
Does Shirring Size Make a Difference?
In a nutshell, yes and no. While the size of the shirring about the rest of the garment is unimportant, the size of the cloth to which the shirring will be applied is.
The number of threads, the thickness of the material you’re dealing with, and the surface area of the material you’re utilizing are all factors to consider.
When shirring, the quantity of threads is quite important. At its most basic level, one line of thread will not be enough. It will somewhat draw the cloth in, but not enough to achieve the shirring appearance.
As a result, multiple rows of stitching are required to completely create the look.
Because shirring is all about tension, you should be careful with the thickness of the cloth you’re using. Every row of stitching you add to a piece of cloth increases the amount of strain acting on it.
As a result, the level of stress you begin with is crucial.
Because a thin fabric’s tensile strength is minimal, shirring will significantly increase the tension acting on it. A thick cloth, on the other hand, has a very high tensile strength. This means that even many rows on thin material may not have the same effect as a few rows.
When shirring, the fabric’s surface area is also important since the rows of stitching will reduce it.
The amount of space between the body wearing the garment and the garment itself is referred to as ‘ease’ while sewing. A thirty-inch waist wearing a thirty-five-inch waist skirt, for example, would have five inches of ease.
When shirring, the cloth you’re working with should have around ten inches of ease on the person you fit it to.
The elastic thread on the inside of the garment will then pull the fabric in, reducing the ease and ensuring that the garment fits correctly.
How Much Fabric Do I Need Per Meter of Shirring?
Make a table with different meter increments, such as 1 meter, 12 meters, and 14 meters, and the quantity of shirring required for each.
If relevant, include information on multiple sizes of shirring and different types of fabrics.
The region you’ll be shirring should have around ten inches (25 cm) of ease when shirring. To accommodate that much comfort, you’ll need to cut cloth with additional room. Here’s a useful table to aid you with your decision.
- Amount Of Fabric To Fit The Person or Object
- Extra Fabric Needed For Shirring
- Total Fabric Needed for Project
- 1m (100cm)
- +25cm1 ¼m (125cm)
- ½m (50cm)
- +25cm¾m (75cm)
- ¼m (25cm)+25cm½m (50cm)
It’s a rather straightforward technique to add shirring to a garment. To begin, make sure your sewing machine is set to the straight stitch. Then increase the stitch length to three or four times its original length.
This length is required to guarantee that the cloth is pulled uniformly across the row.
The cloth you’re sewing onto gathers within stitches as you shirr. This means that a greater stitch length produces more shirring, whereas a shorter stitch length produces less.
Then, using elastic thread, wound the bobbin by hand. Be careful to use a new thread instead of an old elastic thread since the old elastic thread might become brittle with age and fail to generate effective shirring.
As usual, thread the bobbin into the sewing machine. Use a basic all-purpose thread to thread the needle, making sure to match the color to the cloth you’re working with. Leave a two- to three-inch tail on both threads after pulling up the elastic thread.
Use a machine with a walking foot for the greatest results; it will keep the stitch length consistent, resulting in neater results.
Then it’s time to sew – stitch straight, clean lines, and the elastic thread will take care of the rest. If you want to make sure your stitches are tidy, steam the garment after you’ve finished shirring.
This is believed to help relax the fabric, allowing it to cool and dry in a more uniform shape.