Shirring and smocking

• Shirring: several rows of gathering, often with elastic thread in the bobbin. Stretchy and comfortable: good for back panels and children’s blouses.
• Smocking: fabric gathered into tiny pleats and held with decorative stitches. Traditional on children’s yokes.

Ruching

Fabric gathered along a seam on both edges so it wrinkles softly. Lovely on a sweetheart neckline or a side panel.

Cording and quilting

Cord stitched into channels, or wadding stitched between layers, gives raised lines and structure. Quilted blouses suit winter and jacket styles.

Godets, gussets and flounces

• Godet: a triangle set into a seam to add flare, as in a peplum.
• Gusset: a small diamond or triangle under the arm for movement.
• Flounce: a circular or spiral piece that ripples when sewn to a straight edge: frills on sleeves, necks and peplums.

Surface manipulation

Heat-set pleating (factory-pleated polyester), crushing, folding and bonding, and laser-cut patterns are done by machine or specialist suppliers. They are real techniques but not usually done in a tailoring studio; buy pre-pleated fabric if you need it.

1. Pad the form to the wearer’s measurements with wadding and a cover, so it matches her body.
2. Mark the grain on a square of muslin (cheap cotton): a straight line for the lengthwise grain and one across.
3. Pin the muslin at the centre front and the neck, grain lines straight.
4. Smooth the fabric over the bust towards the shoulder and side; fold the extra into darts, pleats or gathers where you want them.
5. Mark the seam lines with a pencil or tape.
6. True it onto paper: unpin, lay flat, smooth every line with rulers, add seam allowances.

Draping lets you design shapes that are hard to draft flat: asymmetric gathers, cowl necks, draped yokes.

• Saree pleats are the most famous fabric manipulation in India: knife pleats folded by hand at every draping.
• Bengal puff sleeves use gathers.
• The Kutchi kediyu is gathered thickly under the chest.
• Anarkali and angarakha styles use pleats and gathers below a fitted bodice.
• Pintucked cotton yokes are a classic of Indian kurtas and blouses.
• Today, Indian designers use pleated organza, ruched necklines and draped blouses on sarees and lehengas.

Planning where the fullness goes

• Under the bust: gathers or small pleats replace the waist dart, for a soft, empire look.
• At the shoulder or yoke: gathers below a yoke give a relaxed, folk look.
• At the neckline: ruching on a sweetheart neck, or a gathered keyhole.
• In the sleeves: puffs, bishops and frills.
• At the waist: a peplum of pleats, gathers or godets.
• As decoration only: pintucks on a yoke or sleeve, which don’t shape the blouse at all.

Keep the fullness where it suits the design and away from places that need a close fit, such as the shoulders of a deep-back blouse.

Control

• Draw gathers up gradually, a little from each end, and wrap the threads round a pin in a figure of eight to hold them while you pin.
• Fold and press pleats one at a time, from the same side.
• Sew tucks all in the same direction, at the same speed, with the same guide on the foot.

• Gather with two rows, never one; they control the folds.
• Use a longer stitch for gathering, and a strong bobbin thread.
• Pull from both ends towards the middle.
• Gathers need 1.5 to 2 times the final length in light fabric, less in heavy.
• Pleats need 3 times the final width for full knife pleats.
• Mark pleat lines with snips in the seam allowance.
• Press pleats with a damp cloth and let them cool before moving.
• Sew pintucks with a twin needle and a pintuck foot for speed.
• Tack pleats across the top before joining.
• Professionals stay the gathered seam with tape so it doesn’t stretch.
• Test on a scrap of the real fabric first; every fabric gathers differently.

The gathers bunch in one place.

1. Loosen and spread them again with a pin.
2. Pin at quarters before stitching.
3. Prevention: mark quarters on both edges.

The gathering thread breaks.

1. Re-run the rows with a stronger thread.
2. Gather over a cord with a zigzag stitch.
3. Prevention: use strong bobbin thread and gather in sections.

Pleats won’t stay pressed.

1. Edge-stitch the pleat folds.
2. Press with a damp cloth and let them cool.
3. Prevention: use a fabric that holds a crease.

Pintucks are uneven.

1. Unpick and re-stitch the uneven ones.
2. Use a pintuck foot as a guide.
3. Prevention: mark every tuck line before sewing.

The puff sleeve looks flat.

1. Add more fullness to the sleeve head.
2. Add a support layer of organza or net.
3. Prevention: use crisper fabric or a support layer.

The flounce doesn’t ripple evenly.

1. Clip the inner edge more so it lies straight.
2. Re-cut the flounce with a more circular shape.
3. Prevention: cut flounces on a true circle.

The seam with gathers is lumpy.

1. Trim and grade the seam.
2. Press the seam towards the flat side.
3. Prevention: stitch just inside the gathering rows.

Mistakes

• Too much fullness in heavy fabric.
• Pressing flat over gathers.
• Gathering with one row.
• Not marking pleat lines.

Myths

• “Gathers add bulk to any body.” Placed well, gathers give a soft, balanced line.
• “Smocking is only for children.” Smocked panels appear on adult blouses too.
• “Draping is for experts only.” A first drape is simple and teaches a lot.

1. Sampler: make a sampler with gathers, knife pleats, box pleats and five pintucks.
2. Dart to gathers: convert a waist dart into under-bust gathers on paper and in fabric.
3. Puff sleeve: slash and spread a sleeve and gather it.
4. First drape: drape a blouse front on a padded form.

As a hobby: pintucks and smocking are relaxing, and transform plain cotton.

For earning: ruched, pleated and gathered details let a studio offer designer blouses from the same basic blocks.

For teaching: samplers first, then the dart-to-gathers exercise, then a draped design.

• Iron gathers by pushing the iron point into them, not across.
• Re-press pleats after washing.
• Heat-set pleats on polyester: wash cool; heat may undo them.

• Can you name three kinds of pleat?
• Do you gather with two rows?
• Can you turn a dart into gathers?
• Do you know what a godet and a flounce are?
• Can you describe the steps of draping?

• Gathers, pleats, tucks, pintucks: the three families of fold.
• Shirring, smocking, ruching: gathered textures.
• Godet, gusset, flounce: inserted and circular pieces.
• Muslin: cheap cotton for draping and toiles.
• Truing: smoothing a drape onto paper.

• General draping and pattern-cutting practice.
• Teacher to check: the fullness ratios (1.5–2 times for gathers, 3 times for knife pleats), which vary by fabric.