Accelerando: ~Tutorial for making ruffly pintucks~

For a long time I've wanted to try this technique on a knit dress for my daughter. I wasn't exactly sure the 'correct' way of doing this or even what it should be called. After seeing a dress like this on Sewing Mamas, I just had to figure out how to do these cool ruffles!!! I dived in and here is the end result. I call these 'ruffly pintucks'. (yes....I know 'ruffly' doesn't exist as a word....but I LOVE the way it sounds....lol) I thought I'd take some pictures and put together a tutorial for how I did this. Hope this helps someone.

1. Set your serger up for a rolled hem. I removed my stitch finger and the left needle. Turned the lower looper to 7, the upper looper to 4, and my right needle to 5. I also turned my stitch length and width to R.

If you don't have a serger, never fear......use a short, narrow zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine. It will work!!! That's what I did before buying a serger.

2. Grab the pattern piece you want to ruffle. I cut mine out about an inch longer than the pattern piece to allow for the tucks. Decide where you want your tucks. Fold up and iron creases.

Here is the ironed sleeve ready to ruffle. I am going to do 2 ruffly pintucks and then lettuce edge the bottom edge.

3. Fold the fabric wrong sides together and start serging along the folded creases that you ironed in your fabric......

....stretch the fabric on both ends as you stretch....see how the edge starts to curl up!!!

YAY!!!! First pintuck all finished!!! Look at all those ruffles!!!

4. Fold the wrong sides together and serge the next pintuck, remembering to stretch from the front and the back as you serge.

Row number 2 all finished!! Isn't that pretty?

5. Now just run the sleeve through one more time.....stretch that fabric!!!

All finished!!! Now here's where I would change it next time.....I'd leave more room on the bottom edge so that the ruffles were spaced more evenly. The bottom hem turned out better as you can see from the top picture.