Sy smocksöm med elastisk sytråd

Sew a shirring stitch with elastic sewing thread

Sewing shirring can seem very complicated if you haven't done it before, but it's actually not as difficult as it looks. In our sewing pattern Edith you can sew a variation with a shirring stitch at the neck, where we go through the same technique step by step. But shirring can be applied to lots of different garments and is a practical way to make garments close to the figure, without being particularly advanced to construct.

There are a few different techniques for sewing shirring, but in this particular tutorial, the shirring will be made with an elastic sewing thread as a bobbin thread and you will sew with a straight stitch on your sewing machine. I recommend that you test your work with a sample piece first before you start sewing the shirring for your intended project, so you are comfortable with the technique. Elastic sewing thread You can find it in my online store under the sewing accessories category.

1. Wind up the bobbin thread

The first thing you need to do to sew shirring with elastic bobbin thread on your sewing machine is to wind the elastic sewing thread onto an empty bobbin by hand. The elastic thread should be taut when you wind the thread onto the bobbin. Depending on how much you tension the thread, you will get more or less effect. The thread tension on the machine should not be changed.

2. Thread your sewing machine

Now it's time to thread your sewing machine. You thread the upper thread into your sewing machine just as you normally would. Insert the bobbin into your sewing machine as usual, but be sure to catch the elastic bobbin thread with the upper thread. Important! Be sure the elastic bobbin thread ends up in the bobbin thread tension, otherwise there will be no shirring effect. On my sewing machine, you can see this by the bobbin thread being stuck in the bobbin case where the arrow is pointing. If the thread goes directly from the bobbin to the stitch plate, you should therefore rethread the bobbin.

3. Extend the stitch length and possibly lighten the presser foot pressure

Some sewing machines can be a bit of a pain to sew a smooth and nice shirring stitch. You may therefore need to lengthen the stitch length on your sewing machine, just like when sewing a gather thread, to get a smooth and nice shirring that tightens. How much you may need to lengthen differs from sewing machine to sewing machine, but also how much the shirring should tighten. When I sew a shirring stitch for my Edith sweaters, I lengthen it to the maximum. I then test on a sample piece and shorten the stitch length if necessary.

You may also need to ease the presser foot pressure a little. This is not always necessary, depending on your usual settings.

4.Test sew a sample patch

Now it's time to test the technique. When you test sew now, you don't have to worry about securing the thread. Use not the automatic thread cutter on your sewing machine if you have one.

Sew in straight rows with a straight stitch and at the end of the row you can pull the bobbin thread a little (without pulling the stitch itself) and continue on the next row. You may need to sew 2-3 rows with about 2-3 cm between them to see if you succeed with the technique. The bobbin thread should be taut to get a nice shirring. If the bobbin thread is slack, you probably need to go over step 2 again and check that the bobbin thread is threaded correctly.

This is how the shirring should look from the right side

And the other side ↑

Good luck with your next sewing project involving shirring!

 

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