I posted the other day about how wonderful it is to have a full arsenal of specialty sewing feet at your disposal (along with links to purchase value sets of 32 feet!). I’m putting the finishing touches on an all-out gown right now and I’m so pleased with how perfectly everything is turning out. It’s been a seriously next-level project. I made my own pattern and am using several techniques I’ve learned only recently or am learning specifically for this project and it’s paying off big time. The seams are all beautiful and perfectly lined up and the stitches all look amazing. I’ve found that the key to having beautiful seams, hems, and stitches is the proper foot for your machine.
One step I did by hand and am now regretting is gathering/ruffling the tulle that created the inner crinoline layers. I tried using just the ruffling option with a regular foot on my machine, but the results were dreadful so I resulted to hand-gathering and then machine sewing everything together. I’d been given the advice to use wax paper to keep the tulle under control and from snagging on my machine (the stitches perforate it so it tears away), but I didn’t find this necessary at all with my Brother zig-zag foot since it does not have particularly sharp points on the front. What I actually thought was more practical was Melly Sew’s idea of scotch tape if needed. Her tutorial should be great if you have a gathering foot as well. I was looking to create some thick gathering to create a thick, ball gown crinoline.
I now have a gathering foot on the way and since I may need to add some additional tulle to this gown (would you believe 10 yards isn’t enough for a little girls’ gown?!), and I can’t wait. Want to see how it’s done? Then you’ll want to buy your own gathering foot, or even the set of 32 specialty feet so you have the right tool for any sewing job. It makes a huge difference to have the right tools. You wouldn’t want to hang a picture on the wall with a chainsaw, right? Seriously, I gathered tulle for 2 nights when I could have zipped it through my machine in a fraction of the time.
Watch how it’s done: