A TECHNIQUE DRIVEN Blog dedicated to mastery of surface design techniques. First we dye, overdye, paint, stitch, resist, tie, fold, silk screen, stamp, thermofax, batik, bejewel, stretch, shrink, sprinkle, Smooch, fuse, slice, dice, AND then we set it on fire using a variety of heat tools.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

More Technology, Part the Second..., or Ruffle Kerfuffles

When, in the early 70s, I bought my 1928 Singer 15 class treadle machine (from an advert in the Post Office window, for £3) I went out almost at once and bought a Ruffler.. it cost more than 4 times what the machine had, and paid for itself in ruffled layered 1970s skirts at once..
Here's one just like it

From various angles, as fitted on the said (still used every day) machine.. Note that the little fork goes around the needle-clamp - this is what drives the ruffling action.
You may also note that the settings (first photo) are 1, 6, 12 and *
That is, every stitch, every sixth, every twelfth, and off.. I'm holding a bit of card behind the foot for clarity, but this is not part of the attachment.  Note also that I have used up all the paint from the bed of the machine..

I cut long strips to demonstrate this jolly toy. Here it is set on "every stitch" and ruffling along..

Make sure your foot is firmly attached, and that the needle-clamp is also firm - this action is a bit inclined to throw things around, and I did break a needle doing these...
The amount of ruffling is affected by the stitch-length set on the machine, and also by an adjuster on the foot..

Small image, sorry, but this shows the relative reductions in length. All these started out the same as the bottom piece.  The middle one has 6- and 12-stitch ruffling..
As with yesterday's slotted feet, the ruffler can add a straight piece underneath

Looks like this when finished


















Or between 2 layers of fabric.  This (as the middle layer vanishes and the top and bottom do not) is Very Bad For The Brain...


Purple on top, light green underneath, dark green is ruffled...  If you plan to make the ruffles with hemmed edges, do this first.. You can also ruffle a folded piece, so that there is no hem visible - if you want to do this, press well and machine-baste close to the raw edges to hold these together first...

And so to bed.. I've been teaching Trees today, so now I'm for fire and chocolate, then sleep...


1 comment:

  1. I had one but I don't think I used it since the 60's. I think I actually still have it. Must look even if just for play.

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