Beginner Sewing Tutorial: How to make a Shirred Dress
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
- So many of you have reached out and asked me for shirred dress tips, so I knew I had to make an in-depth tutorial taking you through how I make mine from start to finish. I've tried to break down the steps as much as possible, so whether your a complete beginner or an experienced seamstress, hopefully you can pick up some shirring tips!
Things you’ll need:
3m cotton or viscose fabric
Shirring elastic (3-4 spools)
1.5cm wide flat elastic
Matching thread
A good cup of tea (and of course some biscuits for dunking…)
Link to fabric scissors: www.fabriczone...
Link to embroidery scissors: www.fabriczone...
Music by Citrus Avenue - Espresso Sun - thmatc.co/?l=4...
Wonderfully clear instructions, you’re a natural teacher. Loved you on sewing bee too❤
What a fantastic tutorial ❤❤. Great instructions without the unnecessary 'fluffy' chat. My passion is patchwork quilting and bag-making, but after watching this one video of yours, I am encouraged to return to dressmaking. I have 'bell' subscribed - thank you so much ❤
You are a great teacher, you're very good at giving pointers, showing what you're doing - you made this very clear. The dress came out great. Thanks
I’ve been meaning to make a shirred dress for quite a while, this may just be the push I needed so thank youuu 💖💖
That’s amazing! Happy sewing xxx
Thank you thank you thank you! I've just made my first shirred dress. All down to you. Its for my daughter who is 18 weeks pregnant and she loves it xx
Aw I bet she loves it- they are so comfortable in pregnancy xx
Can’t wait to make a dress like this! As always Brogan - Thankyou! You’re a little star and these videos are inspiring and also super helpful for beginners! Xxx
Aw thank you for such a lovely comment- means a lot to hear how much your enjoy the videos xx
Brilliantly clear tutorial. Thank you.
So glad it was useful! Thanks for watching x
Thank You ... I've made a shirred dress without sleeves before so looking forward to adding them this time 😍
Yay happy sewing ! x
Very clear and comprehensive tutorial, Brogan, thank you so much! I may start by making a little dress for one of my granddaughters, maybe with shoulder straps rather than sleeves, just as a learning experience, before attempting any shirring for myself... But thanks to your instructions I think it should work ok 🤞 So glad I found your channel! 🙏
That’s sounds like a great plan- enjoy shirring!! xx
@@the_crafty_pie I just finished my first shirred dress for one of my granddaughters and I am dead chuffed with it! There will be more... Thanks again!
This is the best tutorial ❤ I was watching and thinking to myself this voice is so beautiful then next minute up pops a doxi !! Well now I’m hooked my favourite things in one video sewing and a doxi ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.
Absolutely loved this! Thank you, so clear and easy to follow 🎉
Great thanks, I shall give shirring a try.
Fantastic video, really enjoyed watching and taking on board the tips and tricks! I can’t wait to get started but choosing the fabric will be hard! Thanks so much for posting this, look forward to the next one 🧵💖 x
Thanks so much for watching! Really glad you enjoyed it and enjoy fabric shopping 🤩 xxx
thank you for this tutorial. Im looking to alter my wedding dress into something i can wear daily and since it had so much loose fabric i wanted to shirr the back this has been very helpful!
I love it you did a great job I'm sure your sister will enjoy it too it's beautiful
Love this video. Can't believe how simple you have made it look. Looking forward to trying it our for me and my daughter.
Such a great video. Your teaching is so easy to understand. Please do more xx
So happy to hear it's easy to understand- sometimes I worry I'm just rambling away to myself! Thanks for watching xx
Love your dress! It is so beautiful! Love your creative flare! A video idea could be talking through your homemade wardrobe! 💖💖
Great idea- I'll keep that in mind! thank you xx
@@the_crafty_pie Thank you! You are such are lovely person! I am only 12 and you've inspired me to carry on sewing! At the age of 7 I made a cape for a world book day then a skirt with my Grandma at 9 I am currently mid way through a jumpsuit for my language trip to France! Thank you again you are my inspiration and role model! Thank you for making me smile, Sophie xxxxx
very cute dress !! This will be my next project !!!
Thankyou, that was just what I needed to get me started on my first shirred dress! 🥰🥰xx
That’s amazing, thanks so much for watching xxx
Wow, just what I needed, thank you. Shirring has been on my to do list this year! Now to order lots of shirring thread. Yippee
Yay I'm sue you will love it!! xx
Thank you for the amazing video! I can't wait to try it out myself. You make it look so easy 😊
Hope you enjoy sewing it 😍 xx
Thank you 💗💗💗
Omg.... thats it!!!
Im going to attempt this dress.... thanks for explaining the shirring!!! Xx
Yay that’s amazing!! xx
Fabulous Video Brogan!! I am 100% going to make this dress!! 😍😍 Such a great tutorial thank you!!
Love that! Happy sewing xx
I love this video, thanks so much for doing it! I’m doing a sewing class this weekend and I’m really hoping that I can soon make my own shirred dress too! 🧵 can’t wait! X
Thanks for watching! Hope you have a great time at your class xxx
I have finished my first shirred dress, affectionately known as the Brogan dress.❤
That's so sweet! x
Beautiful !!! And explained brilliantly. Thank you x
Thanks so much for watching xx
Great video, you make it look so easy Brogan x
Thanks for watching!! xx
Thank you for a great tutorial with fab techniques. Looking forward to making my first dress! Congratulations on your exciting new addition ❤️
Yay enjoy sewing it!! And thank you xx
Thank you Brogan what a fab tutorial and a beautiful 👗 I’m off to buy some shirring elastic 🧵🥰
Amazing- happy sewing!! xx
Aaaahh this is just so fantastic. Thanks so much for the tutorial, I can see me making this for myself and all three of my daughters!!! 😊🙏 x
Oh my goodness you would look the cutest all matching! xx
Hi, thank you so much for sharing. The dress is gorgeous. You are so talented. Look forward to your next video.😀
Thanks for watching! 🎉 xxx
Loved the tutorial, can’t wait to have a go myself
Yay hope you enjoy making it!! xx
Loved the tutorial so good
only thing I’m not sure of widths between rows of shirring and how do you work out how many rows to sew 😊
Haya. Beautiful dress. Shirring is my absolute favorite, if I could shirr everything I would, hehe. Thanku 'sew' much for sharing. x
Once you start shirring you can't stop! xx
I always struggle a. Bit with working out how tight to do the elastic for waist and like here to hold the sleeve in place I dnt no how to work that out I'm pretty new to sewing so learning every day
My favourite dresses!
Me too! 😍 xx
This is amazing Brogan!🤩 Thank you so much for uploading this tutorial. Ever since I saw you in your shirred dress in episode 1 on the sewing bee, I really wanted to try and create one exactly like yours. I’ve just ordered my fabric, can’t wait to give this a go ✨😊👗.
I’m so excited for you! Really hope you enjoy sewing it up xx
Love this! This is going to be one of my next sewing projects! 😊
So exciting- happy sewing!! xx
Love your videos, well done and please keep going
Lot's more videos on the way- thanks for watching! xx
Great video Brogan thanks 😊
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it xxx
Lovely tutorial thank you!!! What happens though if your hips r bigger than your upper bust measurement????
Hi brogan
I can see u doubled the sleeve measurement ? When i measure around my bust
Doesnt that have to be doubled also ?
Was patiently waiting this video! Can't wait to give this a go! 🥰
I was wondering, you mention if you don't have an overlocker to just use a zigzag stitch for seams. Would you use a normal straight stitch first and then go over with a zigzag stitch?
Yay I can’t wait to see what you make! Yes sew the seams as usual, then I would trim the seam allowance down slightly and go over the edges with a zig zag stitch xxx
@@the_crafty_pie thanks so much Brogan! 💖
At times like this, i regret buying a brother machine 🥲 mine can't shir 🥲
Oh well, i'm gonna do double work by doing some casing + elastic insertion.
Thank you for showing me the pattern, hope your sister love her new dress! (I'm sure she does though).
Also, thank you for the tip: cuddle a furry friend before, during, & after--i do it on all stages!
Ah that's such a shame! Casings will definitely work just as well though. Thanks for watching! xx
I've got a brother fs40 sewing machine and it's definitely doable. (albeit after a lot of you tubing to figure out why it wasn't working). I think that I searched for shirring with a brother sewing machine on RUclips. I had to take the case covering the bobbin completely off to make sure that it was threaded fully and pulling ot through to the top before putting it back on. (I hope that makes sense.)
Good luck!
@@katherinemoore5891 i felt like a stupid fool, because i only searched on youtube instead of calling my local supplier--who told me vehemently that my cheap brother definitely can shirr without any modification 🥲
I tried it, and yes i could 🥲😂 i guess the cheaper brother machines that are available around South East Asia & India (no digital embroidery) can shirr.
Great tutorial. Could you show how to do the edges with a zig zag stitch as not everyone has an overlocker or can afford one. It would be great if you could do a video on overlockers which one you would recommend to buy etc
Will definitely keep this in mind for future videos, thank you xx
Thanks 😊 xx
I loved following your video Brogan! Thank you so much. I made one with an old bed sheet and I found that 2x the bust to be wayyy too big for me (my bust is 96cm) if I did it again I would do 1.5x bust measurement. Perhaps old bed sheets isn’t great for shirring?
Just watched it. Will definitely make it. I was also thinking to make sleeveless version with straps. Have you got any tips? I’m total beginner with few bags, masks and pair of trousers to my making name 😉 x
This may be a silly question, do you need 2x pieces of fabric for the front and back of dress to sew together? or could you just have one large piece of fabric that goes around? Would it change the shape?
Hi Brogan 🤍 I love your video, thank you. You’ve made it look very straight forwards, can’t wait to give it a try. I think I might’ve missed this bit but what measurement do you use for the depth of the shirring? How far done do you go? Thanks, Megan xx
This measurement is completely personal choice- I would recommend trying it on as you go through and decide on where you like it finishing best. For reference I did 15 rows of shirring on this dress xx
@@the_crafty_pie thank you 💜
Great tutorial! Huge fan of The Crafty Pie! But I made the dress and it's way too big - it shrank after steaming but still nowhere near fitting nicely - what did i do wrong and how to fix it? How can I alter it now? Thanks, Karol
Deffo doing this this week. Would plain ( not patterned ) cotton fabric also work ? X
I was wondering why you would choose the longest stitchlength for the shirring. Because I did a test and ended up choosing 2.8 in stitchlength. Which I know is short, but it worked for me. Does it make a difference how tight the shirring is around the body/how much stretch it has?
For the bodice, do you do bust measurements X 2 for the bodice or X 1 1/2.
Help I just can’t figure out what I am doing wrong when I do this no matter what I set my tension at and using longest stitch it gathers but does not stretch what am I doing wrong?
I'm also a beginner, and am on my second version of this dress. I found, learning from my first, that it was the way I wound the bobbin that effected things the most. I have a cheapy JL machine and have the tension on 9 (highest) and length on 4 (highest) and I practised on scrap bits of the same material as Brogan suggested. I made sure when I wound my bobbin I didn't pull it at all, like she suggested, just loosely through your fingers. I hope that helps, I can sympathise with your frustration and I hope you figure it out and make a beautiful dress!
Would be nice with tie straps for my granddaughter
You’re a natural Brogan. Well done! One or two other people have asked about the width of fabric but I’m still a bit confused 🫤. If your bust measurement is 85cm, and you are cutting 2 pieces, front and back, then the overall size is double your bust measurement. Right?
Yes!
Exactly right! And the shirring should reduce it by half therefore making it the perfect fit for your bust measurement xx
Hi Brogan, will be making matching dresses for my daughter-in-law and 1 year old granddaughter . How many rows of shearing did you do for your dress on the bodice ? xxx
Completely depends on how long their torso is. I'd start with a tentative 10 rows, do a fitting and carry on as needed x
Ah thank you so much for the tutorial! I have made my first shirred dress now and I love it!❤️ Just have one question: how do you keep your sleeves from falling down? I’ve tightened the elastic on the sleeves and they keep falling. I must have done something wrong? Xx
Thanks so much for watching! It could be down to the shape/ slope of your shoulders. You might moving the sleeves slightly forward on the side of the dress (rather than being directly on top of the side seam) may help xx
@@the_crafty_pie Thank you 🥰xx
I’ve had a similar problem, I’ve tried repositioning the sleeves but it still slips ☹️
Hi Brogan, thank you so much for sharing this video. I am a out to attempt my first shirred dress for my daughter. Her bust measurement is 36 inches. Should I cut out fabric to this measurement twice....how will I know how much the shirring gather will reduce the finished garment to, half so will end up 36 inches in total. A bit stuck on this point, so if anyone out there can help, I would be very appreciative. Many thanks Clair x
Hi Clair, Yes you should cut out two pieces that both measure 36 inches for the front and back (72 inches in total before shirring). The shirring should bring it in by at least half but I would recommend doing a test swatch to get your settings right. Hope that helps xx
@@the_crafty_pie thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I'll post on Instagram if a success. Xx
i made this using my bust measurement as described but unfortunately it's wayyyyy too big. it seemed way too large even as i was shirring it, but figured it would shrink up with the steam. it did shrink a bit but it's still several inches too large. do you think i can just take in the the excess at the side seams, or will that not work because of the shirring? not sure what happened, must have been my settings.
That's such a shame! Sounds like the tension of your machine may be a little loose. You will be fine to take in the side seams as the overall dress will still give you the stretch you need to get in and out x
@@the_crafty_pieHi Brogan, mine is pretty similar, I doubled my bust size and shirred and the dress is huuuuge! I am on about 18 shirrs so I am going to go to 20 but I am still going to have the problem of it being way too big at the bottom (bust is way bigger than my body!) how would I go about making it smaller without having to start all over again? Thank you for an amazing video!
Love this video, really want to give it a go! Do you use your standard bust measurement for the top piece or do you need to add any more to allow for the gathering/shirring? X
Thanks for watching! I just use my standard bust measurement and don't worry about adding anything on. The stretch in the garment is super forgiving, so there's no real need to be exact xx
@@the_crafty_pie fab, thank you! X
Ahhh definitely want to give this a bash 😍😍🤍✨ thank you xxx
Thanks for watching! xx
How many rows of shirring for the bodice did you do or measurement of depth of shirring please? Thank you
It's very much down to personal preference so I would recommend just trying it on as you sew. For reference, I did 15 rows on this dress xx
Can you link ebay stores you use please?
It's a lovely dress. I'm wondering though, the width measurement for the dress that you use is the high bust measurement. That's the second smallest measurement on most people's bodies. I can't see how the dress would get over anyone's bust and hips. Shouldn't it have some extra ease as well as using the hip measurement or whatever is the largest part of the person's body?
You’d be surprised how stretchy shirring is! I can easily wear all my pre-pregnancy shirred dresses still as it naturally gives a lot of ease! Your more than welcome to make adjustments that might work for you better though, this is just the way I like to do it 😀 xx
Love your videos! Can I ask. For the dress measurements, is it double the bust measurement? So the front and back pieces are each your bust measurement? Feel like I’m over thinking it, but assumed it can’t be just your bust measurement as it wouldn’t then have anything to bring in on the sheering. Thank you!! Laura x
Yes it is! So each piece will be you full bust measurement, so together it makes double your bust. Then the shirring should bring the whole thing in by half (hope that makes sense!)
@@the_crafty_pie yes it does ha ha sometimes really simple things completely throw me ha ha I have your lemon fabric to do it in! So excited xx
Really loved making the dress but the sleeves aren’t sitting right on my daughter
Help
From where can I get that elastic threads
Hi Brogan...me again!! I have shirred 15 rows of my dress so far. My daughter tried it on and it doesnt come below her bustline. Although she is a size 10, I will need to add several rows more of shirring. It currently measures 6 inches in length. Any idea what length of shirring I should be aiming for? Also, I used the width of the presser foot as an indication of the spacing between rows, should this be more than a presser foot between? I am in a bit of a pickle about it tbh. Best wishes Clair xx
I would just keep getting her to try it on and do as many rows as you need- there’s no ideal amount, just what we works for you 🥰 Hope that helps xx
Thankyou brogan the video is fab
I've made quite a few shirring dresses for children with tie straps
However I would like to add puff sleeves
It would be for a 4 year old
But I'm not sure what measurements to use on the sleeves ? Could you please advise ?
Many thanks well done on sewing bee a joy to watch u all x
Sounds cute! I would just measure round her underarm for the width of the sleeves and double it to make the puff, and then from the top of her should to where you want the sleeve to finish. Basically the same as what I do in this video but the mini version 😍 xx
@@the_crafty_pie thanks bogan thing is I can't do that I don't have rhe child here so not sure what to do ?
@@karenstocks2623 could you ask the mum to do the measuring and let you know?
Why cant i turn the sound OFF??? Thanks
Just use the up/down volume button 👍 - paid subscription may be different 😊
Hi! I'm curious about your backstitching when sewing the shirring. My machine messes up completely when I do that and I have to tie knots by hand. Do you have any idea what I could be doing wrong? Also: how do you get your rows so even?!
Oooh sounds like it could be a tension issue with your machine but I’m not too sure? And with regards to getting my lines even, I’ve just had a lot of practice 🙈 I would definitely recommend a gingham for beginners as it’s already got lines you can follow! xxx
@@the_crafty_pie Thank you 😊
Also, sorry I forgot to ask in my last message. How many meters of fabric do you recommended for a small person- size 8? Thanks xx
I use 3 metres and have more than enough for a midi length dress xx
@@the_crafty_pie thank you 💜
Hi x how many rows of shearing do you do for the bodice please x
I did 15 but it’s personal choice really xx
@@the_crafty_pie thank you so much x
Ahh I accidentally clicked Dislike, but soon rectified! Thank you so much for this tutorial, I've been looking for something just like this! Would there be an option to forgo the sleeves and wear it as a sleeveless dress instead, is the shirring robust enough to help the dress stay up by itself? Or would it be wise to insert a piece of elastic into the top/bust hem line?
Thank you
🥰
Thank you!! I think without the support of the sleeves it would be best to have some extra elastic at the top just in case xx
Would the same pattern work for a child? Thanks!
Absolutely! xx
@@the_crafty_pie thank you! My five year old loves you, she so wanted you to win!
Where you get this fabric material?
EBay xx
@@the_crafty_pie can you tell me detaily