Sewing 101: Ruffler Foot Guide

It's Monday! You know Monday's never meant anything to me until my kids started school. Now they are known as the day I No Longer Get To Sleep In. Huh ...? Have I digressed? I'm fairly certain I did my time. All 13 years of it.

On a blog related note, Ucreate posted a funny thing on Facebook this morning: determine your sewing name. Mine is Sassy Machine Master! I dig it. Why is this blog related? Because we're talking about sewing today. I'm sure the pinnable image was a dead giveaway. If you recall our Presser Feet Guide, you may remember discussing the Ruffler Foot, a presser foot designed to create perfectly pleated ruffles. It is hands down one of my favorite sewing attachments, and I thought it would be great to give you instructions on how to use it. 

I wanted to do a video tutorial, but it appears my camera bag, which contained my video camera, has gone missing. Err... At first I thought, No big deal, I can record on the laptop. Then the hard drive on that crashed. Well now! So ... we needed to settle for pictures. My apologies. But I will do my best to describe everything. The ruffler foot looks a little intimidating, but it's really not. In fact, it's fascinating to see it work. And I promise it will make your life so much easier.

Note, when purchasing a ruffler foot, it is best to buy one that is by the same brand as your sewing machine. Some say they're universal, but that is not always true.

HOW TO INSTALL

Remove any current presser foot you may have in place and unscrew your shank.

Angle your foot so that the fork arm hooks under your needle holder, hook it around your shank holder, then screw it in. Be careful to hold it in place while you screw it in, as it will give a small amount. 

To ensure it is properly installed, slowly hand crank your needle. It should go directly down into the small hole designated for it. If it doesn't go smoothly, or feels like it sticks somewhat, unscrew it and readjust. If you try sewing immediately and it is off ever the slightest mm, your needle will snap. 

SPECIFIC PARTS & THEIR USE

There are three main parts to this foot you are going to be working with in order to create your ruffles: the ratchet gear feed plate, the cloth guide, and the depth adjustment screw. You may also use your machine's stitch length.

In the picture to the left, we have the ratchet gear feed plate. This determines the number of ruffles you get. The star on the far left gives a straight stitch (no gather), the "12" gathers once every 12 stitches, the "6" every 6 stitches, and the "1" will gather with every stitch. For ruffles I like mine set at "6" and for gathering I use the "1" setting. 

In the right photo we have the cloth guide (the snake-like piece) and the depth adjustment screw. The cloth guide guides your fabric, holding it securely to create those perfect pleats. The adjustment screw works in sync with the ratchet gear feed plate to create custom pleats. The depth screw will determine the depth of your pleat, smaller taking small bits of fabric and larger taking bigger sections of fabric.

GUIDING THE FABRIC

There are two cloth guides, one on the right and one in the front. We're going to work with the larger one on the front. This step is very important to ensuring your fabric is pulled properly through the ruffling blade. Place your fabric over the first part of the cloth guide as shown in the second photo, under the middle piece (photo 3), then up and through to the needle. You are basically just weaving it through the cloth guide, starting on top. It is a little difficult to get down at first. I use my screw driver to help guide and push it through.

SEWING RUFFLES

As I mentioned before your stitch length will also determine the size of your ruffles. The shorter your stitch length is the tighter your ruffle will be — and vice versa. In this photo I have my stitch length set to "3" and am gathering every 6 stitches. (Before pressing your pedal, be sure your top and bobbin thread are pulled to the back. Also, do let the loose threads get caught in your sewing or they will cause the ruffles to curl considerably.) Begin sewing and watch the magic happen as that ruffling blade (the piece with the teeth on the front) pulls and tucks your fabric!

Now that we know how to use the ruffler foot, this Anthro-hack will be coming soon!

XO,

Steph

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Oh, Martha, Let's talk

For those who haven't heard, Martha Stewart recently said in an interview on Bloomberg that bloggers are not experts. Sure, it's taboo to argue with Martha, nor is it "appropriate" to be argumentative or political on a blog, but today we're going to be real. For the past couple days I have been tweeting back and forth with some sweet folks on Twitter on the topic, and we reached a great point: that place where the line is drawn.

To an extent Martha is correct. But only to a small extent. Bloggers ought to blog with ethics. If you have not thoroughly studied chemical compounds and the like, it is not wise to share hair treatment advice. There are a lot of PH levels and other chemicals you must understand. I do not, so, no, I will not tell you how to best dye your hair and what conditioning treatment will work best for you. Everyone's hair is also different, so that will always play a big factor. I have consulted my stylist about hair advice, and she has animatedly insisted I not share it on my blog and ask me not to quote her. Why? Because if it doesn't work for your hair, it comes back to her and to me.

There are many other topics we could go through, but I think beauty bloggers tend to me my own biggest pet peeve, because this is your physical body we are talking about, applying ingredients and chemicals to your skin and hair, all directed by inexperienced bloggers. 

So, yes, Martha, there you have a point.

But I do not think it's fair to lump all bloggers into one single You're-Not-An-Expert category. I have readily admitted I am not an expert, but I shared my Mustard Greens Recipe anyway, because it was loved by many. Not just myself, but the southern community I have taken to. I did not "copy" anyone's. I stood in front of my fridge and thought, what do I have on hand that I can throw in here? I am sure there are many other recipes like it, as it is not an overly-complicated recipe. But it is mine. I am also learning Photoshop, and as someone who is self-taught, I have tried sharing little things I learn along the way for others who want to learn.

Martha, you quote in your interview, "They're not trained editors at Vogue Magazine. They're copies of what really good editors have created and done."

Okay, I'm going to jump on that right now, because I know for a fact that editors COPY WHAT BLOGGERS HAVE DONE. In case you don't follow Epbot, late last year Redbook Magazine took her Flip Flop Hanger tutorial, traced her pictures with colored pencil, then published the idea as their own in their January issue with no credit to Epbot whatsoever. When the editor of Redbook was alerted to this she immediately corrected the mistake, even quoting "Creative women like you are key contributors to our magazine." What sweet recognition!

Which brings me to my final point, Martha. How many bloggers have you had as guests on your show and your website? How many times have you stood there, beaming over their creations and recipes and know-how, and all the while you've been thinking, "You don't know what you're talking about, you're not an 'expert'?" This begs the question, why do you have them on your show then? Because your producer said so? Do you not truly support them and value their work? Are you not self-taught as well? Did you not leap into your own business adventures based on what you knew you had a knack for? You did not study culinary arts or interior design or any form of writing, yet you developed skills on your own, which you now share with the world. How does this make you any different than us bloggers? 

I must say, that was a little saddening to hear your lack of support for the creative community. After-all, we enjoy your products. We beam with sincerity at your creativity. I oohed and ahhed over your costume on the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living. You truly did give beauty to Halloween! We envy what you have done for yourself. And until that statement, you gave a small bit of hope to other creative individuals on the possibilities their creative genius could have.

I know you are entitled to your thoughts and opinions, and I would not dream of denying you them. I am sorry if you think us bloggers create a "popularity" of some kind. My personal opinion is that the statement sounded like one of inferiority. Please let me assure you, I personally do not mean to encroach on your empire in any way, or desire to create a "popularity" that would take away from your creative domain. My sole goal on my amateuristic blog is to encourage others to be the best version of themselves they can be. To give hope to other single mothers barely making it along that there is possibility. To ensure they know it only takes a little ingenuity and creativity. I want to uplift others and be sure they know they can be a self-made woman and be proud of that!

Sincerely,

Disappointed

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Surprise Pinterest Dream Wedding

And people criticize those who aren't engaged for having wedding Pinterest boards!

PISH-TOSH!

After hearing his girlfriend say to a friend she wanted to get engaged and married on the same day, this groom surprised his bride by planning their entire wedding using her wedding Pinterest board as his inspiration. He proposed, then walked her into her dream wedding!

You're welcome!

Happy weekend, lovelies!

Steph

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