Favorite Notions #5

Some of you may look at this and think, "What is that twisted pile of metal and plastic bits that looks like it might belong in some kind of Steampunk-esque trade show?" and others of you may recognize this for what it is: a ruffler foot.  This thing has made my life so much easier, I'm thinking about buying a spare just in case this one breaks.  I make lots of girls' dresses and they often have lots and lots of ruffles.  Now, I could zigzag over a heavy string and do all that gathering by hand, but this foot is much faster, more even, and frankly, more fun :-)  Put the fabric in, zip it through, and there's your ruffles.  Perhaps it's more accurate to say that this is really a pleating foot rather than a gathering foot, though.  The action of the foot makes small pleats in the fabric which are then stitched into place.  A gathering foot is different, and to be honest, I've never been able to make one work.

There's a bit of a learning curve with this foot, and you have to experiment with the adjustments and stitch length to get just the amount of ruffling you want, but once you've got it down, it's a cinch to do whatever your project calls for.