Ruffled hems have been popular for centuries, adding movement and interest to a garment. They were popular in the mid-1800s and require skill to make. Pre-pleated fabrics are available, but practice is recommended.
The ruffled hem on women’s dresses and skirts has been popular for centuries. A ruffled hem is a very wide ruffle at the bottom of a hem or skirt. It is much wider than the 2-3 inch (5-7 centimeters) ruffled hem often seen.
The word “flyer” is even old. It appears as early as Middle English as the word frounce and comes from the Old French word fronce, meaning “fold”. In fact, a frill is pleated at the top, then it is sewn to the garment. A ruffled hem adds movement and interest, as well as embellishment to a garment. It is considered an elegant addition to a skirt or dress, although lace or chiffon ruffles are also popular in luxury lingerie.
Paintings of women dating to the mid-16th century show a ruffled hem on fine linen skirts or sleeves. The ruffled sleeve so popular in the late 1600s and early 1700s is also a type of ruffle. Ruffles were extremely popular in the mid 1800s, after large hooped skirts made their debut. A hem 15 to 20 inches (38-50 centimeters) wide was not unusual, especially on a beautiful young woman’s ball gown. These ruffles moved and fluttered as she danced, giving a pleasing effect.
Making a ruffled hem requires some skill on the part of the sewer. The material is usually cut into a long rectangle, to the desired width, including a 1/4-inch (6.3-millimeter) seam allowance. From here, there are two ways to make a ruffled hem. The sewer can sew a long basting along the length of the fabric, within the seam allowance. The bobbin thread is gently pulled out of the material. The fabric will begin to wrinkle and fold, and the sewer will be left with a previously collected piece of material, ready to be sewn to the main garment.
A second way to make a ruffled hem is to cut the fabric, again to the desired width, and with the right sides of the fabric together, pleat the fabric by hand as it is sewn to the garment. This is extremely difficult, because it is very difficult to separate the folds exactly to the right and sew them flat.
Some fabric stores sell pre-pleated chiffon or other fabrics that have been sprayed to trim the tape, and the sewer simply needs to attach the tape to the garment. This is by far the easiest way to achieve a nice hem.
A sewer interested in learning the technique is best served by practicing the various methods on scrap material before attempting a full garment.
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