Sewing Masterclass: Frill Skills

Frills are a fantastic addition to dresses, skirts and sleeves, bringing a little movement and softening a hem. They're also a great way to lengthen a hem, simply add on one or two more frills than the pattern requires to reach your desired length. We're going to show you how you could add more frills to this month's B6705 pattern!

B6705 Butterick Dress Pattern

This dress pattern is included in your package with Love Sewing Issue 101 which is available for just £7.99 from CraftStash.

Buy Love Sewing Issue 101

You can buy the pattern on its own for £11 from SewDirect. Please note that the Love Sewing version includes the full size range but if you are buying the pattern on its own, you will need to make sure you're choosing the correct size pack for you.

Follow the pattern instructions to make additional frill strips to be attached below the existing two layers.

Generally a ruffle piece will be 2-3 times longer than the edge you are attaching it too but you can experiment with length to find a fullness that you like. The wider the strip, the more volume and gathering there will be.

For a neat edge to your ruffle/frill, a double-folded machine-stitched hem is recommend. Turn the raw edge in at half the seam allowance and then turn this edge in again to enclose the raw edge. Press and pin evenly before sewing with a straight stitch for a crisp edge.

Baste the edge that will be attached to the hem with two lines for gathering. Leave long loose threads at both of the ends to pull your stitches carefully and create your gathered effect.

After pulling your gathering, even them out as you pull until they are the length of your hem edge. Pin evenly and sew as close as possible to the gathering stitch. You can finish the edge with an overlocker if desired.