Introduction:
In fashion world, various techniques are employed to enhance the aesthetic appeal and texture of garments. Among these are flounces, ruffles, and tucks are frequently used to decorate garments. In this article I will explain about flounces, ruffles and tucks in garments.
What are Flounces?
Flounces are nothing but a piece or strip of decorative material that is usually gathered or pleated and attached by one edge onto a garment. A flounce is generally based on a more circular pattern. These are generally observed in women’s fashion dresses. Such fabrics are characterized by a wave-like appearance by sewing the fabric strip on one edge only and allowing it to hang freely along the other edge. Flounces are shown in Figure 1. Flounces can be made in cuffs, collars, blouses, or the hemline or neckline of women’s clothing. Depending on the method of making and style, a variety of flounces are available. Some of them are neck flounces that can be used in the form of a bow, flounce collars and curved band flounces.
The use of a flounce in fashion actually dates back to the 1920s and it is typically a decorative fashion technique. A flounce imparts uniqueness to the product. Today, several fashion designers use flounces to give a retro look to their clothes.
What is Ruffles?
Ruffles can be single layer or double layer and are used to give a decorative gathered effect to a garment. The amount of fullness in a ruffle depends on the fabric used—to achieve a similar result, a fine, thin fabric will need twice the fullness of a thicker fabric.
Types of Ruffles:
There are three types of ruffles; Plain ruffle, Double ruffle and Gathered ruffle.
- Plain ruffle: A plain ruffle is normally made from a single layer of fabric cut on the straight of the grain. The length of the fabric needs to be at least two and a half times the length of the seam into which it is to be inserted or of the edge to which it is to be attached. The width of the ruffle depends on where it is to be used.
- Double ruffle: This is a useful ruffle on a fabric that is prone to fraying.
- Gathered ruffle: This type of ruffle can give a decorative effect on clothing and home goods.
Difference between Ruffles and Flounces:
Ruffles and flounces fabricate a soft, delicate texture to the surface of the garment. The way ruffles and flounces are cut and stitched, and the fabric used, determines how these elements look in the final design. It is important for the design student to understand that ruffles and flounces are different from each other. Ruffles are cut as a straight piece of fabric and a flounce is cut circular. A ruffle can be cut on any grainline: lengthwise, crosswise (both straight grains), or bias grain. A bias grain ruffle will drape quite differently from a ruffle cut on the lengthwise or crosswise grains. Because a flounce is circular, it is cut on all three grainlines; this is why flounces drape so beautifully.
What is Tucks?
A tuck is a decorative addition to any piece of fabric, and can be big and bold or very delicate. Tucks are rows of small pleats partly or entirely stitched down. They can be used decoratively or to add fullness: tucks around the waist, for example, can release fullness to the bust and hip. Tucks are made by sewing evenly spaced folds into the fabric on the right side, normally on the straight grain of the fabric. As the tucks take up additional fabric, it is advisable to make them prior to cutting out. Tucks are folds of fabric stitched down either all or part of the way, such as release tucks. Tucks can be functional used to shape the garment, as well as decorative. Tucks are usually folded on the lengthwise or crosswise grain to lie flat. Tucks stitched on the bias stretch easily. Each tuck is formed from two stitching lines that are matched together and stitched. The distance from the fold to the matching line determines the tuck’s width. Sometimes, released tucks may be used for shaping the fabric to the body.
Types of tucks in garments:
The common types of tucks are illustrated in Figure 3.
- Pin tucks: These are minor ones. Pin tucks are spaced slightly apart and are stitched along their length. They can be used on sheer fabrics for modesty – over the bust for instance – or to add detail and texture.
- Spaced tucks: These tucks have gaps or spaces between the stitching.
- Blind tucks: The stitching of one tuck overlaps the previous tuck.
- Shell tucks: A shell tuck is very decorative as it has a scalloped edge. These can be stitched using a sewing machine or by hand. Blind stitches are used to produce a uniform design.
- Released tucks: These tucks are partially stitched and are not stitched along the complete tuck length.
- Dart tucks: Dart tucks are darts that are not stitched to a point; they are stitched the same length or shorter as the dart, but are left to open into fullness. Dart tucks can be stitched on the surface of the garment, providing decorative interest, or on the inside of the garment.
- Plain tucks: A plain tuck is made by marking and creasing the fabric at regular intervals. A row of machine stitches are then worked adjacent to the fold.
- Cross tucks: These are tucks that cross over each other by being sewn in opposite directions.
References:
- Professional Sewing Techniques for Designers by Julie Cole and Sharon Czachor
- Apparel Manufacturing Technology by T. Karthik, P. Ganesan, D. Gopalakrishnan
- Sew Step by Step by Alison Smith
- Sewing for Fashion Designers by Annete Fischer
Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. Mr. Kiron is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.
