How to Sew: Gathers With Stitching

Watch our helpful video guide: How to sew gather fabric with basting stitches. One of our Learn To Sew video guides.

You can also download a PDF copy of this tutorial.

Learning in another language?
You can change the video caption language in your YouTube settings. Click here to learn how.

This sewing video shows a technique for creating gathers with lightweight fabrics. The easiest method is to use basting stitches as they allow for more control of the fabric. It also allows you to distribute gathers evenly to help match it to the pattern piece.

You’ll learn how to sew two rows of long loose stitches on your machine that you can use to gather up the fabric by hand. For great control, you can sew three rows but two will generally suffice. If you have a thicker fabric, why not visit our gathering with yarn tutorial.

Top tip: Have your sewing machine book handy for adjusting the stitch length and width.