Tiered Ruffle Farrah Hack
Hi everyone!
Today I’m sharing a hack of the Farrah pattern by Chalk & Notch as one of this month’s collaborators. The Farrah dress was one of the first C&N patterns I made back in 2017, so I was really excited to revisit it—and what’s more, this month the pattern was also updated with a more inclusive size range! I’m so thrilled that its now available to more makers.
The Farrah blouse and dress features a lovely ruffle at the shoulder, made a touch more dramatic with this tiered ruffle hack. Doubling up the ruffles adds a little oomph with minimal effort to boot. Here’s how to do it!
1. On your pattern paper of choice (I’m just using some of my kids’ craft paper roll), trace the front sleeve ruffle (no. 6) and back sleeve ruffle (no. 7). Don’t forget to label the pattern pieces and copy the grainline markings! Next, decide by how much you’d like to extend your additional ruffle. I began by adding 2” to the shoulder seam.
2. Use a seam gauge or ruler to make marks tapering the ruffle until its even with the original ruffle side seam.
3. With a french curve if you’ve got one, connect the marks, smoothing out the new line so that the ruffle piece still has a nice gentle curve like the original.
4. Cut out the pattern pieces and prepare the ruffles with steps 1-3 in the instructions. Once all four ruffles are hemmed, place one shorter ruffle on top of a longer ruffle (make sure you match fronts and backs), and baste together. Now your tiered ruffle is prepped for attaching to the bodice in step 19.
Because the ruffle is already being doubled, I don’t recommend lining the ruffle pieces (an option in the instructions for finishing the ruffle edge) because it’ll just be too bulky at the shoulder seam. Instead, do a narrow hem to finish the edges. You can use a rolled hem foot (tip: try using a thread spider to get your piece started), or try one of these other methods for sewing a narrow/rolled hem.
That’s it! I really like the tiered ruffle in this viscose dobby from Stonemountain Fabric, but how gorgeous would these flouncy ruffles be in something sheer like a chiffon? Or one of their slinky silks? Talk about luxe!
I hope you enjoy this quick hack for the Farrah, and I’d love to see your makes if you give it a try! Feel free to tag @megmadesewing or use the hashtags #megmadesewing when you post your hacked Farrah.
Happy sewing!
