Renaissance Ruff Making
A self taught interpretation by Oliver
You will need
✦Medium thick cotton thread (Choose the white that matches your material)
Gutermann hand quilting thread works really well (JoAnns)
✦Beeswax block (for thread)
✦3 to 4 sharp quality needles (to fit main thread type)
✦ Decorative trim or a way to clean edge the yards of material.
✦ Starch powder to make into liquid starch
✦ Sewing machine preferred to protect straying edges or sew down lace.
✦Beading needle (optional)
✦ Scissors
✦ Book binding glue (to keep thread knots from coming undone)
Each ruff consists of about 4 to 7 yards of material.
But how do I know what’s the right length for my neck?
Rule of thumb: The less yards you have the less materials you have to style/ smaller the ruffles will be.
Ruffs can fit the same person’s neck at 4 yards, 5, 6, 7, but the outcome will look very different.
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Start with the 3 running stitches.
Every row has its own needle and every needle has a yards length of thread.
It will pleat / bunch up into many find ruffles.
The neck measurement will be the length of the pleated area.
To style a ruff you will need to figure out how big you want the ruffles to be.
***Your trim's pattern will come in handy and do the measuring for you.
Play with it, and tie the curves together until you've created a ruff pattern.
[Shown below] After the ruffles have been made run a straight thread through the tops of the ruffles. The thread will keep them equally in place, ready to be starched. Do this string on both bottom and top ruffles.
The next step below is to make a material covering overtop the pleated area.
This will form the collar that sits snug against the neck and has the ties.
Measure and cut the material, fold the edges over so they do not fray. Sandwhich / Fold the material over so it also covers the bottom.
[Above left photo]
Sew a running stitch where the pleats stop and the ruffles start on both sides. Do not knot as you go, make sure it's a running stitch. The tension needs to be flexible at all times when the ruff is bent.
It is time to do a final style with liquid starch. Squirt bottles are not necessary and can over drench the material.
I have found that making the starch a thick soup like consistency will hold it in place better. And it only requires one coat /saves time. Use a medium or large paintbrush.
Starching the form with just your hands.
It is possible! That is how I made this ruff. The key to success is globbing an equal layer of starch over the entire thing within a few minutes then blow dry for about 10 minutes.
After a warm blow dry use your hands to sculpt [the now tacky] starched material.
Tug any unwanted material into equal parts to correct the ruffles and make them even.
Do this process for both underside and oversize.
DO NOT GET STARCH ON THE COLLAR. It's not needed and you may have itchy regrets.
If the ruff gets wet or rained on the starch reverts back into paste and you'll have to style it all over again. So be careful! Once you get this down, it's like tying a shoe. It's good to know how to restyle your ruff so that you can wash it during the season.
I use a flowerpot and then do the underside last. It will dry with gravity and make the ruff super perky-froo-froo when you put it on. ;)
Lastly put a cotton string on the inside (I run mine all the way through the collar) and sew those pleat openings shut on the ends.
[Left] unfinished [Right] sewn closed
