Drawing Dimension: The Art of Gathering, Shirring, and Ruching in Fashion Sketching

In the video above, I want to share some insights on the art of drawing dimension through gathering, shirring, and ruching. If you’ve ever wondered about the differences between these techniques, then keep on reading!

Let’s start with gathering. Imagine bringing together excess fabric to create a more fitted or decorative effect. Gathering takes an abundance of fabric and reduces it into a smaller area, creating puckers or wrinkles intentionally. It’s most commonly found at the waistline, cuffs, or neckline of a garment. Most of the time, gathering does not stretch.

However, sometimes, gathering can stretch slightly because one fabric stretched while sewing into another fabric – think of a cozy knit cuff embracing your wrist and the fabric sewn to the cuff may have some slight puckers, which would appear like gathering.

Now, let’s talk about shirring, often confused with smocking. Shirring involves gathering fabric with parallel rows of stitches, creating a delightful decorative effect, usually achieved with elastic threads. Smocking, on the other hand, is a traditional technique involving embroidery stitches to hold small pleats in place, forming a decorative design. People often mix up smocking and shirring, but now you know the subtle difference.

Moving on to ruching, a technique that adds a ripple or pleat effect to fabric. It’s like creating mini waves that add volume and texture, especially in areas like the bodice or sleeves of a garment. This concept is like gathering, but the gathering effect is most commonly on both ends of the fabric, and the fabric is pulled taut to be snug against the body.

Now, the fun part – let’s dive into the sketching process. As you watch the video, I want you to practice with me.

How do you make gathering, shirring, and ruching look natural in your designs? Take time to study real garments and practice sketching different types of gathers, shirring, and ruching. The more you observe and sketch, the more natural and effortless it will become.

Pay attention to how different fabrics behave with these techniques.

Experiment with the placement and size of your gathers, shirring, and ruching. Play with proportions to achieve the desired visual impact in your sketches.

Don’t forget the details! Whether it’s the tiny pleats in smocking or the subtle ripples in ruching, adding these small details will elevate your sketches and make them more realistic.

Get creative by combining different techniques in one design. Mixing gathers with shirring or incorporating ruching in unexpected places can add a unique touch to your fashion sketches.

Remember, sketching is an art form, and practice makes perfect. The more you experiment and refine your technique, the more confident you’ll become in bringing dimension to your fashion illustrations. As with all videos from this series, I highly recommend that you practice along with me as I show you how to draw these design details.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s video! I’ll see you in the next one.