How to Sew an Easy Elastic Neckline on a Peasant Blouse

Zigzag stitching is the key to creating an attractive, easy ruffle.

Peasant blouses are as easy and carefree to make as they are to wear. Forgiving of both fluctuating weight and wavering seams, a peasant blouse is an ideal project for a novice sewer wanting to get into garment sewing. Many peasant blouse patterns suggest a drawstring neckline, but using flat 1/4-inch elastic and a rolled or shirttail hem you can create an attractive ruffled neckline that's even simpler to incorporate than a drawstring.

Things You'll Need

• Peasant blouse
• Sewing machine
• Rolled hem foot (optional)
• Thread
• Pencil or chalk
• 1/4-inch elastic
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Measure, cut and stitch together the pieces of the peasant blouse according to the pattern or tutorial you have chosen. Follow the instructions until you reach the step describing how to stitch the neckline.

2. Turn the shirt inside-out. Fit a rolled hem foot to your sewing machine. Starting at one of the back sleeve seams, stitch a shirttail hem around the cut edge of the neckline. For heavier fabrics, use a short straight stitch. For lighter-weight fabrics such as gauze, using a long zigzag stitch will create an attractive scalloped edge.

3. Mark around the neckline not more than 1 inch in from the rolled hem and not less than 1/2 inch in. This will be the width of the ruffle. A narrow ruffle will result from a 1/2-inch mark. If you mark wider than 1 inch, the ruffle will wilt.

4. Stitch down one end of the elastic at a back sleeve seam, using a very short, wide zigzag stitch. Backstitch several times to secure the end of the elastic.

5. Hold the fabric in front of and behind the sewing machine foot and stretch out the elastic along the marked line. Use a long, narrow zigzag stitch to attach the elastic, stretching as you go.

6. Stitch down the elastic all the way around the neckline and secure with backstitching. Trim off the tail of the elastic. Stretch and relax the elastic several times to even out the ruffle.

Tips & Warnings

• You can finish the sleeve cuffs with the same method. On sleeves, the ruffle can be up to 3 inches long.

References

• Sewing.org: Zigzag Stitch
• Things of Cloth: Adult-size Peasant Blouse Tutorial
• Prudent Baby: Peasant Blouse

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• The Sewing Partner: Rolled Hem Foot