How not to... make an elizabethan ruff

None of the stitches or techniques needed to make an Elizabethan ruff are very complicated however accurate measuring, marking and cutting is imperative and can often be the most challenging part of ruff making. For instance if you cut your fabric off grain your ruff will ‘twist’ when it is finished and feel awkward to wear. Cutting fabric along the weft of the fabric your cartridge pleats will be wild and springy.

Whilst this looks terribly romantic and can be used to create a different look, neat pleats it does not make! For this example use a quilting guide to mark the cartridge pleat points. As the breakdown of the inches are marked in a square you can very easily measure both upwards and downwards accurately. If you mark these points incorrectly the pleats will not lie flat and your ruff will look messy very quickly.