The Ruching Trick That Turns a Simple Cross Stitch Pillow Into a Vintage Showpiece

Jessica Taylor · 2026-10-07

Ever finish a cross stitch pillow and think, "This needs a little something more"? You're not alone. Denise felt the same way, and during a recent FlossTube livestream, she shared a ruching technique that transforms a plain pillow into a vintage-inspired treasure. It's easier than it looks, and once you try it, you'll want to add ruching to everything. ### What You'll Need to Get Started Before you dive in, gather your supplies. For the ruching itself, you'll need: - Any non-wire ribbon (satin, grosgrain, or even a pretty lace trim works) - Clover Black Gold Size 10 Sharp Needles - Clear premium invisible polyester thread - Lady Dot Creates (optional embellishment) - Stash 'n Stores from It's Sew Emma (for organization) For finishing the pillow, Denise recommends: - Pellon Shape Flex Woven Fuse (20" wide yardage or 20" x 36" piece) - Heat n Bond Ultrahold (17" x 1 yard pack) - 1 lb white core wool roving - Stuffing tool by Benzie Design - Black Fineliner Frixion Erasable Marker - Ultimate Pressing Cloth - Blue Notes Number Two by October House Fiber Arts (optional) - Nantucket Summer by Camille Roskelley (optional) Don't worry if you don't have every single item. The core supplies are the ribbon, needle, thread, and your finished cross stitch piece. ### Denise's Ruching Technique: Step by Step Denise demonstrates this technique at the 1:10:00 mark in the video, but here's a quick breakdown you can bookmark. 1. Thread your needle and secure it to the center bottom seam of the pillow with 2–3 knots. Trim the tail. 2. Cut a straight edge on your ribbon, but don't cut it to length yet. Fold the raw end over twice toward the pillow to hide the edge. 3. Anchor the folded edge to the pillow with 1–2 tacking stitches. 4. Starting at the edge closest to you, make two running stitches away from you at a 45-degree angle (/), then two running stitches back toward you at a 45-degree angle (\). Finish with two running stitches straight along the center of the ribbon (–). The shape looks like a triangle with a tail. 5. Pull your stitches snug to gather the ribbon, then tack it down with a single stitch. 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 around the entire perimeter. At corners, make your ruching extra tight and add a few extra tacking stitches. 7. When you have ½"–1" left before reaching your starting point, switch to only the 45-degree stitches (/ \) for your final gathers. 8. Trim the ribbon to fit, fold the end over twice, nestle it along the starting fold, tack it down, and secure with 2–3 knots. 9. Bury or trim the thread to finish. > "The secret is in the tension," Denise says. "You want the gathers to be tight enough to hold their shape, but not so tight that the ribbon puckers." ### Why This Finish Works So Well Ruching adds texture and dimension without overwhelming the cross stitch design. It frames your work like a vintage picture frame, and it's surprisingly forgiving. If a gather isn't perfect, you can adjust it before tacking down. Plus, it's a great way to use up ribbon scraps. ### Stitch and Share Once you've tried this finish, share your creation! Follow Fat Quarter Shop on Facebook and Instagram, or join Kimberly's Stitch Squad Facebook Group. Tag them when you post so they can see and share your work. Happy stitching!