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

Amanda Wilson · 2026-10-07

If you've ever finished a cross stitch piece and thought, "This is pretty, but it's missing something," you're not alone. Denise felt the same way, and in a recent FlossTube livestream, she shared a vintage-inspired ruching technique that transforms a simple pillow into a textured, heirloom-worthy piece. It's easier than it looks, and once you try it, you'll want to ruch 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 velvet works beautifully) - Clover Black Gold Size 10 Sharp Needles - Clear premium invisible polyester thread - Lady Dot Creates ribbon (optional, but Denise loves it) - Stash 'n Stores from It's Sew Emma (handy for keeping everything organized) For finishing the pillow, you'll also want: - Blue Notes Number Two by October House Fiber Arts (for the backing) - Pellon Shape Flex Woven Fuse (20" wide, sold by the yard) - Nantucket Summer by Camille Roskelley (for a summery vibe) - Heat n Bond Ultrahold (17" x 1 yard pack) - 1 lb white core wool roving (for stuffing) - Stuffing tool by Benzie Design - Black Fineliner Frixion Erasable Marker - Ultimate Pressing Cloth Don't worry if you don't have every single item—substitutions are fine. The key is to have fun and experiment. ### The Ruching Technique, Step by Step Denise's method is surprisingly simple. Here's how it goes: 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—you'll trim it later. 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 the ruching extra tight and add a few extra tacking stitches to keep it full. 7. When you have ½"–1" left before reaching your starting point, switch to only the 45-degree stitches (/ \) for the final gathers. 8. Trim the ribbon to fit, fold the end over twice, and nestle it along the starting fold. Tack it down and secure with 2–3 knots. 9. Bury or trim the thread to finish. That's it! The result is a beautifully textured border that looks like it took hours—but actually comes together in one sitting. ### Why This Finish Works So Well Ruching adds dimension and a touch of vintage charm that flat finishing just can't match. It's forgiving, too—if your stitches aren't perfectly even, the gathers hide it. Plus, you can use up leftover ribbon scraps, making it a stash-busting win. Denise suggests practicing on a small scrap first to get the rhythm of the stitches. Once you've done a few inches, it becomes second nature. ### Stitch and Share We'd love to see your ruched finishes! Follow Fat Quarter Shop on Facebook and Instagram for updates, or join Kimberly's Stitch Squad Facebook Group—a supportive community of quilters and stitchers. Tag us when you post your work so we can cheer you on. Happy stitching!