Rick rack and trims: a buyer's guide

Ric rac sizes

Rick rack is sold by the full span of the zigzag. That matters, because when you set it in a seam only about half of the stated width will show — so a 13 mm trim gives you roughly 6 mm of visible scallop. People routinely buy one size smaller than they wanted for this reason.

Scale it to the piece. Baby ric rac on a curtain disappears; jumbo on a baby dress overwhelms it. A rough guide: the trim should be no wider than the hem or band it sits on, and on garments the small 10–13 mm size is right far more often than anything larger.

Browse ric rac in baby, medium and jumbo waves, or the wider finishing and decorating shelf.

Materials, and what shrinks

This is the section that saves a project. Cotton and rayon trims shrink — often more than the fabric they are sewn to. The result is a puckered, rippling seam after the first wash on a garment that looked perfect when you finished it, and it cannot be fixed afterwards.

• Cotton rick rack. Matte, soft, takes dye beautifully, and the traditional choice. Preshrink it: soak in warm water, squeeze gently, dry flat. Do this to the whole length before you cut anything.
• Polyester. Stable, colourfast, no preshrinking needed, slightly shinier. The sensible choice for anything washed often — children’s clothes, aprons, tea towels, bedding.
• Poly-cotton blend. The common commercial middle ground. Shrinks a little; preshrink anyway, it costs nothing.
• Rayon and viscose. Noticeably softer with more sheen, and lovely on a dress. Shrinks the most of any of these, and scorches under a hot iron.
• Metallic. Decorative only. Do not press directly, expect it to be scratchy against skin, and keep it off anything that will be worn next to a neck.

The same applies to bias tape, ribbon and lace. If the finished item goes in a machine and the trim is a natural fibre, preshrink the trim.

Applying rick rack

Method 1 — topstitched flat

The whole zigzag shows. Lay the trim on the right side of the fabric where you want it, and stitch a single straight line down the centre of the zigzag. That is it.

• Use a stitch length around 2.5–3 mm — a short stitch on a narrow trim looks tight and can ripple it.
• Match the thread to the trim, not to the fabric. The stitching line sits on the trim, so that is what it needs to disappear into.
• Glue-baste or use wash-away basting tape rather than pinning. Pins distort narrow trims and the trim wanders as you stitch.
• For a heavier look, stitch both edges of the zigzag in two passes, sewing both in the same direction so the trim does not twist.

Method 2 — set in a seam

This is the classic. Only the outer points emerge, as a row of scallops along the finished edge, and no stitching shows at all.

1. Lay the rick rack on the right side of one piece, with the centre of the zigzag exactly on the seam line — half the zigzag in the seam allowance, half in the garment.
2. Baste along that centre line to hold it.
3. Place the second piece right sides together and sew the seam at the normal allowance, stitching a hair outside your basting so the basting is buried.
4. Press the seam and turn the trim outward. Half the zigzag now peeks out.

The adjustment that matters: move the centre line further into the seam allowance for a smaller peek, or further into the garment for a bigger one. Test on a scrap first, because the visible depth is much less than the width you bought and it surprises people.

Method 3 — under a hem or facing

Sandwich the trim between the fabric and a facing or a turned hem, with the points extending past the finished edge. Same peeking effect as the seam method, and the right approach for a hem where there is no seam to hide in.

Method 4 — two rows interlocked

Two lengths of the same size laid so the peaks of one nest into the troughs of the other, making a braided band. Stitch each down its own centre. It looks far more complicated than it is and is a good use for oddments.

Curves, corners and joins

Curves are where rick rack earns its place in the drawer. Because the zigzag can compress on the inside and open on the outside, it eases around a curve that would make ribbon or flat tape pucker into folds.

• Steam it into shape first. Lay the trim on the ironing board in the curve you need and press with steam. It will hold that curve well enough to baste. This one habit is the difference between a smooth scalloped curve and a lumpy one.
• Round corners where you can. A gently rounded corner in ric rac looks better and takes a third of the time of a mitre.
• Mitre a sharp corner by folding the trim back on itself at 45 degrees, pressing the fold, and stitching through it. Allow about four times the trim width of extra length per corner.
• Join ends inside a seam wherever possible. If you must join in the open, overlap by exactly one full zigzag repeat so the wave stays continuous, and hide the join at the least visible point — a side seam, or the centre back.
• Seal cut ends. A dot of fray sealant or a quick pass with a lighter on synthetic trim. Cotton ends should be turned under.

The other trims, compared

Trim is one of the few categories where the wrong choice is not a matter of taste but of mechanics — pom-pom trim topstitched flat will always look wrong, and edging lace cannot be inserted no matter how carefully you sew it.

Shop ribbon, bias tape, trim including pom-poms, fringe, lace and piping, or charms and zipper pulls for the smaller finishing touches.

In a seam or on top?

The rule is simple: if the trim has a header tape, hide it in a seam. If the trim is decorative all the way across, you can topstitch it.

For piping and pom-pom trim you will want a zipper or piping foot — a standard foot cannot get close enough to the cord, and the seam ends up loose.

How much to buy

• Measure every edge the trim will cover. For a cushion, that is the full perimeter; for a skirt hem, the hem circumference, which is usually much more than you expect.
• Add 10% for handling, joins and the length lost at each end.
• Add per corner: roughly four times the trim width for each mitre.
• For gathered or ruffled trim: one and a half to two times the finished length.
• Buy generously. Trim is dyed in lots and a partial reorder frequently does not match. Running 20 cm short at the last corner is a particular kind of misery.

Pressing and care

• Press with a cloth, on low. Polyester and metallic trims melt at cotton temperature, and the mark is permanent.
• Never press velvet ribbon flat. Steam from the back, or press face down on a napped surface or a towel. A soleplate on velvet pile crushes it for good.
• Rayon scorches easily. Low heat, a press cloth, and test on an offcut.
• Wash finished items inside out where the trim is fragile, and skip the tumble dryer on anything with pom-poms or fringe — the agitation is what separates them from the tape.
• Store on the card or a bobbin. Trim tangled loose in a drawer comes out creased along its length, and creases in narrow trim do not press out well.

Quick answers

What is rick rack?

A flat braided trim woven in a continuous zigzag, sold by the metre in widths from about 5 mm to 35 mm. Spelled rickrack, rick rack or ric rac — all the same product. Its distinguishing feature is that the zigzag eases, so it curves without puckering.

What sizes does ric rac come in?

Baby at 5–6 mm, small at 10–13 mm, medium at 16 mm, jumbo at 25 mm, giant above that. The figure is the full zigzag span, so set in a seam only about half shows. Browse ric rac.

How do I sew rickrack so only the points show?

Put the centre line of the zigzag exactly on the seam line, on the right side, baste along that centre, then sew the seam right sides together. Half the zigzag hides in the allowance and the outer points come out as scallops.

Does rick rack shrink?

Cotton and rayon do, often more than the fabric, which puckers the seam in the first wash. Soak the whole length in warm water and dry it flat before cutting. Polyester ric rac is stable and needs none of this.

Can rick rack go around a curve?

Yes, and it is the only common flat trim that does so cleanly, because the zigzag compresses on the inside of the curve and opens on the outside. Steam it into the curve on the ironing board before basting.

Single fold or double fold bias tape?

Single fold has both raw edges turned in and lies flat — use it as a facing or a decorative band. Double fold is folded again down the middle with one side slightly wider, so it wraps over a raw edge and catches both sides in one pass. The wider side goes underneath.

How do I attach pom pom trim?

In a seam, so the header tape is hidden and only the pom-poms show. Baste it to the right side with the tape lying in the seam allowance, then sew the seam over it. Topstitched flat, the tape shows and it looks unfinished.

What is the difference between ric rac and soutache?

Ric rac is a flat zigzag braid whose shape is the decoration. Soutache is a narrow braid with a centre groove, couched down through that groove so it can follow scrolls and lettering. Ric rac for edges, soutache for genuinely curved lines.

How much trim do I need?

Total edge length, plus 10%, plus about four times the trim width per mitred corner. One and a half to two times the length for gathered applications. Buy a little over — dye lots do not reliably match.