How to make a rosette

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one rosette, 9 cm across)

• Main fabric (satin or light cotton) — about 90 × 12 cm for the pleats
• Card or felt for the base — about 8 × 8 cm
• A covered button (2.5 cm) or a tin badge — 1
• A brooch pin or clip — 1
• Hand-sewing thread

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Fandom” → “Rosette” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the finished diameter, the pleat strip width, the gather ratio and the tail length. Presets cover small, standard, large and no tails.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Trace the pattern
   The pleat strip is a long rectangle; you can rule it straight onto the fabric.
2. Cut the pieces
   One pleat strip, two base circles, and two tails if you want them.
3. Seal the edges
   Satin frays badly — seal the cut edges as soon as they are cut.

4. Sewing

4-1. Make the strip into a loop

1. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, right sides together, and sew into a tube.
2. Turn and press flat.
3. Join the two ends into a loop.

4-2. Gather it

1. Run a long gathering stitch all round the open (raw) edge.
2. Pull it up to match the circumference of the base.
3. Even the pleats out with your fingers as you go. That is what decides how it looks.

4-3. Attach it to the base

1. Lay the gathered ring on the base circle, pleats outward, and stitch it down.
2. Glue the second circle over the back to hide the stitching.
3. Catch the tails underneath at this point if you are using them.

4-4. Finish the center

1. Sew or glue a covered button or a tin badge at the center.
2. Attach a brooch pin or clip to the back.

✏️ Three times the circumference is the right gather ratio. At two the pleats are shallow and it reads flat; at four the bulk pushes the center up into a dome. Gather at three and even the folds by hand — that is the whole trick.

5. Tips & variations

• Two colors: gathering two layers together leaves a contrasting edge.
• Put a badge in the middle: it displays the badge without damaging it.
• Write on the tails: a name or a date makes it a keepsake.