RUFFLER FOR GARMENTS

DateLate 19th Century

Credit LineTransfer from the London and Middlesex Historical Society, 1958

Object number1958.001.148A-D

Label TextThis is a late 19th century fluting iron, or hand fluter. Made of cast iron, devices like this created ruffles, pleats, and tucks on clothing. The fluting iron offered an easier way to create pleats compared to the previous method of pressing them individually around a goffering iron. To use it, the user would first heat the iron on a stove or coal fire. Then they placed narrow strips of fabric on the heated bedplate. Last, the user would rock the rocker part of the iron, working the fabric into the ridges to create pleats. Popular from the late 1860s through the early 20th century, fluting irons fell out of use as other methods of creating pleats and trim emerged.

NameIRON, FLUTING