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Pleats...How
to make Perfect Pleats When Sewing
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When shaping a garment, one
might use Pleats. Pleats are often found on skirts, pants, jumpers,
dresses, jackets, and blouses. Pleats can be used to provide fullness in
an area of a garment or can be used decoratively. |
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When
sewing pleats first you will want to look at your pattern or design
your own pattern. If you are
following a pattern, this might be what pleats may look like on your
directions. |
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This would be
what the pattern would look like. In
general a pleat is made by marking fabric in two places for each pleat.
One place where you want to pick up the fabric and the other place where
you want to place the fabric.
On this pattern piece the solid line
represents the picking up of the fabric and the dotted line represents
where you want to move it too.
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If you don't
have a pattern make sure your pleats are of equal distance apart and all
the pleats are the same in measurement. |
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Notice in the photo that both
pleats are the same in measurement and in distance.
Once you have your pleats in place pin them in
place. |
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PRESS, PRESS, AND PRESS.
For this pleated skirt I made for Jamie, I pressed the pleats every time I
had to go to the iron for even another area of making the skirt, I still
pressed the pleats. You want to
"train" a flat piece of material to fold in a pleat. So YOU have to
"train" or "Make" it stay in place.
Another great idea is to "pound" your
pleats in place. This is great for collars and jackets too that you
will make. You simply get a piece of hard wood, make sure the edges
are sanded and you "pound" the pleats with your block of wood. Do this on
a flat surface or table not the ironing board. |
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Once the pleats are lying nice
and flat on their own, baste them in place as shown in the photo.
Leave them in for as long as you can. After the pleats were pressed,
pounded, and basted in place, this skirt was hung on a dress form for 2
days before the basting was taking out and the skirt was finished. |
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Notice how well the pleats
are holding on their own. This is the professional look you will
want to attempt when making your own clothes.
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Seams Info Page
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Be Sew-cial! See What We're Tweeting
About! |
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Our sewing instructor
JAMIE MARIE has her first 2 hit singles available on
iTunes store,
Amazon, & other places! Buy
them and add them to your Ipod today.
You'll
most likely hear them in one of our sewing videos soon!
PRETTY
WICKED &
REJECTED AGAIN |
Acai Berry... my
interest in the tiny purple fruit!
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