Options for Pleating

You should mark all of these pleats on the right side of your fabric.  Once you have your pattern cut out, place it on the fabric, right side up.  Cut out the fabric, and then mark your pleats.  You can mark the pleats in several ways. You can use tracing paper and a dull, but sturdy, tool (like a blunt end of a pen) to mark the lines and dots.  Or you can use tailor's tacks (that will take a while). Or, you can do what I like to do, and mark them free-form with a water-erasable marker.  You can use any kind of marking pen that will come off (heat-erasable, chalk, soap end, etc.).  I like to use a Crayola ultra-washable fine tipped marker.  Since these pleats don't have to be super precise (this is for regular "folk", not couture), you can mark these quickly with the marker.  I keep a pattern weight or pins on the part of the fabric/pattern that is not close to the pleat area so that the pattern doesn't shift while I am marking.  I fold up the paper part of the pattern and mark the fabric just under the paper with the pleat fold lines and the dots.  For the first couple of pleats, I will also indicate which direction the pleat should be folded. This is so that when I get ready to pleat, I can remember which direction the pleats were supposed to go. Otherwise, it can get confusing to see all the lines and dots and remember.  To make more precise pleat lines, you can put a pin through the pattern and fabric at the line and dot and mark on the fabric where the pin comes through.  I think that takes too long as well, but if you are worried about precision, that technique does help. 

Once I mark the side of the fabric the pattern is placed on, I will mark the opposite side as well.  For this pattern, these pleats will go the opposite direction as the ones on top.  So it works best to mark the pleats while the pattern is there.  I just fold up the top where the pleats will be marked and use the pattern as a template for the markings. 

Or, you can flip the fabric over, turn the pattern wrong-side down and mark the pleats, if you rather.  Either way, you are still marking the pleats on the right side of the fabric.

Then, you just fold the fabric at the pleat fold line and fold that line to meet at the dot.  Pin each pleat (preferably with a glass head pin that won't melt if a hot iron touches it).  And keep going until all the pleats are made. 

Sometimes you may need to re-pin or adjust the pleats.  And usually there are no pleats in the seam allowance. You may need to adjust the pleats by removing or adding a pleat or two to fit the pattern piece where it needs to go (e.g. sleeve to cuff).  That is fine!  Especially for this pattern (but also for most), adjusting any very small pleats, where there are lots, will likely be needed. 

Once you have pinned the pleats, give them a quick press to keep them in place.  And then, stitch them in place, just inside the seam line.  I keep the pins in place and sew slowly over them.  Keeping the pins in place helps keep the pleats in place.  I sew slowly so that I don't break a needle if I hit a pin, but also so that I can adjust the pleats as needed when they are being sewn.  If your pleats go the opposite way of these (i.e. toward the presser foot), they are more likely to have the presser foot fold them the wrong way, so you may need to raise the presser foot a little after every few stitches to get the pleats to lie flat before continuing to sew. 

This technique is very simple but I have found it to be helpful, especially when pleating crisp fabrics.  You make a very short (about 1/4") clip into the fold line of the pleat.  This helps the fabric fold more easily to form the pleat.  And it can cut down on the time you have to finagle the fabric into a fold for a pleat. 

This isn't really a lazy way to make all these small pleats, it is actually used all over the world to make many tiny pleats quickly.  It is basically two sets of running (or gathering) stitches that pull the fabric into small pleats.  This technique is used by people who need to make pleats quickly and still have them look good (but don't care that they are not "perfect").  And this is taught in our 125 Huichol Wardrobe pattern.

You can make the pleat marks from the pattern on your fabric (I did here), but you don't really have to if you have an idea of how big the pleats are you want to make.  Get a needle and thread that is as long as the entire length of your pleat sections plus 8".  Tie a knot at one end and sew long running stitches 1/4" from the cut edge.  Each stitch should be as even as possible and be about half the length of a pleat -- for these pleats that are 1/2" wide, stitch is taken every 1/4" or so.

Then, sew another gathering line in the same way at 3/4" from the cut edge. Try to keep the stitches even with the line of stitches above. 

Next, you will pull these stitches into a gather, adjusting the fabric so they are as even as possible.  Press them to one side.  Stitch them in place just inside the seam allowance.  And you are done with pleating!

This technique can also be done by machine.  Set your machine to the longest stitch possible and sew the two gathering stitch lines.  Then pull them up the same way, adjusting the gathers into pleats and press to one side.  When using a machine, you cannot get the stitches spaced as far apart, so the pleats are a bit smaller.  But it still works fairly well (and is very quick).  Of course, you can also just gather the fabric in this pattern instead of making pleats, but the pleats are fun!

Tell us! Any other pleating techniques or tips you like to use? Drop them in the comments!