Sewing With Pleats - Topic Overview

Hi Everyone! Let's talk about - Sewing With Pleats! 

Throughout this 4 part topic, we will cover a variety of pleat types and uses within different design styles. I'm really excited about this opportunity to go deep into this topic, exploring the specific ways to create perfect looking pleats every time! 

I'll be demonstrating these methods while sewing a variety of Liberty Jane designs to help illustrate how the basic techniques and methods are used specifically when sewing a small scale project.

There are so many ways to incorporate pleats into your designs. It's going to be a fun course!

Are you ready? Let's go...

In the videos posted below, I share with you an overview of the topic and then we jump right into our first set of tutorials covering sewing with knife style pleats.

Patterns Used For this Topic:

Liberty Jane Pleated Skirt 18" Dolls

Liberty Jane Pleated Skirt 14-14.5" Dolls

Liberty Jane Piccadilly Peacoat 18" Dolls

Liberty Jane Piccadilly Peacoat 14-14.5" Dolls

Liberty Jane Piccadilly Peacoat 16" Ellowyne Wilde Dolls

Liberty Jane Piccadilly Peacoat 18" BFC, Inc. Dolls

Liberty Jane Harper Skirt 18" Dolls

Liberty Jane Steam Skirt 18" Dolls

Liberty Jane Steam Skirt 18" BFC, Ink. Dolls

Liberty Jane Steam Skirt 16" Ellowyne Wilde Dolls

Liberty Jane Cosplay Day Dress 18" Dolls

How To Sew Knife Pleats -  Part 1 Machine Secret Tip:

Part 2 - How To Make A Pleating Board:

Video Info:

• Part 1 - There are other similar methods to the one demonstrated for making knife pleats without marking each pleat prior to sewing. I've seen a fork used, but this really only works if you have one that will make the exact size pleat you need. It's quite a handy trick though! You can also use a ruffler foot to make pleats, but this can be expensive and challenging to get quite right. The method I've shown here is similar to how a ruffler foot is designed to work (it just does the pleat tucking automatically).
• Part 2 - There are several tutorials out there for making your own pleating board. I've seen one done using wallpaper and another done with posterboard (careful scoring is done to fold these materials smoothly and evenly). I've seen a few examples of this freezer paper method as well - even one from Shari Fuller :) For this tutorial I tried to use several of the techniques and combined them into the method that works best for me. You may find that there is a version that you like better as you try out different ideas. It all just comes down to personal preference and sewing style.

Week One task:

• Pick a pattern design that includes knife pleats.
• Choose one of the methods demonstrated and try it out for the pleating portion of the instructions.
• Feeling industrious? Try out both methods! Make a pleating board in one or several sizes and experiment with pleats.
• Jump over the SWC Facebook Group for conversation and project sharing.

Next Tuesday - Part 2: We'll take a look at sewing box pleats.