Pleats that last ... and last!

I thought this will make a short tutorial: if you want your pleats to last, zig zag them along the fold line! and one picture, and that's it... Instead, I got all this, so here we go:

When you consider using pleats for an outfit there's always the question: what happens after washing? Will they look just as good? They will unfold a bit and the cloth may wrinkle a little also, so you will need to spend some considerable time ironing after every wash...What can you do to skip the ironing after, or at least make it a lot easier? There are some spray solutions for making pleats last or some recommend the use of vinegar. I will present an alternative that seems friendly to me (also let me know how all alternatives work for you).

The best combination for a perfect equation is a fabric that doesn't wrinkle and pleats that keep their shape. For fabric I prefer cotton mix - natural fibers for comfort and synthetic ones for shape. The first step is to make pleats using whatever method works for you, see these techniques for a quick reference http://www.burdastyle.com/techniques/make-box-and-inverted-box-pleats, http://www.burdastyle.com/techniques/how-to-make-a-pleater-board.

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Once you ironed them into shape, use your zig zag pattern, put the pattern dial somewhere in the middle like shown in the picture. Loosen the tension of the upper thread. Set the stitch length dial to 3 mm and stitch the edges on the right side of the fabric. I used a light green and a red thread (green is the upper thread).

That's how it's going to look on the right side...

...and that's what you get on the wrong side!

We can change things a bit: let's make bias pleats and play with the zig zag - make it tighter and smaller...

...so first iron your pleats...

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For the first pleat I used the densest zig zag, 1.5 mm stitch length, the next one is 1 mm and third is 0.5.

To conclude, use thread in the same colour for a discrete border or contrast thread and fabric as loud as you like - this is a wonderful decorative tool in hand after all!

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