Pleats are a popular garment detail, lending visual interest and controlling the fullness in a garment. These fabric folds add motion and fun to a skirt, whether they run its entire length, or decorate only the lower hemline edge. Pleats can be soft or crisp, pressed or unpressed. Basic formations include the knife pleat, the box pleat and the inverted pleat . While pleats aren't difficult to sew, professional results require accuracy in cutting, marking and stitching. The effect is created by the use of multiple folds, so remember that if any of these important steps is "off" by even 1/8" on each fold of an 8-pleat skirt, the distortion is also multiplied and the result is a waistline that is a full inch too small or too large at the waistline.

Pleat detailing is prominent in current skirt styles, and is sure to continue through the summer and into autumn fashions. These easy tips will help you to create pleats you'll be proud of:

Marking:

• Use your scissors to snip-mark the pleat lines within the seam allowance.
• Use straight pins to mark the remainder of each pleat line. By using two different types of pins (or pins with two different colored heads), mark solid lines with one pin type and mark the broken lines with the other.
• Crease fabric along the solid line, press lightly and remove the pin. Bring the pressed edge to meet the broken line and pin the pleat in place.
• Form all pleats in the same fashion. Machine baste across the top of the pleats.

Pressing

• Careful pressing is the key to great-looking pleats. Once they are formed and basted into place, always use a press cloth or a scrap of your fashion fabric.
• Cut a strip of brown paper bag, inserting it between the garment and the unbasted fold of each pleat as you press.
• For soft pleats: Cover pleats with a dry press cloth. Hold the iron 2” to 3” above the fabric and apply a bit of steam only, without resting the iron on the fabric.
• For crisp pleats: Cover pleats with a dry press cloth. Use ample steam and the full pressure of the iron. Since the garment is not yet hemmed, press lightly to within 8" of the hemline. After hemming, press this lower area thoroughly as well. Let garment dry completely before handling to allow the pleats to set.

Topstitching and Edgestitching:

• Topstitching and edgestitching are used to hold pleats in place and to accentuate the pleat detailing. On a skirt, topstitching usually begins at the waist and extends down to the hip area, through all layers.
• For fabrics that do not crease well, edgestitching is recommended below the hip, catching in only the fold of the pleat in your stitching. Use edgestitching on garments that will be machine laundered rather than dry-cleaned; this makes the re-pressing of the pleats much easier.
• To give topstitching and edgestitching the look of one continuous line, do the edgestitching first, stitching below the hipline to within 8” of the hemline. Then, beginning stitching at the waistline, topstitch to the hip area, carefully overlapping the start of the previous stitching. After the garment is hemmed, complete edgestitching.

Hemming:

If a seam falls at the inside fold of a pleat, follow these steps for a smooth, flat finish:

• Clip the seam allowance to the line of stitching at the top of the hem allowance.
• Press the seams open below the clip and trim them to 1/4".
• Finish the raw edge of the hem allowance. Hem the garment.
• Working on the inside of the garment, edgestitch the pleat folds within the hem allowance to keep it flat. Once the garment is hemmed, re-press the lower edges of the pleats.