Cartridge Pleating. .A Modern Way to get that "Period" Look.

[Lady Rebecca]

As per Rani's request, pictures of the inside of my cartridge pleated skirt:

Me wearing it inside out:


Laying flat, the inside of the skirt:


An aerial view:

[Rani Zemirah]

Oh, wonderful!  Now I have an excellent visual for reference!  Thank you so much, Lady R! 

[Lady Rebecca]

No problem! I must say, it is very odd to wear cartridge pleats inside out over a bum roll.

And on a related note, I will never go bum roll-less again! When I first put the skirts on tonight, I had forgotten the bum roll. And the cartridge pleats just didn't get a chance to shine!

[Luciana]

Thank you Lady R! This is most helpful.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I am glad that this thread has been resurrected to help others tackle this particular technique.

It's not all that difficult, just time consuming and so worth getting pleating done right.

[Lady Catharine]

Lady R-
Ive never worn a bum roll..

Only a hoop..

If u wear the br- does it appear more like  a farthengale, without the very bottom wire showing thru?

I now am looking into a heavy, but breathable fabric to eliminate this.

Also, does it give more room @ the waist/hips?

gramercy

LC

[Lady Rebecca]

On me (since I already have a bit of a natural bum roll), I feel like it makes my waist look tiny. I've never had a problem with my hoops showing through, since I have a ruffled farthingale, but it lets the cartridge pleating stand straight out (pretty much at a right angle from your waist), before falling to the hoop. Instead of a simple conical silhouette, it almost seems like a baby catherine wheel, though not so big. The next time I try stuff on, I'll take pictures of what the skirt looks like both without and with the bum roll.

[Lady Isabella]

I agree! Bumroll + cartridge pleats = looks awesome!!!

[Sorcha]

<Dig, Dig, Dig...>  I dug this one up because it's such a great reference.

One question I didn't see covered here was, Where do you start and end your pleats?  I'm seeing a lot of photos with the pleating starting basically under the arm.  I'm sure it depends on waist size and/or where the curve of the bodice begins, but...  Is this somthing everyone just eyeballs?

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

2) Fold over each opening end 6", sew 1/2" at the top to make a facing like finish. Do the same at the hem bottom of 2". When folded over, there should be clean edges. Tack down with a Cross Catch or whip stitch to secure the folded over panels.

Sorcha!!!  Here is step 2 from page 1 as to where to begin the gingham strip. Actually! Refer to the first post entirely on page 1.

Hope this helps. Thanks for bumping this thread up. It has helped many in tackling the chore that is Cartridge pleating.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

The Overskirt that is Cartridge pleated from an Elizabethan ensemble I did for Lady deLaney in 2009. Where the pleating beging as compared to the flat fron panels that split can be seen. Which is why I use the 6" fold over rule.



Using Cotton Canvas Duck to underline the 1" gingham, gives pleats that are even, sturdy, and H/A(if that is what one is going for)

[Sorcha]

Ahhh...  That makes sense Lady O.  I wasn't sure if that measurement was just to finish the edge or if it was were to actually to start pleating as well.

[Lady Rebecca]

I just pleated all the way to the center on my overskirt. I think I left about an inch on each side, so that just under where the eyelets on the waistband are was flat. I also pleated all the way to the edges on my 1860s skirt, which has a back closure.

[Lady Rosalind]

I just made a cartridge pleated skirt for the Scarlett O'Hara green curtain dress. I used gingham ribbon, as I didn't have time to mark the pleats, or sew gingham strips, along with finished edges on those strips (no serger). Worked a treat, and has enough body that it worked quite nicely for my purposes. However, unless you get the ribbon on sale, it costs a bit more to do it this way.

[gem]

Sorcha, I think whether to leave part of the front unpleated--and how much--is largely an eyeballing/personal preference thing. I've seen everything from skirts that are pleated the whole way round, to side-opening gowns that are entirely unpleated at the front, and only pleated from the side openings back, and any number of things in between.

I don't have a picture of this, but I'm making a kirtle at the moment (knife pleated, but with a flat front), and the bodice conveniently has two seams in front (roughly the same place princess seams would be). I'm starting the pleats at those seams, since it seemed like a logical marker and an easy guide. For reference, on me, that's leaving about 8" unpleated in front.

There was a thread way back about middle-class skirts, and it has some really wonderful photos. I'd started it because I was admiring a flat-front skirt that Tigerlilly had posted... and then Cilean came and posted a bunch more photos, including one of my favorites--a wine-colored kirtle from Kentwell with long sleeves and a flat front. It's a great reference that shows a ton of different options.

***
Lady R, I have a spool of gingham ribbon I bought on sale, but so far have only made super lightweight CP skirts, so haven't needed to pad my pleats (and also the skirts were WHITE so anything would have shown right through!). But you're right--if you *can't* pad the pleats it takes absolutely forever to mark all that yardage!! Margo Anderson recommends using the perforated side-strips of old-fashioned printer paper--and when I was cleaning out my office last week, I found some old college papers and very carefully salvaged those strips! LOL