Waistband issues: why did this happen?

[gem]

Ok, I have made GADS of skirts. I know how to make a waistband! I have never had trouble... until now.

On the Much Ado skirts, I made the waistbands as I normally do: waist + 2" +s/a. So for my MIL, hers was 34" when finished (waist=31" + 2" overlap =1/2" seam allowances on two ends).  On mine, it was 30" finished (27" waist+ 2" overlap + 1/2" seam allowances on two ends). I then cartridge pleated 5 yards of fabric to the finished waistbands.

And they're both too small! And they're both too small by about the same amount (a couple of inches). We can get the ends of the waistband to touch in order to safety-pin them shut, but there's nowhere near the 2" overlap we were supposed to have... and which the measurements tell us we *do* have.

Can anyone tell me what happened? How a waistband that is technically big enough is actually too small? If it was only one of them, I'd put it down to stupid measuring error... but *both?* And by the same margin? Ugh. I'm going to have to take them completely apart and re-do them (60+" of handsewn waistband.... Only a couple hours' work, but still).

[Lady Kett]

A completely newbie sewer observation...does the cartridge pleating add extra inches because of bulk that you need to cover, so that instead of 30" you need 32" (or whatever) in order to cover the extra bulk of the fabric in the pleats?

[LadyStitch]

Do you have anything in the waistband as a stiffner?  I'm just curious if something could have cause the waist band to shrink.  I ask be cause it happened to us in the workshop. A fabric shrunk an inch soon a steam hit it while pressing.
The only other thing I can think of is the weight of the skirt pulling on the waistband.  Or that the small stitches of the pleats are ever so slightly sinching in the waist.  Otherwise I'm not sure. 

[Auryn]

is the waist band falling on your body in the exact same place that you took the measurement from??
What I mean is if you hike up the skirt from the waist band up and inch or two does it fit??

[Lady Rebecca]

Or also, is it a wide waistband? I've noticed that the wider the waistband, the more leeway room you need in addition to your waist measurement.

[gem]

Thanks, everyone!  Rebecca, you might be on to something. The wb on my MIL's skirt is 4" wide, which is probably twice as wide as anything I've ever done before. Mine is only 2.5" or so, because I don't have that long a waist! Ha! But on me, that's pretty wide.

Took MIL's skirt apart and made a new waistband 5" longer than previous, and I've pleated the skirt so that *both* ends overlap, instead of just one. I'm about to reattach the skirt, so wish me luck! I won't know if it fits her until she comes down for Fair. Ack!!