Cartridge pleating

[DonaCatalina]

Ack! Ack! I'm going over to the dark side.
I'm supposed to be making a skirt for someone else in an era that requires cartridge pleating.
I have heard that there is a cartridge pleating tape that you can use. It has a cord down the middle that you pull out after sewing it to the fabric, and voilà you have catridge pleats.

Any idea where I can get this stuff if it's really available?

[LaurenLee]

Milady,

Just buy drapery pleating tape... you can get it with one, two, three or four cords... sew it on, then pull the cords, and voila, you have cartridge pleats.  In seconds!!  You can find it on eBay as well as a fabric store.  I've been using it for years on civil war skirts, and now on renaissance garb.   Best thing ever invented!!!  Well, it's right up there with hook and eye tape, if you ask me...

[WaywardWench]

I have used pencil pleat tape from the drapery sections of Joann's and Hancock's. It provides a little interfacing and body to the pleats, as well as ease. It's a simple zip the tape onto the skirt along the top edge, pull the strings, perfect pleats everytime.

Handstitching them onto the waistband is another story. My tip for there is use heavy duty upholstery thread, three stitches per pleat, tied off every few. That way if... when someone stems on your skirt hem the whole thing doesn't tear off the band.

[CapnFayeCutler]

Gasp! How did I not know of this pleating tape!? I must investigate this since this is the main reason I haven't started my next gown! Too many frustrations with popping thread while pulling... *grumble*

I swear...I think you ladies are fabulous!

[operafantomet]

I think they're widely available wherever curtains and upholstery fabric is sold. Shouldn't be too hard to get a hold on!

[DonaCatalina]

Thanks to you all!
I'll look this weekend.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I cheat doing Cartridge pleating by using the 1" wide Gingham material, underlined in either Trigger or Cotton Canvas Duck. 
Then with the 3 rows of stitching under the selected square(dark ones), all comes out even to sew onto a waistband or to the Bodice. This is the result..


I cam across this tidbit years ago at the Minnesota Renaisssance Festival when I marveled at a gown that had caught my eye. I asked the wearer how she did her pleating so evenly. She was happy to share. I am glad she did and so am I.

[Master James]

WOW Lady Kathleen that is a GREAT idea!  My lady does all her pleating by hand and has gotten pretty good at it but that would definitely eliminate the occassional uneven pleats!  As far as using the curtain pleating, m'lady has tried that and found that the curtain pleating, while easy and even, was a very stiff material and made the dress ride on the waist band in a strange manner.  Just a thought.

[Taffy Saltwater]

Bought some tape this weekend & used it for an academic gown.  There were a wonky pleat or two, probably because the fabric edge wasn't completely even, but on the whole it's a lot better than I could do on my own.  It's pretty slick to pull the strings & watch the pleats magically appear.

[LaurenLee]

I kinda liked the bulk it added at the waist - it added some body to my pleats.  My only problem is the fabric frayed something awful, and I had to stay-stitch it wherever I cut it.  Otherwise, yes, it's pretty cool to PULL, and there you have even pleats where none existed!!

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

WOW Lady Kathleen that is a GREAT idea!  My lady does all her pleating by hand and has gotten pretty good at it but that would definitely eliminate the occassional uneven pleats!  As far as using the curtain pleating, m'lady has tried that and found that the curtain pleating, while easy and even, was a very stiff material and made the dress ride on the waist band in a strange manner.  Just a thought.

Master James!!!  This is the ONLY method I use for Cartridge Pleating.

I do make sure I do a fold over of the front skirt opeings 6" on each side, then sew 1/2" at the top to make a facing. Once I have my gingham pieces properly underlined and pinned to get the pattern correct, I sew 1/2" seam allowance for the rest to act as a facing.  In places along the inside, I do a   wide slip stich to hold things in place. Then I sew my 3 rows of stitching. Much more even that way and easier to pull. AS well as easier to sew the needed stitches to the waistband or bodice.

I have used the Drapery Pleating tape and did get, to use Taffy's word..WONKY, wonky pleats when doing a Civil War era gown for a play when I worked at the Costume shop. Had a hell of  a time sewing the skirt onto a  waistband because of the thickness of the tape. The Drapery Pleating tape is best used for those wider spaced pleats for drapes, not garb.

[Kate XXXXXX]

For rapid costume pleating projects I look for the light weight 3" pencil pleat tape made for sheer fabrics.  It's a tad more expensive, but it tends to work better for gowns than the standard stuff.

Sew it 1/4" down from the top fold and you won't need to stitch through it when whip-stitching skirt to waistband.

[operafantomet]

One thing I tend to do in my Renaissance projects, is to stitch the skirt to the bodice both on the outside and the inside. Especially with cartridge pleats it gives a neat result, but I've also done it in dresses with box pleats. Here is an in-progress photo of my current project:



To the left is the stitched down skirt, to the right it is only attached at the inside. But stitching it on the inside, it gives me very even and fine pleats, and the skirt is less likely to rip from the bodice (when people step on the train etc).

[Blue66669]

Oh god... I just realized that maybe I should throw my machine out the window.... I DON'T KNOW SQUAT!!!

[Taffy Saltwater]

Hey, I've been sewing for 40 years - off & on - & just learned to make a button hole. It can be done.