Since I made that pleated dress for Nyssa, a few ladies have asked about how to make pleats… Here was the first dress on Nyssa that I made 10 years ago… like those pleats?
Then here is the latest dress I made for Nyssa, using the same pattern I had drafted… only I used a tighter pleat this time…
This is my favorite way to make pleats but I wanted to tell you about a few other ways first…
Today we are going to talk about the Pretty Pleat. It’s a rubber mat that is about 15″ long and about 5″ wide. (I forgot to measure it.)
They come in 1/4″, 1/2″ and 1″. I saw one on Ebay for a lower than normal price and wanted to give it a try… the picture showed it was the 1/2″ size mat and I never questioned the lady. Since I didn’t know exactly what it was or how it worked, I didn’t know “what I didn’t know!” Well, when it arrived, I soon realized it was NOT the 1/2″ pleater, it was a 1/4″ one. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do much with it, but decided to give it a try and see what I could do with it. The lady didn’t accept returns…
Here is what it looks like… and the only information in the package. You can see the little 1/4″ ribs sticking up…
I believe this is mainly for making curtains or drapes or a dust ruffle for a doll bed, maybe the size of Barbie… but not the American Girl dolls.
I decided even though it was the wrong size, I’d give it a try and see how it actually worked… I found a scrap of fabric and sprayed it pretty well with starch. Then I ironed it, till it was mostly dry..I had no idea how much fabric I would need to do a row of pleats, so I just used a scrap that was about 30″ long.
You first begin by hemming your fabric…and pressing it flat.
Then you take a credit card or the little card that came with it and push it into the first groove…
Once you get it in the groove, run it from top to bottom on the mat and it will stay in place. Carefully take your steam iron and press it… I didn’t make a pleat in every single groove on the mat. I did every 5th groove…
Let it set for just a second and place something to hold the pleat in place… like a popsicle stick or I used a couple of metal bodkins…
You’ll want to keep your hemline even at the bottom of the mat as well…
Something has to be laid in the groove every time you slide the card to keep it from pulling out your latest pleat..
So you keep lifting out the bodkin and moving it to the newest pleat you made… I hope you can see what I mean from my pictures…
When I got to the end of my fabric, I let it cool and removed it… because it was starched, it was pretty stiff, and held its shape.
See what I mean about it looking like it would be perfect for Barbie drapes?
This is what the back looked like…
Here is the whole piece all pleated… (I’m calling it pleated, but it’s not what I had in mind…)
I was disappointed that it wasn’t what I was hoping it would be… if it had been the 1/2″ grooves, I think I could have used it for the AG dolls… but this was a waste of time…
However I’m not one to let all that time count for nothing, so I decided to see if I couldn’t do something with it. So I took the tucks and sort of manipulated them so every other one lapped over the one beside it… starting in the middle and working my way out to the sides.
It is a little complicated to even tell you how I did it, but I just did some lapping and folding and this is what came out of it.
I pinned it in place… since I was turning some back and some forward… I stitched across the top of the pleats to hold them in place, making sure the bottom hem was even.
I decided since I had come this far, I would try to make something out of it… how about an American Girl’s doll skirt.
I cut a curved waist band and attached it…
…and this is what I ended up with…
It is just pinned in back. I didn’t take time to sew on a snap, but might just keep this for when I have to show a girl. this way she won’t be naked…
I took another scrap of fabric and tried making box pleats… and they were slightly better…
I did it the same way, only this time I put the card in every 6th row… then I took that piece, after it was grooved and folded my tucks to the middle and had them touching… then I pressed them so they looked like this…
So my thoughts on the 1/4″ Pretty Pleat? I give it a D! I was NOT impressed with it at all. It was way too time consuming and it didn’t give me the results I wanted. Perhaps if I had gotten the 1/2″ pleater, it might have been better. Deeper pleats would make all the difference for what I was wanting to use it for.
The mat itself it pretty sturdy…the hot iron didn’t hurt it at all and it seems like it would hold up to lots of use. It seems like an okay concept to make little grooves, but I was hoping to turn those grooves into pleats and it was just too complicated.
I felt kind of bad giving it a D, so I looked on Ebay to see if there were any other instructions for the 1″ Pretty Pleater… I do believe the 1″ mat might work for making pleats for doll clothes. All the instructions are shown in pictures on this one.
I read how you can tuck the fabric in the 1″ grooves, then you take some kind of stabilizer and fuse it to the back while the pleats are still in the mat. It holds them in place. Then when you take it out of the mat, you press the tucks one way and you have perfect pleats… for blinds or a dust ruffle, but I just realized they would be stiff from the stabilizer and not move like you want pleats to do in a skirt.
We’ll try something different tomorrow!
See you then!
Blessings, Jeanne
Interesting! I don’t remember seeing that kind of a pleater before. The one I have has slots that you slide the fabric in, but the slots aren’t vertical, they’re almost horizontal and kind of overlapping, sort of like a Venetian blind, when you close the slats. It’s also called a Perfect Pleater, so perhaps there were several variations, depending on what kind of pleats you wanted. (Mine will do accordion pleats; I think I ordered it from Clotilde, a number of years ago.
And then there’s the smocking pleater,which is a whole ‘nother animal altogether! (Yes, I have one of those, too!)
Oops, just realized yours is called PRETTY Pleats, and mine is Perfect Pleater. Different companies, apparently! Sorry about that!
HI Charlotte,
I have the Perfect Pleater too, and will be showing it soon… Mine may have come from Clotilde too!
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
I have the same Perfect Pleater you have but I’ve never used it. I think I bought mine from Clotilde years ago also. I have two smocking pleaters. I bought my first one years ago but it doesn’t have enough rows for bigger items and I hated pleating in halves, so I purchased a larger one. But I’m glad I have my smaller one because it is perfect for doll clothes. I haven’t used it yet for that but have several patterns where it will be useful.
HI Barbara,
Maybe my post on the Perfect Pleater will inspire you to get yours out and give it a try.
It’s really wonderful!
I might have to do a post of pleating with a smocking pleater too… seems like you need a boost to get you going… or maybe just a day to yourself! Wouldn’t that be nice??? :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Now you’re going to have to do something with that pretty coral skirt. Maybe make a dress similar to Nyssa’s but AG sized. I think Linda suggested that. (Sorry if I have the wrong person).
Yesterday was the prettiest summer day until late afternoon, hen the smoke from Colorado and California fires returned. Today we have very cold rain that should turn to snow. By Friday summer will be on its way back, ready to turn into fall.
Hi Marilyn,
The fabric I picked was just a scrap, so I might have enough for some straps, and could maybe finish it that way…
SNOW? Seriously? I can’t be….. poor you!
I’m glad you had a pretty day yesterday!
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, I liked the American Girl skirt. Were you saying that there was something wrong with it? I thought it looked was fine.
This non-sewer will just be a cheerleader today. Go team Jeanne!
HI Dorothy,
I think I should have made the pleats just one groove smaller in width. They seem a bit wide now that I see the skirt around the dolls waist. I guess we’ll see what I end up doing.
I like cheerleaders!
Blessings, Jeanne
Interesting idea, but I agree that it’s way too time consuming The skirt you made is a cute color and yes, then your doll would have something to wear if you’re featuring an AG in some other way than wearing an outfit you plan to sell.
HI Laura,
YES, it was WAY too time consuming. I just asked the seller if she would take it back since it said it was a 1/2″ mat and turned out to be a 1/4″ mat.
I hope she will…
Blessings, Jeanne
Forgot to ask… as I love smocked dresses. Can a smocking pleater do box pleats as well?
I may be completely wrong, but my grandmother had a Kenmore sewing machine, the kind that folded down into the cabinet. I was fascinated by that feature when I was a child. Anyway, I was fairly certain it had a smocking foot on it. Can you really do smocking with a sewing machine?
HI Laura,
I don’t believe a smocking pleater will do box pleats, but you can do “faux” smocking on a regular sewing machine. I might have to add that to my tutorials… I’ve done it before…and it’s sort of okay… not nearly as pretty as regular hand smocking, but for doll clothes it might work.
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Laura, you just reminded me that my mother also had a fold down Kenmore sewing machine, that had a pleating attachment, but I don’t recall a smocking attachment. If they had one, she never used it.
That attachment looks very time consuming Jeanne, although it is very interesting seeing how things have improved through the years. Then again, just about everything was more time consuming if you really think about it!
I do like the AG skirt too! You really should finish it off and make a top to go with it! Molly would love it!
HI Linda,
I don’t think I’ll be using this mat anytime soon… maybe I can think of something else to use it for. I just emailed the seller and asked if she would take it back since it showed it was a 1/2″ and it ended up being a 1/4″. I guess we’ll see what she says…
It’s just too labor intensive for what you end up with. If you were making Barbie curtains for a dust ruffle for her, it would be perfect, but I’m not… so…
Maybe I’ll finish the skirt somehow…
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
The pleater doesn’t look like much fun to me. I would really have to be motivated to use it. For dolls, I just lay out the fabric and pleat with a ruler and pins. Works for me. No room around here for another gadget. I do have a smocking pleater though which still remains in the box. 🙂
HI Joy,
Yep, no motivation for me to attempt anything else with it again… too much trouble. I’ve done pleats with pins too… like you mentioned… and it works just fine… but not as quick as some of the newer gadgets… oops…sorry, you didn’t want another gadget.
Well, we’re going to have to get Barbara’s and your smocking pleater out of the box.
Thanks Joy,
blessings, Jeanne
Read your descriptions and examined the photos. It seems like way more trouble than it’s worth even though the end result is cute.
We had our dinner party on Sunday and it was fun. I made roast beef, potatoes, carrots and onions in the crockpot. A can or 2 of cream of mushroom soup mixed with a package or 2 of dry onion soup mix, spread over the top of everything makes delicious gravy. I also made a lettuce and tomato salad using little tomatoes my dad is growing in pots on his deck. I used all my mom’s china and good silver plate. We had a cherry pie I had baked with vanilla ice cream. My nephew made coffee, his dad brought wine. Our other friends brought sweet corn, tomatoes and cucumbers from their garden. Dad has another dinner planned with a different cast of characters. I need at least a week to recuperate before planning that!
Dear Julia, the party sounds like fun. I bet your father was the perfect host. How wonderful that you helped him pull everything together.
HI Julia,
It WAS way more trouble than it was worth.
Your dinner sounded wonderful. I bet everyone had a good time and I KNOW they had good food! Did you take any pictures of your dinner table? Just wondering… or even one of your cherry pie? I have a thing for pies! :o)
Will you make the same thing again for the next dinner party or change it up? Enquiring minds want to know! :o)
Thanks Julia,
Blessings, Jeanne
That pleater seems way too complicated for me. It would join all the other things I thought I couldn’t live without and then found they weren’t nearly as easy to use as the salesperson said!
Your dinner party sounds as though it was fun Julia. When my Dad was alive I would often have one (we lived together) but it isn’t as much fun now there is just me to organise.
The Trust that I am on the board of has had a tough year Covid being only one of the issues so we decided that there needed to be some bonding (and some fun) so the ‘A’ Team, Andrea and Angie organised a bowling afternoon. It was great fun with a drink and nibbles for afterwards. I used to be good at bowling but I’m getting a bit old now I think. Certainly my arm aches today!
Looking forward to your next blog on pleats. I did finger pleats on the outfit I am making but they aren’t as even as I would like.
HI Anne,
I couldn’t agree more… it WAS too complicated and I don’t like complicated. I think the 1/2″ pleater mat might be okay… or even the 1″ one… but I’m going to stick with what I know works.
I haven’t been bowling in years. It sounds fun… my mom was a great bowler in her day and had lots of trophies… We might have to plan a bowling trip the next time my sisters come home… (if the lanes are open by then.) :o(
Thanks Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
Great post and I have my grandmother’s pleating attachment from her Singer Treadle machine and I cherish it. I have one that came with my machine which is a professional grade machine as well as a smocking attachment.
The Perfect Pleater is mainly used by miniaturist for bedding and draperies. I use to have a miniature business years ago and used these all the time. I still have my mats but haven’t done that work for years. I use to also make 1:12 Russian Punch Point rugs that too forever to complete. Not sure my eyes would survive that at my age.
Julia your dinner party sounds wonderful and I am sure everyone had a great time. Anne your bowling adventure sounded like a good time. I haven’t been in decades but use to go every week with my daughter and her ex husband. I miss it but I’ll admit I was horrid at it.