Good Instruction for Box Pleats

[way2fractious]

... where the waistline might be 3 layers but the visible panel is made wider to widen the garment at the hips and the folds are narrower because of that.

... or, where there are three full layers vertically from hip line to hem, but the visible panels are tapered (narrowed) toward the waist, causing small overlaps of the underpleats.

Good find on the 'net. All these bits and pieces of construction instruction build a good base for one to visualize sewing a kilt.

w2f

[Pleater]

... or, where there are three full layers vertically from hip line to hem, but the visible panels are tapered (narrowed) toward the waist, causing small overlaps of the underpleats.

w2f

Ah - I tried that - with a good thick material those overlaps make strange little triangular bumps in the middle of each panel, which could be removed by the edges being trimmed off - but why not just keep things simple and leave the fabric whole?

I'm great advocate (and possibly exponent) of making things just complicated enough to get a good return for time spent, and I'd always advise the three smooth layers at the waist option, at least to start off with.

Though maybe look at the five layer option, where the inner folds are both the full width of the panel at the waist.

There is also the double half width option - where there are five layers of fabric but folded to make two half widths.

Just no lumpy overlaps.

[Mark Keeney]

You used to be able to buy in the drapery department a tape that you sew to the material and then pull the strings and box pleats appear. That was before fabric stores became craft stores.