March 7, 2014

How to Make an Inverted Pleat

 My Addy loves pockets. So does Lucy, who has an eye for small details and usually fills her pockets with sparkles or other tiny objects she finds when she's out and about. I had them in mind when I was designing the pocket for this skirt. I wanted to mimic the look of the petals on tulips, so I went with an inverted pleat.


To make an inverted pleat, measure the width of the item, with the fabric right side up. Mark the center point. In this case, my unfinished pocket was 8 in. wide, so I marked it at 4 in.


On either side of that middle point, mark 3 separate points at equal distances from the middle mark. Since my middle mark was at the four, I marked my pocket at 1,2, and 3 on the left, and 5,6,and 7 on the right. In other words, each mark was one inch away from the other to make equal distances from the middle mark.


Next step. Find the middle of the three marks on the left or right of the middle mark. It doesn't matter which side. For my pocket, since I started on the right, I found the 6 in. mark. Pinch the fabric in your fingers and pull it to the center mark. 




Now repeat on the other side. You should have something resembling this. 


  There should be three layers of fabric on each side (bottom, middle, and top.) 


Pin it as needed and sew within the seam allowance. For the pocket, because I needed a finished top seam, I folded it twice toward the wrong side of the fabric (about 1/4 in. folds) and pressed before sewing.


And there you have it. An inverted pleat on a pocket ready to fill with sprigs of rosemary from the garden or seashells on the beach. 

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