Knife Pleats
Looking for a great way to add fullness to a piece of
clothing or a cute detail to the edge of a pillow? Try knife
pleats!
Knife pleats are folds in the fabric that all go in the same
direction. Make sure you have the right tools on hand
to make evenly spaced straight lines and use a cotton
fabric that will hold the crease when pressed. Knife
pleats might look intimidating, but don’t worry—they’re
pretty easy to make!
What You Need
• Ruler
• Fabric marking tool
• Iron
• Straight pins
1 2
With the fabric right side up, use a ruler to draw
a mark at every inch along the top edge. Three
marks will make one pleat.
Fold the fabric so the second mark is lined up
with the fourth mark. The third mark becomes the
inside fold. Pin in place.
126 Part 3: More Techniques
The example shows 1-inch (2.5 cm) pleats,
but pleats can range between 1 inch (1.25
cm) and 1½ inches (3.75 cm).
Pin both the front and backsides
of the pleat.
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3
4
Take the next set of three marks and repeat the
folding process. Continue to pleat the entire
length of the fabric, pinning and creasing with
your fingers to hold in place.
Carefully press all the pleats in place, creating
crisp, even folds.
5 6
Use a large basting stitch and sew along the top
edge to hold all the pleats in place. Remove the
pins as you sew.
With the basting stitches in place, you can now
use the pleats in your sewing project.
127Chapter 9: Pleats, Tucks, and Darts
Don’t let the fabric fold
under the foot!
Be sure to avoid ironing
over the pin heads; they
might melt!
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