Pleating Fabrics | The Perfect Fabric Material for Pleating (2024)

FAQs

What is the best material for pleating? ›

Firm, resilient fabrics such as silk, wool, cotton and some of the synthetics work best for pleats. Fabrics such as durable press or soft knits do not pleat as well. They may be used, however, it they are edged stitched to hold the crease.

Pleating is the process of putting a design of creases into fabric. Accordion, side, box, inverted, sunburst, air-tuck, Van Dyke, and crystal are trade terms for some pleat designs. Pleating is accomplished by machine or by the use of interlocking paper pleat patterns.

Knife Pleat

The most common pleat style, pressed knife pleats are generally about 1 inch apart, all facing the same direction. They're usually found in multiples, as in kilts.

Knife pleats may be the most common type of pleat being that most pleats are formed from some similar basic knife fold. They can be large or small and are all pressed face down in the same direction. They are most commonly used in skirts and can be attached to the waistband or start below the hips.

There are many varieties, but the side and box pleat are the most common, although they can be accordion, cartridge, circular, curtain, draped, fluted, Fortuny or French.

Pleated fabric can also be made from a variety of materials, such as silk, cotton, polyester, and even leather, which can affect its texture and drape. Pleated fabric is also known for its durability. The pleats help to add structure to the fabric, which can make it more resistant to wear and tear.

If you make very thick pleats, hem clips may work better than pins and you might want to consider hand basting the pleats before stitching the seams. Similar to stacked knife pleats, stacked box pleats allow you to condense large amounts of fabric into a very small area.

Heavy fabrics like wool, denim, or even a sturdy cotton twill would work well for a pleated skirt. They hold the pleats nicely and give the skirt a structured look.

Hand Pleating – This method uses hand folding a piece of fabric, pleat by pleat. There are also other hand pleating methods such as shibori, which employs the use of ropes to bind and compress the fabric.

The durability of the pleats depends entirely on the fabric. 100% polyester is the best at holding pleats even after being washed. Cotton and linen will pleat but tend to crease easily and the pleats may not hold as well.

Does polyester hold pleats? ›

Although it's not my favourite fibre, polyester does have a set of unique properties that can be used to great advantage when making clothing. For heat-set pleats to be successful, the fabric should contain a minimum of 45% polyester. The best results (sharp pleats) are achieved with 100% polyester.

Natural fabrics such as silk, cotton and linen will lose pleats during wear and subsequent cleaning. We at Jeeves have seen pleats disappear after a client sat down on a warm muggy night. Depending on how the pleated garment was manufactured, these pleats may not be able to be restored.