How to Pleat a Formal Gown

Pleating formal fabrics for a gown can be challenging, but also may produce a flattering and elegant gown. Satins, silks and velvets each bring their own difficulties with pressing and pleats. Pleating may allow you to add a very full skirt to a bodice without the bulk of gathers and can create a more structured ball gown. Use the same pleating methods for a cocktail dress or historical re-creation if desired.

Things You'll Need

• Pleating board
• Fabric, 3 times desired finished hip width
• Cloth tape measure
• Iron and ironing board
• Sewing machine
• Coordinating thread
• Muslin or another lightweight cotton to use as a press cloth

Instructions

1. Measure your hips at the fullest point. Add 4 inches to 6 inches for wearing ease. Expect a 45-inch width of fabric to pleat down to around 17 inches, with seam allowances. Determine how many lengths of fabric you will need.

2. Press one end of the fabric under 3/8 of an inch, then press the folded edge under another 3/8 inch. Sew hems by hand or machine as you prefer.

3. Leave 5/8 inch of fabric free at one selvedge edge. Push the fabric slowly and neatly into the pleater, using a credit card, butter knife or knitting needle to insert the fabric into each pleating guide.

4. Place a soaked and wrung-out muslin press cloth over the fabric while it is in the pleater. Iron with a hot iron until the press cloth and fabric are dry. Allow the fabric to cool and hand-baste the pleats into place before you remove the fabric. Repeat these steps for each fabric panel.

5. Seam together the pleated panels, carefully lining up the hems. Hide the seams in the pleats.

6. Create tiny pleats by hand along the inside of the formal skirt pleats to fit it to your formal gown bodice. Pin into place, and baste by hand or machine. Make sure that your skirt fits and hangs well; then stitch by machine. Press the seam allowance up toward the bodice and topstitch neatly.

Tips & Warnings

• Synthetic fabrics, like 100 percent polyester, will hold pleats the best.

• Choose finer and more delicate pleats for lighter weight fabrics and deeper pleats for heavier ones.

• While you are heat setting the fabric for your formal gown, be sure that you do not burn or char the fabric.

References

• Threads Magazine: Easy Pleated Skirts
• Elizabethancostume.net: Period Pleats
• Homepages.wmich.edu: Italian Renaissance Gown Construction