DIY Pintuck Table Linens

Pintucks are often found on formal or antique clothing.

Pintucked fabric is reminiscent of ornate Victorian or Edwardian clothing. Rows of tiny pleats sewn into tucks can be sewn into fabric without the use of a special sewing machine foot or needle. To create table linens, such as a runner and place mats, featuring pintucking, pintuck the fabric first and then cut and sew your table linens. If you cut the fabric and then pintuck it, the fabric will be too small for your sewing project because pintucking takes up, or tucks, the fabric. Pintucking is time-consuming but looks beautiful on lightweight fabrics.

Things You'll Need

• Lightweight fabric
• Ruler
• Fabric marker or chalk
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Scissors
• Iron
• Quilted fabric rectangle, 12-by-17 inches
• Double fold bias tape, 1/4- to 1/2-inch wide
• Fabric rectangle, 19-by-60 inches
• Lowloft polyester batting rectangle, 19-by-60 inches

Instructions

Sewing Pintucks

1. Cut your fabric twice as wide and twice as long as your pattern or project calls for. Lay the fabric on a flat surface. Use a ruler and measure, horizontally, every 1 inch across the top edge. Mark each measurement with a washable fabric marker or chalk. Turn the fabric so the top edge is at the bottom, and repeat the measuring so both the top and bottom fabric edges have corresponding marks.

2. Fold the fabric over against the wrong side, vertically, along the first two marks. Pin the vertical fold.

3. Adjust your sewing machine needle so it is in a right side position (this is often a position selected when inserting zippers). Grasp the fabric edges with each hand, gently pulling it taut, as you sew the fabric. Sew the crease of the fold using a straight stitch and as close to the fold crease as you possibly can. This sewn crease will form the pintuck. Remove the pins.

4. Fold the fabric over vertically against the wrong side, aligning the second two measurement marks. Pin the fold. Repeat sewing and subsequent folding steps until the entire piece of fabric is covered with pintucks.

5. Iron along the sewn, fold crease on each pintuck on the fabric when finished.

Pintuck Placemats

1. Cut a 12-by-17 inch rectangle of presewn pintucked fabric. Cut a 59-inch piece of double fold bias tape.

2. Place the pintucked fabric right side up on top of the wrong side of the quilted fabric rectangle. Pin together. With the pintucking one side and the quilted fabric on the other, the placemat is reversible.

3. Begin at the bottom center edge and insert the edges of the quilted fabric and pintucked fabric into the fold of the double fold bias tape. Pin the bias tape along the four edges. When you reach the end of the tape, fold the edge under 1/2 inch and pin to conceal the raw fabric edge.

4. Sew the bias tape containing the placemat edges on the sewing machine using a straight stitch and a 1/4- or 1/2-inch seam allowance (depending on the width of the bias tape used). Remove pins. Repeat for multiple placemats.

Pintuck Table Runner

1. Place a 19-by-60 inch fabric rectangle on a flat surface with the wrong side of the fabric facing up. Place a polyester batting rectangle of the same measurements on top of the fabric rectangle. Lay a pintucked fabric rectangle of the same measurements on top of the batting with the right side of the fabric facing up. Pin together the three layers.

2. Measure and cut a 159-inch piece of double fold bias tape.

3. Insert the edges of the three layers into the fold of the double fold bias tape. Pin the tape to the edges. When you reach the end of the tape, fold it under 1/2 inch to conceal the raw fabric edge. Pin the end.

4. Sew the bias tape to the table runner edges using a straight stitch and a 1/4- or 1/2-inch (depending on the bias tape width used) seam allowance. Remove the pins.

Tips & Warnings

• Pintucks may also be created using a pintucking foot for your sewing machine and with the assistance of a double needle.

References

• Burda Style: How to Sew Neat Tiny Pintucks
• Sewing and Craft Alliance: Pintucking

Resources

• Creative Sewing Solutions: Using a Pintuck Sewing Machine Foot
• Wright's Classroom: Applying Double Fold Bias Tape