> What I am trying to get down is how to do knife pleating. I have read > many different instructions on how to make the pleats, but how can one > acheive a sharp pleat that holds through the whole length to the bottom > edge? The material I am using is like a lightly woven, delicately > stiffened, cotton linen with mild sheen to it and can imagine it would > crease well but how can I get it to hold the shape? I have heard of > permanent press, is there a chemical used professionally to create > permanent creases?
I've made several fully kilted or pleated skirts and there are a few tips I'd recommend. Make a yoke to hang the pleats from. It's how it was done at the time and makes it easier and hang better. http://costumes.glittersweet.com/historical/bella.htm http://costumes.glittersweet.com/historical/absinthe.htm http://costumes.glittersweet.com/phantom/wishing.htm These are my three Victorian pleated skirts. The first two are stitched down at regular intervals down the length of the skirt. That's how they keep their shape. I pleated as much fabric as I was able and then treated that as a single pice of fabric that I cat to shape at the waist and that is how the skirts are rather full. The third is box pleated and the pleats need to be pressed anew each time I wear it. But the pleats need to be left open. Permanent pressers generally only deal with polyester (maybe a few other man made fibres) as it can be permanently pressed with heat. Cotton and linen will eventually lose the crisp edge. Regards, Michaela de Bruce http://glittersweet.com _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
