Aha ! Thanks, Joy, and one and all for the great ideas, links, terminology and suggestions. It looks to me like cartridge pleating is not flat the way what I'm talking about is, but it is regular like that. I think they are similar. I can use this method, and tack them down in one direction, like knife pleats, in the cotton fabric I'm working. Actually, I have an antique piece I'm reworking now, and it looks like someone used to have those tiny pin-pleats, knife-pleats, cartridge-pleats or whatever in there and it's been picked out. Darn it. But at least, I'm learning. I can use the marks in the cloth to resew the lines, draw it up, then tack them down in one direction, going back over it, before I attach the piece above.
I really appreciate the great ideas, and leads. Any others that might come along too! You all are really fabulous!!!! I mean it! Regards, Ricki T in SLC, heading for another (short!) workweek... -----Original Message----- From: Joy Beeson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 8:09 pm Subject: Re: [lace-chat] pleated gathering? On 6/29/08 7:29 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:? ? > . . . I am really interested in trying to learn how to > make those teeny tiny pleats for gathering that you see > in some antique clothing,? ? Some old books I read waxed quite contemptuous of women so lazy that they didn't "stroke their gathers"; I gather that this was done by putting the eye-end of the needle into each individual pleat and stroking downward to settle it.? ? Since it helps with machine gathering so much, I suspect that it would help to make *two* rows of your hand gathering stitches. Two points determine a line, so securing the crease at two points would make it more likely to run in the wanted direction. The stitches must, of course, be exactly the same in both rows. It would probably help to mark the fabric first, or practice on gingham or some other fabric with woven-in guide marks.? ? Or, if you can see the weave, go under two threads and over six, or however many will make the pleats of the desired width. (A stitch must always take up at least two threads of the fabric, as a single thread is likely to break.)? ? http://vintagesewing.info/index.html probably has a book that explains how stroked gathers are made.? ? It do!? ? http://vintagesewing.info/19th/1892-sn/sn-02.html#gather? ? Note that it says to use the point of the needle to stroke the gathers; other books criticize this practice on the grounds that the sharp point weakens the fabric. (Oops: the material list specifies a *blunt* needle.)? ? If your fingers cramp, the needle can be mounted in a pin vise.? ? -- Joy Beeson? http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/? http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/? http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange? http://www.timeswrsw.com/craig/cam/ (local weather)? west of Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A.? where it's raining again.? ? To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line:? unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to? [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
