How to make arrows on a pleated skirt?

Skirts were and will always be fashionable, as they not only adorn any woman, but also make her more tender, attractive and sexy. And pleated skirts give the female image more lightness and airiness. In addition, the accordion pad visually lengthens the female legs, even if they are without heels. If you see a pleated skirt in the store, be sure to purchase whether it will be midi or mini, large or small fold, bright or, on the contrary, more calm color, this piece of clothing will make your look cute, delicate and unforgettable. You can, of course, make the corrugation yourself, and today we will tell you how to make arrows on the pleated skirt at home.

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What is pleating?

In a brief household encyclopedia, pleating refers to unstitched folds on blouses, skirts, or dresses. Distinguish:

• Flat pleating (when folds lie).
• A protruding accordion, the so-called corrugation.

Important! Pleated skirts are sewn straight or flared in the form of “sun” and “half-sun”. Pleated ruffles of various widths trim dresses and blouses on the collar or sleeves, skirts on the bottom. With insufficient tissue, pleating can be done at intervals.

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DIY pleated skirt

Pleated skirts can be of various lengths: mini, midi, maxi. The material for such a wardrobe item can be chosen both light and fairly dense. Pleating itself is barely noticeable or quite large. Product style may also vary. It depends on where the folds start: from the middle of the thigh or slightly lower.

Important! Recently, classic pleated floor skirts have been very popular. The main advantage of such a skirt is the ability to hide some of the flaws of the figure. However, this style is not suitable for everyone.

Method number 1. Whatman + impregnation

For pleated, prepare the following materials:

• A fabric that can hold its shape well. For example, you can use the atlas coton.
• Whatman (2 pcs.).
• A sheet of smooth plywood.
• Scale bar (1 m).
• The square.
• Glue for fastening forms or white thread No. 50 with a needle.
• Pencil.
• Eraser.
• Table-knife.
• Paper clips.
• Iron.
• Needle and thread.
• Sewing machine.
• Vinegar and laundry soap for impregnation.

To make arrows on a pleated skirt, it is necessary to cut and stitch (glue) a special cartridge made of paper, with drawn and bent folds. The form is made of two panels - upper and lower.

Important! A thick paper form is made, and whatman is the best for this purpose. Between the panels, the cut of the skirt for pleating is inserted.

Step-by-step instruction:

• Fold 2 sheets of paper on top of each other.
• Stick the paper with the buttons on the plywood.
• At a distance of 1-1.5 cm from the edges of the sheet, draw 2 lines in pencil in parallel.
• On one paper, set aside with the help of a ruler (or compass) the dimension of the folds. Mark the folds on the second sheet, piercing it along the markings of the first sheet. To prevent the sheets from spreading, fasten them with paper clips.
• Remove the sheets from the board.
• Place cardboard under the first sheet.
• Using a ruler and a table knife (with a blunted end), connect the pencil strokes. The knife should be pressed to the ruler and maintain a strictly vertical position.

Important! You need to connect through each pair of points located opposite each other.Every third pair of points is skipped.

• Similarly, connect the pencil strokes on the second paper. Wipe the pencil.
• Gently bend the creases on the Whatman paper. A convex fold is made along the first line, concave along the second line, and so on to the end of the sheet.
• Fold the top and bottom of the mold into each other.
• Iron the folds of the mold with an iron. Steam the mold on both sides once with a heavy iron through linen cloth (cotton). The fabric must be moistened with plain or soapy water with the addition of vinegar (1-2 tablespoons of vinegar in 3 liters of water). After steaming, the mold will become elastic and can be used for pleating more than once.
• Tuck the skirt fabric to the required length.
• Process the bottom of the product by sewing it on a typewriter.
• Put the material for the skirt in the form of a Whatman paper. Do it carefully and carefully.
• Put the load on top of the folded folds so that they do not straighten. You can use, for example, large heavy books.
• Prepare a solution of vinegar for impregnation. Mix table vinegar with water in a 1: 1 ratio.
• Soak the cotton in the prepared solution.
• On top of a workpiece made of material and form, put a cloth with a solution.
• Work the workpiece with a steam iron.
• Let the form dry with a pleated coat for 2-3 hours.
• Remove material from the mold.
• Gather folds on the product, go through the fabric several times from the inside with a non-hot iron through a dry rag.
• Sweep the top of the product. For convenience, go with tape in the middle and bottom of the fabric.
• Go to the standard tailoring of the skirt (with or without yoke, if desired).

Important! All work with vinegar, spend on the balcony or in a room with an extractor fan. Use for steaming, trying to make arrows on a pleated skirt, an old iron, since the sole of the household appliance can get dirty from impregnation.

Advice:

• Many dressmakers recommend the following fabric prescription to make arrows on a pleated skirt: 10 liters of water, 1 bar of laundry soap, 0.25 liters of vinegar, 100-150 g of borax. The process of making folds is the same, but thanks to this impregnation, the folds remain on the material forever and do not diverge during washing.
• Do not discard the crease shape, but save it for the following products with a pleat.

Method number 2. Folds in the chamber

To prepare the folds, you will need the following materials:

• 2 sheets of whatman paper.
• Ruler and simple pencil.
• Table knife with a blunt finish.
• Scotch.
• Reiki (2 lateral and 4 transverse for one form).
• Ropes for fixing.
• Kettle for steaming.

Important! The most important thing is to draw the form template correctly. For example, for a sun skirt with a radius of 50 cm, use an A1 format paper. On it with a margin fit 2 quarters of the sun. Stock is necessary so that the edges of the material do not come out. In total for the form you need to make 4 harmonica, so use 2 sheets of whatman paper.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Prepare a skirt shape template with a ruler and pencil. The width of the folds on the product can be changed, for example, along the waistline of 3 mm, and downwards - wider.
2. Place a blank piece of paper under the template.
3. Use a needle or thin awl to pierce all marks.
4. Sell ​​the lines on the Whatman paper with a table knife and a ruler, connecting the upper and lower punctures.
5. Bend the Whatman into an accordion.
6. Cook similarly 3 more accordions using a template and whatman paper.
7. Glue 2 quarters of tape to make 2 half suns. This will be the top and bottom of the form.
8. Cut out a half sun from fabric.
9. Stretch the bottom of the mold on a flat surface.
10. Press the bottom of the form with a load, or use the assistant.
11. Put fabric on a stretched accordion.
12. Gently, so as not to move the fabric, cover it with the top of the form.
13. From the middle, begin to gain shape, assemble an accordion from fabric.
14. Pull the workpiece with two slats.
15. Fix the workpiece with 4 straight rails and tie with ropes (bandages).
16. Steam the workpiece for 3-5 hours, depending on the density of the fabric.The steaming process can be carried out in a basin, for this purpose the blank must be covered with oilcloth and a blanket, or you can use a kettle and supply steam through a hose.
17. Allow the mold to cool and dry until morning, without untying.
18. Carefully separate the bottom and top of the mold and pull out the fabric.

Advice:

• To make both panels of the skirt steamed at the same time, prepare 2 times more forms.
• Both bookmarks can be placed between the three bars. To prepare the steaming chamber, tie another one perpendicularly to small bars on both sides (you can use wooden rulers no more than 20 cm). Hang the hook in the center of the top bar for convenient positioning. The bookmark in the bars can be wrapped with a cloth-based household oilcloth and fixed with tape around the hook to make a “big sweetie”. It is not necessary to achieve complete tightness, since steam must enter the tab.
• For steaming, you can use the iron from the household steamer, only from time to time it will be necessary to check the presence of water in the steamer, since the device will automatically turn off when the container is empty.

Method number 3. Manual folds

Use this method if there is no form at hand, and you need to make arrows on the pleated skirt urgently. Proceed as follows:

1. Cut out a skirt-sun, for example, from a stretch satin (circle with a radius of 60 cm).
2. Do not cut the middle to make it easier to fold.
3. Fold the circle in half (inside out).
4. Then, each half in half, then each quarter, and so on until the distance between adjacent folds along the edge of the circle becomes equal to the required width, for example, 6 cm.
5. Turn the fabric over.
6. Align the two bends and smooth out the wrong fold. And so on around the circle. The center of the circle may not reach 5-7 cm.
7. To fix the folds, prepare a solution: 0.3 l of table vinegar (9%), 2 tbsp. tablespoons of ammonia (technical ammonia).
8. Dampen the cloth with the prepared solution.
9. First iron the folds from the wrong side, and then from the front. In order not to get confused, stick a pin on the first smoothed fold.
10. Smooth the arrows on the pleated skirt in a circle until you reach the pin.
11. Hang the fabric at the center in a well-ventilated place to dry.
12. Work the bottom of the fabric and cut out the middle of the circle along the required radius.
13. Sew on the belt and the skirt is ready.

Important! Do not inhale vinegar fumes, ammoniasince it is very dangerous. All work is carried out in a well-ventilated area. When smoothing wrinkles, turn your face away so that toxic fumes do not damage the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx.

Advice:

• For pleated, choose crepe satin - it is the most corrugated. Thin stretch satin lends itself to processing the worst. In crepe satin, the back folds are smoothed out quite sharply, and in the satin, the accordion will spread out, and the folds will be too soft.
• The most reliable way to make hands on a pleated skirt is to steam in the form for at least 4 hours. When steaming in a mold under a press, folds are sharp and reliable. Ironed folds can be smoothed out. On some fabrics, smoothing may not leave a trace of a crease.
• To prevent wrinkles during washing, catch them on the hem. After washing, fold groups are easier to stretch and smooth.

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How to wear a pleated skirt?

The accordion pleats looks great both on young slender girls and on chubby women. For ladies, a style with folds from the middle of the thigh or lower, made of fabric that holds its shape well enough, is perfect.

We suggest you use the following recommendations of fashion designers:

• Pleated skirts of medium length look great on short girls.
• If you want to hide the flaws of the hips, then give preference to products with stitched folds at the top.
• It must be remembered that the corrugation gives additional volume to the hips. Ladies with a triangle shape are not recommended to wear a corrugation (the volume of the hips is much larger than the volume of the chest).
• Skirts of medium length are universal, suitable for any look.
• If you put the miniskirt high on the waist, then the legs visually lengthen.
• A short skirt in combination with a blouse or turtleneck is well suited for work. The blouse and turtleneck should be tucked into the skirt.
• Plisse goes well with a jacket, but only fitted.
• A medium-length pleated skirt is often used as a uniform in educational institutions. A sweater with a V-neck or a blouse with a club jacket will work well with a skirt.
• Skirts on the floor emphasize femininity, tenderness and elegance. Long skirts are worn with a voluminous top. Perfect for maxi knit sweaters, cardigans, vests or wide shirts.
• Maxi can also be worn with tops, turtlenecks, T-shirts, if the skirt is airy.
• Any shoes are suitable for a pleated skirt, the main thing is that it fits into the overall ensemble.
• Do not overdo it with accessories, since the accordion pleat in itself is a fairly bright element in the image.

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What can be done from a pleated skirt?

If the style of the pleated skirt is no longer relevant to you, then you can use the corrugation for other models, for example, to alter these products:

• Ball gown for a child.
• Mini skirt for tennis.
• Wings for oriental dances.
• Corrugated skirt with accents on the hem.
• Kosoklinny pleated sundress.

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Stock footage

Wear a pleated skirt at any time of the year and you will always be stylish, delicate and elegant!