5 Tips For Sewing a Pleated Skirt

Pleats are an awesome way to add movement to any outfit but especially a skirt. However, pleats, and the fabric they are made out of, can be a tricky material to work with. I received this fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics and immediately knew it needed to be made into the perfect pleated skirt for spring. Wouldn’t this be the best Easter Sunday skirt? Today I’m sharing my 5 tips to sewing a pleated skirt made with a satin fabric.

• Choose a pattern that is meant to have a lot of movement.
  Like I said above, pleats are a great way to add movement to any outfit, which is why they are the perfect fit for making skirts. But you would not want to make or be able to make a very structured outfit with pleated fabric as the structure would pull out the pleats. Just making a waistband with this pleated fabric resulted in the pleated being flattened and almost nonexistent.

• Be careful how you choose to hem your skirt.
  When you are working with pleats the more you sew over or press the pleats the more the fabric will loose its shape and fall flat. To avoid this from happening you do not want to do a basic hem that you turn under a few times, instead you want to do something like a rolled hem that stitches very close to the edge. Another option is to do a very small zig zag stitch right along the edge of the fabric.
  
• Use a good needle. As with any sewing project you should make sure to change out your needles frequently. With this skirt that I made, the fabric is a satin which will easily snag by a needle that is too dual. You should use a needle that is on the smaller size, but doesn’t need to be the smallest or a sharp/ micro needle as that might develop barbs. Use a new universal or slightly smaller needle to achieve the perfect stitches.

• Be very aware of where you are pinning.
  Like I said, this satin pleated fabric can be a little tricky if you have never sewn with it. When it comes in contact with a needle it can easily be snagged or will leave holes where a needle once was. Because of this I suggest using good dress making pins that are thin and sharp to hold the fabric in place well without having to over pin. you can also make sure to pin right in the seam allowance.
• Use stay tape to add a zipper, or any closing you might use. For this particular skirt I added a zipper which proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. The first go around I ended up making a huge run in right be the seam that started to inch to the sides. I was afraid to leave it so I ended up cutting it out and redoing that section of the skirt. That second time around I remembered to use my stay tape which was perfect for holding the zipper in the exact place I needed it to be to stitch it down. If you have never used it before, it’s amazing and you need some ASAP.

I hope these 5 tips for sewing a pleated skirt help you out the next time you sew with pleated fabric! Ultimately just take your time and you will do a great job! I love the look of pleats and can’t wait to wear this all spring long.

Happy Sewing Friends!!