Mini Box Pleats - Fondue Fork Method

[Accurate Allie]

Fannie thought that this would be something many of my Belle Sisters would like to see, so I am posting a short pictorial on the "Fondue Fork Pleating" I did for trim last night. This is a variation on the fork pleating from the TV website.

STEP 1
This part everyone probably knows already, but I'll post it anyway, I took a strip 2" wide and ironed it lengthwise:

[Accurate Allie]

STEP 2

This can be done either on a serger with the blade locked down or a sewing machine. Put the foot down on your strip to hold it steady, put a few stitches in if it will keep it in place better, but you will need to pull on it some to put the pleats in.

[Accurate Allie]

STEP 3

Slide the fork onto the fabric, with the tines on either side:

[Accurate Allie]

STEP 4

Fold your first pleat so that it is sitting just in front of the foot:

[Accurate Allie]

STEP 5

Slide the fork out, and hold the pleat down while you sew forward till the back edge of the pleat is sitting right at the front of the foot:

[Accurate Allie]

STEP 6

Turn the next pleat the opposite direction and you have your first box pleat!

* Note, if you are doing knife pleats instead of box pleats, keep turning in the same direction.

[Accurate Allie]

STEP 7

Wash, Rinse, Repeat......

[Clancy]

Allie, the fondue fork is great. I love the fork pleating method i did hours of it for my EOT dress last year. And i was always looking for smaller forks for different size pleats.

And a diluted white vinegar and water solution will help set them when you press them with the iron.

[Greeneyed Gypsy]

Oh MY GOD...that is so cool and simple and why on earth didnt someone do this SOONER?!?!?

AA you are my hero of the day! :ty :ty :ty :ty :ty

[Accurate Allie]

STEP 8

Use your new trim on something fun!!!

[Accurate Allie]

Oh MY GOD...that is so cool and simple and why on earth didnt someone do this SOONER?!?!?

AA you are my hero of the day! :ty :ty :ty :ty :ty


You're welcome!!! I'm happy to help!!!

Clancy, thank you for reminding me, I need to get a new spray bottle just for that! Can you post the ratios? And yes, I can see I am about to add a bunch of forks to my sewing supplies, the fondue fork is already living in here!

[Fannie Kikinshoot]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! This is a great mini class, and exactly what we love to have on the Alley!:yp :yp

[Nellie Blue]

THANK YOU!!!
:tban :tban :tban


That's awesome!! Now I'm dying to do pleats! Hmmmm! Think that would work with Italian silk chiffon? :tban :tban :tban

[Allie Mo]

Oh my gosh! That made it look so easy. (With dial up, I've never opened the TV video.)

:ty Allie

[Chantilly]

Oh my gosh! That made it look so easy. (With dial up, I've never opened the TV video.)

:ty Allie


Me too! :ty :ty

[Accurate Allie]

I'm so happy that Fannie suggested that I post this for everyone, and that it was so helpful!!

[Clancy]

THANK YOU!!!
:tban :tban :tban


That's awesome!! Now I'm dying to do pleats! Hmmmm! Think that would work with Italian silk chiffon? :tban :tban :tban

Nellie that silk chiffon you bought i think will be too soft for pleating, it may work even if you double layer it, but you will need to be very very careful pressing it. I really think yours will look good ruched with a gathered tail below it and set off with the tiny flower trim.

[Clancy]

Allie, Im not sure of the ratio let me do a search

This is what i found.

The most common method for setting pleats is using a solution of half water and half white vinegar sprayed on a press cloth. Cover the area to be pleated with the press cloth and press until nearly dry. Allow the fabric to cool and dry thoroughly before moving it. If you intend to wash your silk garment, wash the sample to see if the pleats hold.

Another method is to edgestitch each pleat crease from the outside and inside of the garment (Figure 1). Stitch very close to the pleat edge using matching thread and 8 to 10 stitches per inch.

[Dixie McCan]

Accurate Allie - Thank You! What a great little class, I appreciate it more than you know.

[Victoria Rose Hyde]

AA! What an AWSOME class. I saved this to my favorites. :ty :tban :tban

[Fannie Kikinshoot]

Another method is to edgestitch each pleat crease from the outside and inside of the garment (Figure 1). Stitch very close to the pleat edge using matching thread and 8 to 10 stitches per inch.

That is how I finished my pleats on the B&W dress. I don't know how well you can see it, but here is a picture. I also attached a piece of twill tape just to make sure. Now, I don't worry about losing my pleats when the dress is cleaned.

[Victoria Rose Hyde]

Oh Cool!!That is a helpful hint. :ty

[Cat Cimmaron]

Saved in my favorites. Thank you for a really good class. May have to try it tonight.

[Madame Olive Yew]

Thanks for the class, well done!:tban :tban

Seafood forks also work very nicely.
Bed bath & beyond, and other such stores sell individual forks in various sizes.

I want to try a serving fork one of these days for extra big pleats.

Pleating is in my near future too. :sewing




Anyone know how to figure out how many yards of strips you need for X amount of pleated trim? In other words whats the ratio?

PLease & Thank you!

[Chantilly]

I generally figure a 3 to 1 and I always have plenty of pleats. Love the look of pleats but they take so long to make! I'm going to try the fork method!! I'm wondering how well it will work with a 4" or 6" pleat.....

:ty :ty

[Sweet Violet]

OH sweet mother of pearl!! That is the coolest way to do pleats!! I guess I'll have to do that on my next dress! Thank you AA!!

[Clancy]

I generally figure a 3 to 1 and I always have plenty of pleats. Love the look of pleats but they take so long to make! I'm going to try the fork method!! I'm wondering how well it will work with a 4" or 6" pleat.....

:ty :ty

Chantilly i used the fork method for my dress and they are about 5-6 inches in length around the hem and a little shorter around the cuffs, you just have to press a lot more when they are so long.

[Ida Hands]

OUTSTANDING class, Miss Aleeta! You are a great teacher. I REALLY needed one like this! THANK YOU! :ty :tban

[Accurate Allie]

Clancy that dress is FABULOUS!!!!! You weren't kidding when you said HOURS of fork pleats!!!

[Chantilly]

Clancy - Thanks for the reply! I LOVE that dress - it's one of my favorites on the Alley!

[Kitty Phann]

[QUOTE=Madame Olive Yew;96325]Thanks for the class, well done!:tban :tban

Seafood forks also work very nicely.
Bed bath & beyond, and other such stores sell individual forks in various sizes.

I want to try a serving fork one of these days for extra big pleats. QUOTE]

I was just thinking about the seafood fork and serving fork when I read this. For setting pleats you can also use a Rajah cloth. But I like the idea of the vinger and water solution.

[Prairie Wildflower]

:ty so much for this class. I was never able to open the video on the TV website, either. Fortunately, a couple of you sweet ladies came to my aid and talked me through the procedure. I love the idea of the fondue fork for the smaller pleats. What a wealth of information and inventive minds we are blessed to have here!

[Harper Desert Rose]

WOW! I truely am thankful for all of the creative and inventive minds here on the Alley! Thank you AA for the wonderful mini-lesson! Makes me want to go knife/box pleat something!:lool But I am in the middle of hand ruching yards and yards and yards of 7/8 satin ribbon!! :faint Who out there has an incredibly easy way to do this!??? :beg Please and thank you!

[Greeneyed Gypsy]

ruching it is not the trick Miss Nellie its attaching it evenly after you ruch it that will be intresting!!

Slow and easy wins the race!

[Bloomin']

ruching it is not the trick Miss Nellie its attaching it evenly after you ruch it that will be intresting!!

Slow and easy wins the race!

I found that just the little I did with the lace on a hat was a trick! So even before I started I marked the center on both the lace and the hat, then found the center of each half, then the center of each quarter, and put pins at all those points. Then when I was placing it around the hat I just put the center pin of the lace at the center pin on the hat, and the 1/4 on the lace at the 1/4 points on the hat. Then I could just squish it between the pins to look nice. Maybe there is an easier way but I'm new at this!

[Harper Desert Rose]

The actual act of "ruching" isn't hard, just very time consuming! I was hoping there was a method that I didn't know about to make it faster! To keep the ribbon even and prevent it from slipping around, I tie the thread "hard and fast" every couple of inches! Sorry about that, I have been roping calves all weekend! I should say "thightly secure" the thread! Thank you!

[Victoria Rose Hyde]

Miss Mellie: You should do a class on ruching.:tban :tban

[Lazy K]

Miss Mellie, how are you ruching? By hand or machine? are you ruching down the middle or both edges?

BY, You got it right. Mark your hat or skirt in 1/4 or eighths and then the same for your gathers or ruching and match them up.

[Clancy]

Use string to hep with the gathers, you have less chance of your threads breaking.

Run a piece of string along the line where you plan to gather, use a large zig zag stitch and zig zag accross the string so that the string is caught in side the zig zags, then you pull the string, because it is stronger you have less chance of it breaking...

[Kitty Phann]

I vote "yes" on a ruching class.

[Harper Desert Rose]

I use "boot thread" to ruch with. My Dad has been making hand made lace up boots for 30 plus years ( you should see the cute little french heal boots he made me!:tban ) And the thread he uses works great for gathering etc. when you don't want the chance of something breaking! I ruch by hand...my attempts with my machine were less than pretty! So I sew a lazy fat " S " shape down the middle of the ribbon...or whatever.....and gently pull and then secure it every few inches. Just in case! And yes, marking your skirt or hat etc in fourths or eighths is the best way to put it on evenly!
I am thrilled to have found the " Alley " !!! I have learned so much here! Thanks!:ty

[Ida Hands]

Oh, my, Yes! I would really appreciate a class on ruching! I can't even BEGIN to imagine how to figure out how much yardage one would need for any particular gown. OUCH... it makes my head hurt even NOW!

WOW! Miss Mellie! You are so fortunate that your father makes your boots. He could do rather well if he were to make Victorian boots to sell. There are so many who cannot find pretty Victorian boots in a large enough size. What a market there is for this.

[Allie Mo]

Hi Miss Mellie,

:ty for the tip. It's so nice to see you here. I'm sure you will enjoy your visits.

Regards,

[Lazy K]

Rauching is just gathering fabric. I use the same formula I do for ruffles. If you want 1 " of rauching use 3" of fabric or ribbon.

And I rauch by machine. I loosen the tension on the top thread so it's easy to pull.

[Ida Hands]

THANK YOU so much for the ratio! I have been wondering how to figure the amount of yardage needed for a ruffle. It becomes so confusing at times. :ty :ty :ty

This is an awesome thread.

[Allie Mo]

Can someone please post the link to the TV fork pleating class?

Never mind, here it is:
http://trulyvictorian.com/FAQ.html


:help:go:sewing

[Madamekat]

I think this is the one...

http://trulyvictorian.netfirms.com/videos/ForkPleats.MOV