Another lesson arrived in the mail for my SAGA correspondence course on pleating.  This one has assignments for plaids, stripes and gingham! Oh my!

Well, the first fabric I tried was a lavender and white stripe, the stripes being about 1/8” wide.  I thought that would be ok because the depth of the gears is about 1/8” so I might get a solid result.  WRONG!  It was a nightmare to pleat on grain and I felt like I was going cross-eyed.  Plus the light lavender color didn’t really help.  Not enough contrast against the white.  I got a pretty result, it looks like a kind of water-color effect, but not grain-perfect for SAGA standards.

 

 

So, back to the internet I went to pick out another striped fabric.  This time I chose a stripe ¼” wide with red and white stripes.  Nice contrast and so much easier to manipulate through the pleater.

 

 

After you insert the fabric perfectly straight, the secret is to position each stripe before you turn the crank.  Turn the pleater around so you can watch the back and put your magnifiers on too. That’s one accessory I didn’t think of at first, but I found it makes all the difference in order to see the threads in the fabric.

Just before the little teeth on the gears clamp down and pull it through, stop and give a tug or a little push to make sure the stripe is parallel to the gears.  Then just turn the handle a little but, just until the next set of teeth are ready to grab the fabric.  Tug, adjust, re-position the gathers that are sticking out of the end pieces.

If you notice one side feeding in faster, grab your dowel at that end and provide a little resistance.  If the ends are slagging through, then grab the little fabric handles and help the end through the gears by moving it along as you turn the crank.  It’s a little harder to grab the fabric sticking out just below the handle so you have to kind of reach over and cross your arms.

It’s slow, but I look at it like a challenge.  And it was so rewarding to pull the piece out to find the pleating threads coming out of the fabric within the 1/16” margin that SAGA allows!

 

 

Here’s the gingham sample.  For some reason, this fabric cooperated much more than the stripe.  Maybe because it is a poly blend, or a little softer.  But I’m pleased with this result too.  I used the same method.  Alternating adjustments, one crank at a time.

 

 

Last assignment is to pleat a plaid.  I was worried that this tartan might be too small, but I’m please with the result once again.

 

 

The plaid is on grain and straight going into the gears.  If the fabric droops a little or seems to be dragging at the end of the pleater then just lift up the fabric a little.  Grab it right where it is going into the gears, outside of the handles.  Pull slightly to the side to create tension and lift it until the grain is positioned parallel to the gears.  Alternate sides.  If one side of the fabric seems to be going in at a faster rate then add resistance by pulling on the dowel a little to create some resistance.

 

 

Here is a close up of the fabric coming off the needles.  On grain.  You can also see on the bottom edge how it went into the pleater straight.  This is what it looks like when the threads are tied off.

 

 

So, I’m amazed at the difference in my pleating skills so far.  To sum up, allow yourself plenty of time.  Pleat from behind the pleater.  Basically place the fabric in each groove before the teeth of the gear clamp down.  And most importantly, walk away!  Take frequent breaks and rest the eyes.  Take a breath, then come back to pleat a few more inches.  It is worth the extra effort.