I’m always trying to come up with foolproof methods for the construction techniques used in Heirloom Sewing.  Working with very malleable pleated fabric and laces can be a challenge and not taught in conventional sewing lessons.  You want that piping to be perfectly parallel to the first cable row on an insert.  The bias band on a bishop has to be stitched the same distance from the first pleating row all the way around the neck.  The seams on a bishop should be invisible and the tension has to be adjusted on the outer rows. Back in the day, before the internet and all I had was a copy of Sew Beautiful or Creative Needle, I would find that some of the instructions just didn’t work for me.  So I came up with my own way of doing things.  Not conventional, but I got the job done (usually at 3 am on Easter or Christmas lol).

In the spirit of “going rogue”, I have an update on that new pleating method I mentioned in a previous post.  Sometimes we want to pleat cottons, or poly cotton broadcloth but still want French seams, which can be very tricky to pleat.  Batiste, being so lightweight, is usually not a problem.  But cottons and broadcloth are a little heavier and create a bulkier French seam.  If that seam is not fine enough, or your pleater is very fussy, then you could end up with a lot of bent and broken needles.  This wouldn’t be so much of a problem if you have a Read pleater because they are still being manufactured.  However, if you have one of the others that are no longer manufactured, such as Sally Stanley or Amanda Jane, then you have to track down needles that will work in your machine.  Not an easy task considering some of the generic needles are just not the same quality as the original needles made for your specific machine.

Of course you could do a mock French seam, but that involves a lot of hand sewing for four armscye seams.  So what I decided to try was to split the French seam process.  First, I stitched the wrong sides together, 1/8^th inch seam and pressed.  I trimmed the seam and ran it through the pleater.

 

 

Now, here is the new step.  After blocking into the desired size and tying off my threads, I finished the French seam process.  Carefully lift up the bishop one section at a time being careful not to redistribute the pleats.  Locate the first seam and push the pleats flat, but only enough to give you space to stitch a ¼ inch seam.  Make sure the pleating thread is not too tight and bunching up your seam allowance.  Everything must be nice and flat.  Once you have a nice flat seam, pin it in place and carefully roll back the bishop to the next seam.

 

 

Once all the seams are pinned this way, stitch the second pass of your French seam.  You will find that your seams are anchored in place and your bishop stays blocked.  You will have a much easier time trying to keep the right tension on the outer rows and you won’t end up with a turtleneck.

 

 

Now depending on how straight your seams were pleated you might end up with some pleats that are not perfect around the seams and this is where we can fudge our stitches a bit.  As you smock and approach that first seam, just stop and take a look.  Look at all the rows and choose the side where most of the pleats fall.  If they are not perfectly parallel to the seam then just adjust the amount of fabric you take up with your stitch.  But stay consistent.   Always stitch on the same side of the seam.  It will disappear into the valley and never be seen.  If your seams have stitched over half a pleat on the other side, skip it and stitch over to the next full pleat. That little half a pleat will never be seen.  This is the only tricky part of the process.  Here are some examples:

 

 

When you are finished smocking and blocking your piece, snip the pleating threads in each seam allowance and  remove, section by section.

 

It takes a little more time but you have beautiful French seams and a perfectly shaped bishop that drapes beautifully around a child’s shoulders.

Now I have to get back to my homework.  Lesson 2 of my SAGA correspondence course arrived.  I’m terrified…it’s all about pleating stripes, gingham and plaid! Oh my!