Need help with pleat stiching

[Barb T]

If I understand correctly, the wide red stripe should be in the center of each pleat, with the white and black stripes on each side of the center. I haven't run your numbers, but let's suppose that your 19/32 at the waist and 11/16 at the hips are correct. I'm not sure why you're measuring only half that width when you pin a pleat. The whole pleat should be 11/16 at the hip and 19/32 at the waist, and the center of the red stripe should be centered in the pleat both at the waist and the bottom of the fell (at the hip).

You should start by folding the first pleat at the full pleat width at the waist and the hip, with the red stripe centered all along the pleat, and then stitch the edge of the apron to both layers of the pleat that you have folded. And yes, once you have sewn that, there is no way that change the size of that pleat, which is why it's important to get it right in the first place. After stitching the first one, you'll fold the next pleat at the full width at both hip and waist, with the red stripe centered, and then stitch the edge of the first pleat to both thicknesses of the pleat that you have folded.

Or maybe I don't understand your question??

[yank111]

Barb,

Yes, the wide red stripe should be in the center of each pleat. I am measuring only half the pleat width because on page 74 first column under the illustrations it says that if the pleat is 1/2 inch at the waist, for example, the center of the stripe should be exactly 1/4 inch from the edge of the fold. Is this where I'm messing up?

If I understand correctly, the wide red stripe should be in the center of each pleat, with the white and black stripes on each side of the center. I haven't run your numbers, but let's suppose that your 19/32 at the waist and 11/16 at the hips are correct. I'm not sure why you're measuring only half that width when you pin a pleat. The whole pleat should be 11/16 at the hip and 19/32 at the waist, and the center of the red stripe should be centered in the pleat both at the waist and the bottom of the fell (at the hip).

You should start by folding the first pleat at the full pleat width at the waist and the hip, with the red stripe centered all along the pleat, and then stitch the edge of the apron to both layers of the pleat that you have folded. And yes, once you have sewn that, there is no way that change the size of that pleat, which is why it's important to get it right in the first place. After stitching the first one, you'll fold the next pleat at the full width at both hip and waist, with the red stripe centered, and then stitch the edge of the first pleat to both thicknesses of the pleat that you have folded.

Or maybe I don't understand your question??

[Barb T]

Maybe you'e misinterpreting what's on pg. 72? The center of the red stripe must be in the center of the pleat. If the red stripe is, for example 1/4" across, and the pleat needs to be 1" across total at the waist, the center of the red stripe must be 1/2" from each edge of the pleat. That puts your black and white stripes plus 1/8" of the red stripe into one half of the pleat and 1/8" of the red stripe plus the black and white stripes on the other side of the red into the other half of the pleat.

That's the only way that the stripe can be centered and have the pleat be 1" across over all. If that's still not clear, let me know. Note: I picked 1" just for an easy example. I realize that's not the size of the pleats that you have.

[yank111]

Thanks, Barb and Steve!

I've ripped the thread out (will be an expert at that by the end of this project) and will start over in about a week as I'll be going on vacation, so you're safe for a week!

Thank you so much for the help so far!

Jon