Pleating gives a soft, textural feel and appearance to a handbag
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Outlet. Pleated purses may look complicated to construct but
basically involve just making folds where you want them and stitching them down
with the seaming. Pleats are also a versatile style--they can be big and soft
and make the handbag more roomy, or carefully and neatly structured for a formal
appearance.Other People Are ReadingHandbag Purse TutorialsHow to Make a Pleat in
a Purse PlanningBefore trying any new technique for a sewing project, practice
first with muslin or some scrap fabric. It is well worth spending the time to
perfect your design on paper and with a muslin mock-up before making a handbag.
That way, if either the pleating effect or construction method you have in mind
doesn't work out, you can make adjustments as necessary without wasting your
good handbag fabric. Working with muslin first can also aid creativity as you
won't be worried about making mistakes or cutting up the fabric.GatheringThe
easiest way to create a pleated effect for a handbag is with gathering.
Basically, if the top edge of the pattern pieces for the sides of the bag are
wider than the final dimensions of the top of the bag, the excess fabric width
will naturally gather up into soft, ruffled pleats. For example, purchase bag
handles with a screw-in bar, and sew a simple bag with a narrow casing at the
top that is wider than the bar. When you place the bars of the handles into the
casing, you will need to scrunch up the sides to fit. After screwing the handles
in place, the gathered-up sides of the handbag remain in place and rest in
gentle pleats. An alternative is a drawstring-type closure, for example, with
grommets and a cord around the top edge. The sides of the purse will gather into
pleats when you tighten the string to close the bag.Pleated PanelIf you are wary
about constructing a handbag from pleated fabric, consider adding a separately
pleated panel around the middle of the bag. This means that you sew the base and
top edging from flat fabric without needing to fiddle with the folds while still
getting the style of a pleated bag. Take a strip of fabric--it could be the same
as the rest of the bag or provide a contrast--about three times longer than the
circumference of the finished bag and a little wider than you want the finished
panel to be. Measure, mark, press and pin folds along the entire width. These
could be neat and uniform or free-form scrunches. Machine sew a row of straight
stitches along the top and bottom edges of this panel piece to hold the pleats
in place. When you make the handbag, you need a separate top section and base
section. Simply seam the pleated panel to the bottom edge of the top part and
the top edge of the bottom part. Make sure that the rows of stitches that
initially held the pleats in place are not seen from the outside of the handbag.
Lining will cover the raw edges inside the handbag.Pleating TechniqueFor neat,
equally spaced knife pleats you need to take the time to measure, mark and fold
them very carefully. Imperfections can ruin the tailored appearance of the
pleats. Lay the fabric down on a flat surface and use a ruler or paper pattern
to mark the points for the folds onto the top and bottom edges with tailor's
chalk. Use wider spacing for the outside (front) folds and narrower spacing for
the folds underneath. Fold the pleats, using a ruler or strip of thin card stock
to help you, and pin them into place. Alternatively, use a needle and thread:
Leave a long tail and insert the needle up and down through the exact fold
markings in a long running stitch. Do this along the top and bottom edges, then
carefully pull the thread tails from both ends at the same time. You will see
the fabric gather up and fold into uniform pleats as you pull on the threads.
They still need to be pressed and pinned. Secure the pleats by machine sewing
along the top and bottom edges of the fabric. Cut out the pattern pieces from
the pleated fabric as if it were flat. When you seam the handbag pieces
together, pay close attention to ensure the presser foot does not get caught in
the folds and that you are stitching through all the layers
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