A pleat-to-pattern natural

Pleat to pattern, pleat to pattern, are we tired yet of pleat to pattern?  UMMMM...... NO!

At least not on this project for Crosstown Shade and Glass.

Pleat to pattern just keeps getting more fun.  This applique stripe is such a cool fabric, OF COURSE it had to be pleated to pattern.

The homeowner's original idea was ripplefold draperies with this fabric.  I made mockups to help the client and designer choose how to best show off this pattern and address the practical issues.

With ripplefold, half the fabric goes to the front, half to the back, just like grommet draperies.  A workroom sample like this helps everyone visualize the effect.

I did a mockup with buckram on a string to simulate the profile. 

We also made a mockup of inverted pleats, so the client could compare styles.  This creates a wave effect, which visually is very similar to ripplefold, except instead of a backward-projecting ripple, that fabric is pleated to the back and stitched down flat.

Guess what, inverted pleats were the choice.

The pleats are sewn to the back, instead of to the front as they are with pinch pleats. 

Since these draperies were unlined, we French seamed the widths together, so there were no raw or serged edges.

The pleats were flattened out and "stitched in the ditch" on the front.

The pleats lie flat, but once they're hung on a rod, the flat part rolls forward like a wave.

Everybody was happy with this project!

Coverlet

Infrequent posting is not a sign of inactivity- more a sign of a frenetic pace and inattention to photography. 
Last week we produced shades at the usual rate and neglected to take a single photo.

In addition we made this luscious silk coverlet.

The face is a silk damask, and it's interlined with silk batting, lined with a fine quilt-weight cotton sateen.

I was thrilled with the drape of the silk batting.  I wish the photo could capture that.

After the widths are joined and the components layered and pressed, the tacking is done.  I forgot to take a picture of the tiny X tacks.  The widely spaced tacks secured the layers with scarcely a dimple. 
Then everything is trimmed to size, shaped, and basted.  I love basting!  Yes, it could be pinned, but it's not the same.   Thread basting is so much better and doesn't take long. 

Once basted, the edges are bound with a 5/8" self bias binding.  First the strip is sewn to the perimeter right sides together.  Bias strips tend to stretch and thereby lose some width so it's important to cut them a little wider than you think you'll need.  For a 5/8" binding the strips are 3" wide.  The shrinkage can be uneven if there is a woven pattern. 

Then I like to press from the right side, pressing the main body of fabric as well as the binding outwards, then, working from the right side, fold evenly to the back, pinning as I go. 

Especially on the round corners, the bias binding folds itself over into a neat finish with very little coaxing.

Isn't that round corner lovely?  You make the curve by measuring in from the bottom and the side the amount of the drop, in this case 14", then draw the quarter-circle from that point. 

Then the fun part: stitching in the ditch.  This is done from the right side.  As you sew, you pull the face and the binding apart slightly and stitch carefully in the "ditch" and when you let go and do a final pressing, the stitches are barely visible on the front.  You can see them on the back, but that is why the back is the back.  I considered hand-sewing the binding, but as this coverlet is going to get a lot of tossing around, I wanted the security of machine stitching. 

To stitch in the ditch effectively, it's best (for me) to not think too much about what I'm doing.  If I concentrate too much on the stitching, I miss my mark.  Also don't go too fast, and try to remember to keep checking the back side, otherwise when you check your work at the end, you'll find missed spots like this!

A long time ago I learned a machine-quilting trick that I use for re-sewing a spot like this: take two stitches forward, then two back, then sew; end your sewing in the same way, two back then two forward; when finished, clip the thread on the right side right up next to the fabric, then on the wrong side pull the bobbin thread til the tiny tail of thread on the right side pops through to the back, then clip.  The stitch join should be secure and unnoticeable.