Easy No-Math Pleats for Historical Fashion (How to Sew Cartridge Pleats)

Feeling frustrated by pleats? Do they feel overwhelming? In this video, I teach how to sew an easy, no-math pleating system for historical fashion, which are called cartridge pleats or gauging.
I love using these in many of the garments I make, and you see them especially often throughout the Victorian era, especially the first half, though into the later half as well.
This system makes how to sew pleats simple, and offers up a beautiful, full-bodied effect that can be done completely with hand sewing.
Cartridge pleats are one essential technique I recommend if you plan on making historical clothing or starting historical costuming.
I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial. Please let me know if you have any questions about cartridge pleating.
Yours, etc.
V. Birchwood
Sewing supplies, camera gear, and fashion books I use:
(Please note: these are all affiliate links, so I get a small commission)
www.amazon.com...
Social Media:
Patreon - / vbirchwood
Instagram - / vasibirchwood
Facebook - / vbirchwoodhistorical
Business Inquiries - [e-mail]
#howtosew #historicalfashion #pleats

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks for watching! What’s your favourite way to pleat fabric?

[@ragnkja]

Cartridge pleats are definitely easiest, but are unfortunately not always appropriate. Great for the back of a skirt though.

[@jessicabey275]

I guess all I have done is knife and box pleats.

[@SimpleDesertRose]

I'm partial to knife pleats myself and I use a fork to pleat my fabric with. 😉

[@Luna-bo6sf]

I honestly like the math methods--they make sense in my head

[@PrettyGoodLookin]

CP's are impractical with thicker fabrics.

[@katecapek3116]

This is probably the most succinct technique tutorial that I've seen on cartridge pleats. You've decreased the intimidation factor significantly.

[@VBirchwood]

Aww thank you so much! This is exactly the comment I was hoping to receive by making this video. I think that sometimes techniques can seem hard or overwhelming because they aren’t always taught very straight forward. People often need a solid foundation a clear steps to work from and then grow a skill from there. So clarity is always my priority with these tutorials!

[@yerbamatte5]

tip: you can use this method to make teeny knife pleats accurately! instead you’ll just use two different measurements instead of even modules and then press to whatever direction you need

[@VBirchwood]

Ooooo how brilliant! Thanks so much for sharing this too Gabby!

[@essiroiha9781]

Vasi, I'm over the moon for having found your channel. I've been sewing for years on and off, but got really into it about a year ago. Being a history geek, I started to gravitate towards victorian and edwardian garments. Still a novice though. I enjoyed hand sewing the most, but was scared of doing certain parts of a garment by hand because I thought I couldn't make the seams strong enough or get the pleating or ruffles sewn neatly etc. I suffer from a chronic illness which makes it difficult for me to sit infront of a sewing machine. Having binged almost all your videos made me realize that I CAN sew everything by hand and that there really are no restrictions. What a relief! Sounds silly, I know, but I was taught at school to think that you NEED a machines in order to make wearable clothes. Which is strange, considering that people wore clothes for thousands of years before sewing machines appeared... Looking at my sewing bucket list now makes me giddy with anticipation and not desperate. I needed the confidence boost. So thank you. I'm going to sew all the things! Love from Finland.❤️

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks so much for your comment Essi 🥰 I also thought for a long time it wouldn’t be possible to only hand sew clothing, so I was very surprised to discover you could when I started sewing about 2 years ago. It’s a wonderful and extremely freeing realisation to have 😊 all the best of luck (and joy) on your sewing journey! 💕

[@jasmineflowers3583]

I just cartridge pleated a skirt yesterday, so this came in perfect timing! Sadly my pleats are a bit too soft. They aren’t really defined the way I would like them to be so I guess I may need to comb them which will be a pain or go back and use twill and do 2 rows like you have done. Thank you! ❤️

[@VBirchwood]

Congrats on your cartridge pleated skirt! 🥰 a few of the first things I ever cartridge pleated, I didn’t add twill tape either and had a similar result as you feel. The twill tape helps so so much! You can also find checkered ribbon or tape too and then just follow the checks as the guides for where to sew. I just haven’t been able to locate any in the U.K.

[@jasmineflowers3583]

@@VBirchwood thank you!! It was inspired by your previous videos showing them off and I thought to myself I need a cotton maxi skirt for the summer!! Im in the UK too so that is good to know 😇 will be looking for some twill before this good weather ends 😅😅

[@ragnkja]

Cartridge pleats are usually done with at least two rows, so that they’re more defined than just gathered fabric.

[@allychristiansen]

oh my god I've been waiting for a handy tutorial just like this one! I have a cartridge pleated skirt all done except for being attached to the waistband and I couldn't decide how I wanted to finish it! Thank you!

[@VBirchwood]

What excellent timing!! I’m so glad this video is so useful then 🥰

[@SimpleDesertRose]

That was probably the best tutorial on cartridge pleats I've seen to date. I haven't tried cartridge pleats yet. I haven't had something to try them in yet. When you spend most of your time on the homestead you tend to think function instead of pretty. But I want to make myself a more Historically accurate dress for my local Renaissance faire. Starting with a kirtle then making the over dress with all those amazing cartridge pleats. 😜

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks so much DesertRose! 💕I love your idea about using them for the kirtle overdress. I find them to be fairly practical as well, as long as you keep the skirt length manageable. I find that’s the main time when historical clothes become very impractical haha.

[@ginaquinzani6488]

This was so clear and beautifully demonstrated. I'm going to start my cartridge pleating now. I don't sew historical fashion but I've learned so much watching how it's done. I've made many clothing and household items by hand sewing and I am so glad to see all the different stitches and techniques. My mom was a big hand sewer and made many items for years. Thanks for your videos. I love that you wear historically fashioned garments. We all need to see more beauty.

[@MagpieRat]

I remember the first time I cartridge pleated a skirt (for a 1640s reenactment group) and was blown away that we don't do this for ALL skirts! I just love the way that cartridge pleats stand out from the body in a way that no others do. I've not used twill tape before, I usually just allow a very deep seam allowance: but I'll definitely start using tape from now on, what a good idea! Thank you!

[@VBirchwood]

They really are the best pleats ever! Lol. The deep seam allowance is also a great effect, especially for thick wools and such, but the twill tape works great to give a similar effect for thinner fabrics I’ve found 😊

[@jeanetterule5420]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ How do you calculate how much fabric for the gathers? Is it double, triple? It looks fabulous. I usually do 1 1/2 the width simply gathering to make ruffle or skirts. In this method you must need a great deal more fabric. Thank you. Excellent instruction! 👍❤️👍❤️👍❤️👍❤️

[@ragnkja]

It’s usually not an exact ratio. Instead, you tend to, say, gather the fabric that makes up the back of your skirt (usually one or two widths of fabric, or 1.5-3 m) to match the back half of your waist.

[@VBirchwood]

Yes exactly what Ragnhild said. Generally too, they’re very forgiving, so if you need a bit more along a waist, you just loosen up the pleats a bit and they still look very full 😊

[@katwitanruna]

BTW you always do an excellent job making instruction videos.

[@VBirchwood]

Awww thank you so much! I try to imagine every possible question I myself might have and answer that within the video 😂

[@ecologicaladam7262]

Glad to see a fellow De Vere Yarns customer 😊👍

[@VBirchwood]

They’re my favourite!

[@ecologicaladam7262]

Such wonderful colours too 😁

[@bekytg9393]

This is one of the best videos on cartridge pleating. You explained everything so well. Thank you.

[@VBirchwood]

Aww thanks so much Beky! I really appreciate it 😊

[@audriscarborough9309]

I know that I generally ( and genuinely) like all you video's, and praise them. This video was a perfect example of why. Your teaching style is so precise, and you use examples and wording that makes sense. I am very excited that you shared this one today. I am going to attempt to make a cloak. I am going to make it like the beautiful green one you made. Hahaha, what I should say is I am going to try and copy it. My wool material should be arriving soon. It will be a soft purple, plum color, with hues of dusty rose. I will practice today's pleating lesson and refer back to your cloak, well as many times as it takes! I hope you know that I would not give praise if I didn't genuinely mean it. I think it's important to be honest about these things, everything actually. I am truly thankful for your teaching style and the fact that you share all kinds of your wonderful knowledge with us. I have learned so much from you, even though I have been sewing for many years. Sewing with a machine or making quilts and such, is completely different from going back to the true basics of hand sewing. It's "very" different from creating the type of amazing garments that you are creating! There are several of your pieces of clothing that I would love to learn to make! I will start with the cloak, knowing I will wear it often - even if it's not perfect. I should have said this first, I am very glad you are feeling better 😊. All the best to you and your sweet little puppy. With sincere gratitude and respect, Audri

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you so much Audri for your kind and genuine words from the heart ❤️ I really appreciate them. I think that with precise guidance, many things that are deemed “hard” or “difficult” can actually become very simple and beginner-friendly, and so much of that is just with choosing words that will be as accessible as possible to everyone. I think it’s part of what makes original Victorian sewing manuals so complex and overwhelming - the wording they use is often incredibly difficult to understand and inaccessible with little visual aid.

[@barbarawright2638]

This looks so much easier. I have also heard of using gingham to help with measuring. But you took some anxiety out of future projects for sure.

[@VBirchwood]

Gingham and patterned fabrics in general (like strips, etc.) can definitely make it even easier! 😊

[@ericalarochelle3779]

I quite appreciate the practical teaching videos you create; while it is interesting to see the construction montages and reveals of outfits, such videos tend to skip over the how-to bits in favor of aesthetics. While both are good, I tend to see KZbinrs start to favor the latter over the former and I hope you will buck that trend. Your instructional style is clear and it is so useful to see the behavior of the fabric during the process and the results of the method!

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you Erica! I’m so glad you find these videos useful 😊 I definitely intend to always do both because I think it’s important to show off some of the techniques in more detail as you mention. I think it’s just that these videos generally don’t perform as well as construction videos sometimes do, at least not at first, but overtime they often gain more views as they are sort of evergreen content. I don’t mind either way so I’ll definitely keep making them as I’d rather help people learn.

[@ericalarochelle3779]

@@VBirchwood I very much understand playing the algorithm game and I am glad to hear that you are willing to balance the two types!

[@LiljaHusmo]

I love cartridge pleats so much, also if you make the stitches smaller, boom, easy gathering stitches! Lovely video as always 🥰

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you so much Lilja! And a great tip with making them smaller for gathers 🥰

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

Thank you! This is literally the video I wanted to see. I had remembered you showing how to do this as part of a longer video, and appreciate the succinct attention to detail, plus the smoother method you show with this new video

[@VBirchwood]

Oooo I’m so glad it came at just the right time Catherine! 🥰 I hope you’ll use it a lot as a reference in the future 😊

[@jessicabey275]

I love the fullness cartridge pleats give. my next project with pleats I will try out cartridge

[@ragnkja]

Cartridge pleats are amazing for making the back of a skirt look nice and full.

[@VBirchwood]

You totally should! It’s such a fun option and definitely a great way to add fullness to the back of a skirt, like Ragnhild has said 😊

[@jessicabey275]

@@ragnkja thank you 😊

[@jessicabey275]

@@VBirchwood I don't have any skirts or dresses for my next few projects but I do have a cami that needs pintucks and I think I might use this technique then flatten the tucks down

[@charlottec5802]

That was super useful - thank you! I've always shied away from cartridge pleats, but now I'm keen to give them a go.

[@VBirchwood]

I’m so glad you’re going to give them a go! I think you’ll love them honestly and after a couple rounds of practicing, they’ll become very intuitive 🥰

[@kayleenagatani1594]

Thank you for this, your explaining really helped me. I can't wait to use it!

[@karinkeeble1993]

Thanks for the clear instructions 😍

[@Merdam9]

Thank you for posting that one short, that is how I found you, and I thoroughly enjoy your content.

[@VBirchwood]

That’s so awesome!! Welcome to the channel 😊

[@marynimocks6791]

So clear. Your second method reminds of "the English stitch" and it's terrific! Thanks!

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you!! Yes! Definitely. I have a video tutorial like this for making the English Stitch too actually 🥰

[@idkwhatimdoing573]

Ok life hack. If you’re using friction pens, you can tape or use a band to hold them and it’s roughly half an inch. Use this so you only have to mark once. You can even hold more pens together with tape and make like four sets of marks in one go.

[@carolyng5235]

This was a great tutorial, very clear and easy to follow! I have done knife pleats before on mid-Victorian skirts but have never tried cartridge pleats. I think I will try these in place of gathering the skirt on my next dress. It is sometimes difficult to make gathers look even, it seems like small cartridge pleats may have a better finished look.

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you Carolyn! 😊 they’re definitely just great for mid-Victorian skirts and add so much more depth to them I’ve found. And yep, keeping them even won’t be a problem at all using this method🥰

[@katwitanruna]

I rarely use pleats but I do early period. When I do cartridge pleats I sew them the way you do.

[@VBirchwood]

That makes perfect sense that you rarely use them because of early period clothing! It must be nice sometimes to work with the simpler shapes of early period. And far less fabric waste! 😅

[@ragnkja]

@@VBirchwood Not that pleats (cartridge or otherwise) tend to waste any fabric either, since you can just undo them and repleat if you want to change the silhouette a bit, or you need to alter the waistline because your measurements have changed.

[@barbarawright2638]

Thank you so much! So many tutorials are unclear. Yours is best so far

[@VBirchwood]

So glad it’s helpful and clear 😊

[@karinsack5892]

I've been dreaming of learning how to do this alot lately. How did you know? 😁. I can't wait to go through this tutorial again and get started on practicing.

[@VBirchwood]

Hahaha what perfect timing! Thanks so much for watching 🥰

[@watsonmelon6575]

As someone who wants to try cartridge pleating but was pretty intimidated - thank you!

[@VBirchwood]

Heck yeah!! I’m so glad this can show the reality of how simple it actually can be 🥰

[@caragarcia2307]

Some videos use the least amount of fabric while still being practical and comfortable then there are full circle and cartridge pleat skirt videos.

[@BethAge95]

Great tutorial, thank you!

[@VBirchwood]

Glad it’s helpful! 😊

[@jessicabey275]

So I just added a kirtle to my project and I am going to do knife pleats in front and cartridge in the back and make my own hooks and eyes!

[@VBirchwood]

That sounds so wonderful!! Please email me a picture of it once it’s done if you’d like to! 🥰

[@jessicabey275]

@@VBirchwood I will! 😄

[@MrsCelesteB]

For some reason my brain read "Easy pleats No Maths" LOVE IT

[@supremetuna]

what a good way to use some fabric left behind which don't know what to do with. Making a dress with this tech is much more efficient to eliminate the unused fabric and to start a new project to enhance my sick life at all.

[@VBirchwood]

100%!! You wouldn’t even need to cut any excess fabric off as you could just cartridge pleat giant rectangles of fabric. And piece as much as you need to also 😊

[@acatluxe]

Love this 🥰🥳🙏

[@myhandsaslanguage]

Excited to try this on the next petticoat I make! :) Thanks for the helpful tutorial.

[@VBirchwood]

Oooo happy sewing! Thanks for watching 🥰

[@stevezytveld6585]

Beautiful work, as always. I'll be coming back to this video for referencing - cartridge pleats are on my to-do list. Thank you. I haven't really done allot of pleating yet, but I want to do a version of a modern take on a Korean Hanboc skirt. Half-soy-bean has a how-to for using forks to form the final pleats. I plan on making one before the summer is out. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks so much Cathy!! I’m glad that this can be a helpful reference for your future projects 😊 the fork method sounds so fascinating, I’ll have to look more into it!

[@robintheparttimesewer6798]

I have avoided pleats since the horrible Halloween costume incident!! I told the daughter she could pick the fabric and style with no limits. She picked a box pleat skirt and 1960’s polyester out of the stash! She also wanted it in two colours! I had to pin and sew every single pleat in as that stuff will not hold a press! There was a lot of cursing and I added rules to future projects! It’s still in the tickle trunk even though it fits no one! I’ve kept it just on principle because of the what felt like a million hours of sewing in pleats! Hi Cathy how are you doing with the heat?

[@stevezytveld6585]

@@robintheparttimesewer6798 Sounds like that costume deserves to have hanging space on a wall with a plaque underneath it. You have a tickle trunk. Love it... Hey Doll, doing OK. I've actually had a really socially engaged weekend. Met up with one of our Godkids and Mum for a picnic in the park this afternoon. Yesterday was a bit of art therapy and then running around town on errands. It was... nice. And I didn't get a sun burn for a change. Also, our apartment has AC, so we're able to sleep semi-decently through the heat. How goes your summer? I have a bunch of patterns off of the ebay for dresses and such out of the 40's & 50's making their way through the mail. In my curvy plus size. Thank you, Collective Grandmothers. Need to get out of my rut, so I did a little incentive shopping... I'm about to re-enter the world of mock-ups.

[@robintheparttimesewer6798]

@@stevezytveld6585 Cathy my Tickle Trunk isn’t a trunk anymore. Same girl convinced me that she would love it in her home. She even threatened to refinish it which is what I thought I would do when I bought it 30 odd years ago! It’s still orange. My husband was horrified lol. We have AC so not too bad. Southern Ontario gets way too hot way too often to be without! So far summer is good. The dog is settling in though he’s not happy when the grandson goes to his mom’s. He’s getting used to our foolishness. He’s even decided that he likes me. So I’m counting that as a win. I’m still organizing or procrastinating on sewing. And try to get other stuff done. Finally when through the kids clothes some for a friend the rest for donations. They grow so darn fast.

[@stevezytveld6585]

@@robintheparttimesewer6798 If that tickle trunk turns out to be any shade other than orange... I stand with Mister Husband. Yay for the dog-o settling in. We're still acclimatizing the guinea pig sisters we brought home from the shelter a couple of months ago. Honestly, who neglects small animals... I'm using the patterns that are arriving in the ebay mail as my push to clean. Can't sew the wardrobe if I can't access my machine... It's my theory, and I'm sticking to it (I hope...). Kids grow way too fast...

[@kaitlynroberts5027]

This is super helpful!

[@VBirchwood]

I’m so glad!

[@robintheparttimesewer6798]

Thank you for your care in teaching! Cartage pleats look a lot easier than I had thought. Though I have to admit the fact that the shirt is just sort of tacked on gives me pause. In my head I know it’s secure and there’s no real stress on the seam except the weight of the fabric but still. Someday I will get over myself and give it a try

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks for watching! 🥰 I can understand that. Though because the whip stitches are quite dense, and also due to the fact the thread is silk, waxed, and button weight, it’s an extremely strong join and easily holds up to everyday wear, far stronger than a tack on 😊

[@ashleymaxwell341]

If it's thin fabric, I usually run it through my smocking pleater machine. Can't wait for the next video.

[@VBirchwood]

Oooo wow a smocking pleater machine! That is so so cool. See you during the next video 🥰

[@wynnewhitten-holmes5090]

I wonder it never occurred to me to knot the starting end of my gathering threads! I could never keep the pleats in place long enough to pin them down 😅 this is so simple that I feel a little silly, but very grateful for that pointer and the whole excellent tutorial!

[@VBirchwood]

Aww yay! I’m so glad that tip is useful for you 🥰 it’s amazing sometimes how small little things can make our sewing journeys so much easier haha

[@kayceegreer4418]

I like your big pink ring! Oh yeah and your plates are nice too. Lol

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you!!

[@lefterismplanas4977]

I neither sew nor dress in vintage. Nice video

[@VBirchwood]

Hahaha thanks for watching then anyways! 😊

[@goonercestlavie]

Joli travail. Bel effet oui je suis d'accord. Belle patience et passion. De la créativité dans de nombreux domaines.

[@VBirchwood]

Merci!! 😊😊

[@az_twist6267]

No need to apologize for the fur. I'm not sure I know what fur-free fabric looks like. Certainly there's none in my stash.

[@VBirchwood]

Hahaha thank you for making me feel better about it! This is my first spring having a pet in my entire life, so I’m still getting used to the fur on fabric thing 😂

[@makeda6530]

I tend to freehand pleats, usually towards the back to 'hide' the closure placket in the back. This is great, I want to try cartridge pleats again. I've only done it once and my skirt didn't have nearly enough fabric for it, one day~.

[@VBirchwood]

Using pleats to hide the back closure is a wonderful method! It’s so cool how much it gives a certainty continuity to a garment too 🥰 They definitely eat up a ton of fabric! I hope you can try them again soon 😊

[@anijanka]

I love your videos ! Thank you so much ! And thanks for using metrics 😍😍😍

[@VBirchwood]

Thanks for watching! 🥰

[@shellsbellswac1]

Thank you for posting! Great tutorial!

[@VBirchwood]

I’m so glad! Thanks so much for watching 😊

[@GrumpyKitten375]

Omg this was brilliantly succinct tutorial thank you 😊

[@VBirchwood]

So glad it was helpful! 😊

[@ThistlenStitches]

This is SO helpful, thank you V!

[@VBirchwood]

Awww I’m so glad! You’re very welcome. Thanks for watching 🥰

[@carolinemaluca]

What an excellent video, V! Thank you so much for this! Your explanation and demonstration were on point! 👌 🥰

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you so much Caroline! Are you going to try them out? 🥰

[@carolinemaluca]

@@VBirchwood actually I will! I was thinking about how I could gather or pleat the back of a skirt I’m currently trying to make, so your video couldn’t come at a better time! Thank you again!!! 🥰

[@VBirchwood]

@@carolinemaluca yay that’s so great! Message me if you need any help 🥰

[@carolinemaluca]

@@VBirchwood thank you so much. 🥰

[@alex9190]

coming back to this video because im currently trying to figure out how to gather the neckline of my floofy shift im making lol

[@VBirchwood]

Welcome back to it! Lol 🥰

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

PS I pleat fabric using the fold-over method, either in box pleats, or with the outer folds facing towards the back.

[@VBirchwood]

This is a great method too!! Thanks for sharing 🥰

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

@@VBirchwood you are welcome

[@alexandria3583]

thank god! i hate having to use math when pleating

[@ragnkja]

Even if you’re using maths such as simple ratios (halving and stuff like that), it’s often nice to be able to not have to use arithmetic, because that’s stuff is too fiddly to be distraction-proof.

[@VBirchwood]

So do I lol! It often can take the joy out of sewing. Glad that this method exists for those of us that want to stay away from math as much as possible 🥰😅

[@heidsterzsoups2133]

Question! How on earth does the waistband hold the weiggt of all those pleats without just ripping right through?

[@Luna-bo6sf]

I love your tutorials! This makes me wonder--do you own a sewing machine at all? I have one that I use for mockups (and favors lol) even though I don't use it for my historical sewing. Or do you just baste everything for your mockups?

[@VBirchwood]

I’m so glad you do! 🥰 I own a hand crank but I’ve used it maybe 5 times and haven’t used it in well over a year. I should probably get around to selling it at some point. Other than that I don’t own one and never have. I do indeed just baste all my mock-ups 😊

[@tobrose]

How do figure out how much material is needed to go around the waist.

[@Misha-fr2up]

How do you work out how much fabric to use for the waist of a skirt?

[@Alixwasart]

Weird question, the blue / green base tartan type material on the thumbnail, the one on the bottom, do you remember where you got it? or what its called. I was given a skirt by my mother that was in the same / very similar style of fabric and am looking for more of it.

[@ssc4153]

I'm hoping you can help me with this....I understand the cartridge pleat and placement of them....I'm just stumped at HOW MANY YARDS of material to buy in order to make the skirt.....all of my "period" skirts require 5-6 panels, then I just use elastic for the casing and pleats...simple.....but to do cartridge pleats I am stumped. I'm a visual learner and you did a fabulous job with your instructions, I just need to figure out how much material to purchase for my size of skirt. Is there an equation that I can use?

[@VBirchwood]

They’re very much a no math option, so it really depends on your fabric and also how tight or dense you want to space the cartridges. You can add quite a bit more width to them just by spacing them out more. So there’s no real equation, which is considered part of their charm! A lot of pleats as well were made by eye historically, so I think that’s why these too don’t really have a calculation. Also, the thicker your fabric is, the less fabric you’ll need to cartridge pleat. A bulky wool will behave much differently than a thin silk will.

[@cleof1503]

Oooh these are gorgeous. I have a summer skirt that I'm going to try this on. What is the formula for figuring out the length you need?

[@VBirchwood]

Thank you!! These would be great for a summer dress! So it really depends on your fabric and how big your spaces will be. For reference, I pleated down about 75 inches of a lightweight wool into 12.5 inches of finished cartridge pleats with 0.5 inch markings like I showed in the video. Usually the way it’s done is you just start pleating a massive rectangle and fit it until it works for your size and if it’s not quite enough/too much, you can adjust by making the stack of the pleats a little less/more. Because of this you don’t have to be super accurate and they’re very forgiving. The thickness of them also will depend on what your fabric is like as some fabric has much fatter stacks.

[@cleof1503]

@@VBirchwood thank you

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

I'm not sure how to phrase this clearly. Is the desired length of the unpleated yardage the circumference of the "waist" plus the uh... "length" of each pleat? I'm making a garment for a doll, maybe 12" waist. With "thick" fabric (brocade.. could be 1/8" when folded into a pleat)and narrow pleats. Like perhaps 1/2"?, so 1" each 1/8th of an inch. .. like times 12(inches waist)? ...? At which point, I suppose I should ask my math friends for help. The pleats I do are just an average of 3 times the length of the circumference. And, often I "finesse" them to gather fabric I have to fit the circumference I need. Perhaps, if I drape the doll, I can get a more intuitive formula. Also, how do the loose curves of the pleats align against the petticoat, and/or their own outer layers? If I ever get motivated enough, I should probably just make the bodice first, and do the skirt later, perhaps in a teaching session with you, if you're still available. But, right now, I'm just contemplating. I have several months of sewing to do 🙄before I settle down and address my cartridge puzzle 🙂

[@VBirchwood]

Hi Catherine! Great question. There’s no true formula for cartridge pleating as they’re usually done more intuitively and you just gather them down bit by bit and then loosen or tighten the stacks of pleats if the measure is a bit off. For my wool wrapper (made with lightweight wool and using the twill tape method) I took a 75 in. panel and cartridge pleated it down into about 12.5 inches. This was using 0.5 in. markings like I showed in the video 🥰

[@VBirchwood]

And I am indeed still offering lessons! Your projects sound like lots of fun 😊 The pleats, since they’re on their sides rather than flat, line up nicely against a petticoat I find

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

@@VBirchwood thank you🙂 I will see if I get to it! (So many more plans than time, right now)

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

@@VBirchwood excellent example. Thank you so much! I have a feeling that when it's time, this will help.

[@liisaelts7522]

Pardon my ignorance as I've never done these with thicker fabric, but do you flatten the pleats after attatching them? For example, push them all to lay on one side? When i do two-three pleats, I tend to flat them against the seam after attatching, but thinking on a large skirt, would that be feasible at all?

[@VBirchwood]

This is a great question! You wouldn’t flatten them, and you’d still attach them on their side so they stick out. I have a construction of a cloak video where I make them on thick fabric and still leave them on their side, as that’s essentially what makes them “cartridge pleats”. I suppose if they were flattened down they’d become more like knife pleats then

[@kataetwas2825]

So this wont lay flatly against you body, will it?

[@VBirchwood]

It won’t! They sit on their sides. But Gabby in the comments mentioned how you can use this method for knife pleats too which will be flat

[@obiwan-in-a-pudding2909]

Stop giving me ideas! I have too many projects as it is.😅

[@VBirchwood]

Hahaha never enough projects 😊

[@nathanielguthrie3163]

Why am i watching this

[@VBirchwood]

Because the process of pleating is very hypnotising! 😁