Pleatings
A pleating is difficult and requires patience. Unless accurately made, it should never be used on a hat, for upon its accuracy depends its attractiveness. The simplest pleating is a side pleating. This may be made from paper or stiff muslin for practice work. There should not be a thread's difference in the width of each pleat. Any simple pleating requires three times the length of the space it is to cover. If a half-inch pleating is to be made, the folds will come every one and one-half inches. As each fold is laid, baste it down with silk thread. Press slightly on the wrong side before using.
This is made by turning the first pleat to the left and the next to the right. The same amount of material is required as for side pleating. If the pleats are to be one-half inch deep, the box pleat will be one inch across. Baste with silk thread at the top and bottom, and press on the wrong side. A simple box pleating may be basted through the center and the edges caught together.
Double or triple box-pleating—
This is made by adding one or more pleats, one on top of the other. Begin by making two or more pleats turning to the left, then the same number turning to the right. Be very accurate, being careful to keep the box pleat the exact width desired. Baste at the top and bottom. This pleating is nearly always used by basting through the center, after having slightly pressed. The top and bottom bastings are then removed. The pleating may be caught together at top and bottom of box pleat, and it is then known as rose pleating.
Radiating—
This is the most difficult pleating to fashion, but very handsome ornaments are made in this way. A foundation of buckram is usually required to sew the pleats on as they are laid. The two illustrations given will suffice. After these two examples are correctly copied, other models and original designs can be easily made.
Foundations of buckram—
The foundation for the second is in the shape of a low pyramid made from buckram. Cut a small circle of buckram, slash in three equally distant places from the outer edge to within one-eighth of an inch of the center. Lap a small amount and sew. Three rows or more of pleating may be used on this ornament. An ordinary ornament will require about five yards of inch-wide ribbon. The first row would be placed near the outside edge of the buckram and each pleat sewed as it is laid. The pleating should radiate from the center. To do this, the inside of the pleating will lap more than the outside. The next row will overlap this first row and the same method will be used. The pleating may be tested by holding a ruler on a line between the top and the lower edge of the pleating. The pleats should all be on a straight line between these points. The last or finishing row is the most difficult of all. The pleats at the apex should meet, and pleats at the lower overlapping edge be on a line with the rest of the pleating. A tiny bow or button is sometimes used to finish the top, but it is much handsomer if finished without either bow or button.