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Interesting Facts About Pleats and How to Iron Them in Skirts & Trousers in 5 Easy Stages

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PLEATS

Pleats in garments and other items are very flattering, versatile and have a long history in fashion. 

The Egyptians wore pleats as a symbol of luxury and wealth. Similarly, the Elizabethans wore pleats as a symbol of opulence. And, the military wore pleated kilts as part of their standard uniform. 

However, pleats were used beyond the Egyptians, Royalty, and the military in the United Kingdom. Similar to the Scottish kilt, the ‘fustanella’ was worn by the Greek National Guard for ceremonial and military purposes. This tradition dates back to the 3rd Century BC. It is further believed that the Albanians reintroduced the process of pleated garments to the Greeks in the 14th Century. 

Pleats were originally developed to bring functionality to a garment. For example, adding pleating to trousers allows them to expand when sitting down. This not only makes the trousers more comfortable to wear but they prevent issues, such as pulling, stretching, and puckering of the pockets by taking away tension from the seam.

Pleats were once made by hand and when washed they simply disappeared. This meant the process had to be done all over again. The art of pleating, therefore, was a very laborious and time consuming process. This, taken together with the luxurious materials and fabrics selected and used, made pleating an expensive business. 

Modern-day pleating processes ensure that pleats remain in place wash after wash largely owing to modern fabrics and the invention of heat treatments.

TYPES OF PLEATS

Put simply, pleats are a fold or doubling of fabric that is either ironed or pressed into place. There are a whole host of different types of pleats to choose from. We have selected the most popular types below.

ACCORDION PLEAT

Accordion pleats are sometimes referred to as ‘knife pleats’, ‘sunburst pleats’, or ‘fan pleats’. They form a tight pleating where the fabric is evenly folded throughout. This type of pleat is commonly used to give skirts fullness with the pleat forming a zig-zag effect at the hem. 

CARTRIDGE PLEAT

Cartridge pleats are typically found in curtains. They are a simple style made by shaping a single fold at the top of the curtain and filling it with a tight roll of interlining. This gives the pleats a distinctive rounded finish.

THE BOX PLEAT

The Box Pleat is a very popular and elegant style of fabric pleating that is created by folding fabric to the back of each side of the pleat to create a ‘dentil’ pattern. This style is commonly used in skirts, but can also be used in a range of other garments and items.

DRAPE PLEATS

There are different drapery pleat styles on offer. We have listed the most popular of these below:

a) THE FRENCH PINCH PLEAT:

This one is the most popular of this style. It has a classic and timeless appeal that gives any curtain in any room an elegant and sophisticated look. It is made up of a series of equally spaced single, double, or triple pleats that are pinched in the centre, forming fans above and below the pinch.

b) THE PARISIAN PLEAT:

This style is commonly referred to as the ‘euro pleat’. Similar in appearance to the French pinch pleat, the Parisian pleat is only pinched at the very top.

c) The Inverted Box Pleat:

This style is neat and tailored with a fullness on the back of the drape, but has a flat face surface that makes it suitable for modern interior design schemes. 

d) THE FLUTED PLEAT:

Fluted pleats or ‘fluttings’ are very small, round or pressed pleats used as trimmings. Fluting is a truly ancient technique that was initially seen in architecture. It is essentially a series of shallow grooves that run across a surface, creating a pleasing play on light. In the world of pleating, it is a wide strip of fabric gathered and sewn to a skirt or dress, most often used at the hem to help exaggerate the silhouette of a hem. 

HOW TO IRON PLEATS

Pleats are very versatile and can look fantastic on garments, but maintaining them can be tricky. Ironing pleats can be a challenging task, however, when using the correct techniques, you can have your pleats looking great and ready to wear in relatively no time at all! 

We will now turn our attention to showing you how to iron pleats in popular everyday clothing items, such as pleated skirts and pleats in trousers. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

i) Ironing Board 

ii) Iron

iii) Spray Starch

iv) Pins

v) Spray bottle with water 

HOW TO IRON A PLEATED SKIRT IN 5 EASY STAGES

To get started with this ironing task, set your ironing board up to the correct height so that you remain comfortable throughout this task. You must check your care label on the garment to ensure you set your iron at the correct temperature to avoid any damage to the fabric. After following these simple steps, you are now ready to begin to iron your pleated skirt in 5 easy stages:

STAGE ONE

Start by spraying your pleated skirt with some spray starch and wait a few minutes for the starch to dry off. Slip the skirt onto the ironing board and ensure the waist section is facing the narrow end, and then proceed to iron as flat as possible. Continue this action around the waistband and then down the skirt until you reach the point where the pleats start. At this stage, start using your spray bottle to spray your pleats to make them easier to iron. 

STAGE TWO

The attention needs to now focus on the pleated section of the skirt. Using your free hand, start to straighten the pleats so they are laid flat against the ironing board. If this proves too tricky, simply grab a few pins to secure the pleats onto the ironing board. But do remember to pull out the pins as you go to avoid ironing over them. 

STAGE THREE

A little patience is required at this stage. Iron the flat surfaces first, spending time ironing these thoroughly and as flat as you can. Do this before moving onto the pleats themselves so that the pleats don’t get creased afterwards. 

STAGE FOUR

To avoid any creasing as you go, raise the iron from each pleat and then press down with the steam button on your iron. Allow each pleat to cool down before moving on to the next. 

STAGE FIVE

When you have worked your way around the whole skirt, hang it up using a clip hanger and allow the skirt to dry and the pleats to set after steaming.

HOW TO IRON PLEATS IN TROUSERS IN 5 EASY STAGES

Again, as with any garment, always set your iron to the fabric type of your trousers to avoid scorching, or even ruining your fabric.

STAGE 1

Begin by spraying the trousers lightly with some spray starch before turning them inside out. Lay the pocket lining on the ironing board and proceed to iron them flat.

STAGE 2

Moving onto the fly section, iron this area flat, before moving down to the seams and hem of the first leg of the trousers. Repeat this action on the second leg until a nice and flat finish is achieved.

STAGE 3

Slide the waistband around the ironing board’s narrowest end, with the fly section facing towards the floor. Iron the waistband, rotating the trousers around the ironing board as you go.

STAGE 4

Using a spray bottle with water, lightly spray the trouser’s pleats and then iron them flat, using your free hand to adjust and straighten the pleats as you go. If this proves to be a struggle, you can use some pins to secure the pleats in place. 

STAGE 5

Using your steam button on your iron, proceed to iron directly over the pleats, giving them a good burst of steam, while holding the iron a few inches above the fabric. When complete, quickly remove the trousers from the ironing board and hang them up with a clip hanger to avoid creasing and crumpling.

We hope you found this Blog useful and helpful on interesting facts about pleats, and how to iron pleats in skirts and trousers in five easy stages. If you require our expertise in all areas concerning pleating, just contact us here at Pressed not Stressed and we’ll be happy to help and provide our ironing services to you!