Here's my favorite way to make pleated trim: with a fork!
I first learned this technique almost 20 years ago in an online discussion forum about sewing Victorian costumes. It's the easiest way to make perfectly neat and consistent pleats!
First create your fabric strip. Cut your fabric as wide as you want the pleated trim plus hem allowance, and three times as long as the edge you're attaching it to.
Next join them all together, and hem the bottom edge. If the top edge will be visible, hem that too.
If you're using ribbon, you can skip the hemming and go straight to the pleats!
Set your sewing machine to a basting length and start stitching on one end of the strip. Now it's time to start making pleats! Grab your fork (and lick the cake crumbs off).
Insert the fork, give it a twirl, and voila! There's your pleat!
(Need more visuals? Scroll to the bottom for the video.)
As you go, pay attention to your spacing. Push each pleat snugly up against the last one, but not overlapping.
Now hold the pleat in place with your fingers while you slide the fork out. (We definitely don't want to sew over the fork.) Stitch along the edge to hold the pleat in place.
Repeat until you have all the pleated trim you want! Then take it to the ironing board for a good press.
You'll need to manipulate it a bit as you iron to keep the pleats even along the length.
Now you can sew your perfectly pressed pleats into place!
You can use different-sized forks to get different sized pleats. I've used a tiny fondue fork in the past for really little ones!
You can see more of the process in the video!
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