9/28/97 2:20:20 PM opening "Chat Log 9/28/97"

GarFairies:

Ladies I would like to introduce Sarah Douglas - the author of The Pleater Manual.
If you have any questions about your pleater or pleating ask away.

Ginny:  

"Sarah, I just wanted to say....I won a smocked box you did at Atlanta SAGA which you signed.  
I absolutely still love it and show it off all the time.

Sarah Douglas:

Atlanta -- that was a few years ago

Jean:

I am still having problems with the curve of a sleeve

GarFairies:

I have a question - sometimes customers give me a long hank to pleat and I find that when I'm trying to pleat
it gets to be such a tangled mess at the end hanging off of the dowel with every turn..

Ginny:

Sarah, what do you recommend for pleating on plaids

Sarah Douglas:

Lets start with plaids, work up to curves, ok?

Sarah Douglas:

Plaids pleat like gingham, straight lines going into the pleater parallel to the gears, perpendicular lines, or 1 very specific one, matching needle 1 (the first needle at the NOT handle end) all the way.  The rest of the perpendicular lines should stay straight too.  If the pleater takes a bigger or smaller bite one place than another then you adjust to make it even out.

Ginny:

That's my problem......the perpendicular lines

Sarah Douglas:

Are you pulling too hard in one place and not at all in another?

Ginny:

Probably.....I pull too much at the top and not enough at the bottom

Sarah Douglas:

First thing is usually to work with a piece longer than the pleater, so you can get your hands on fabric easily. If you pull, outside the gears, right against the end plates, toward the needles, it takes a deeper pleat should you pull on the fabric or let it feed itself in?  If you pull away from the needles --feed itself as long as it stays straight away from the needles, you get shallower pleats  So you balance where it is taking too much, going too fast, by pulling   back, and feed more in where it is too slow.

Ginny:

in other words, we control the feed instead of it controlling the fabric

Sarah Douglas:

Right!

Sherry:

I always thought it pulled it in evenly, I am a idiot.!

Sarah Douglas:

What goes in straight, comes out straight. No pleater pulls evenly.   Well, I had one, but the unfriendly skies dropped it 30 feet from the baggage compartment.   It was my first Sally that they killed. Beautiful machine.  Also six others since I was on a teaching trip. Also the case.

Ginny:

Pleaters and airlines obviously don't mix

Sarah Douglas:

New, none better. Long argument.

Sandy:

I am trying to do a piece of Silk Dupioni and it keeps skipping stitches and waving for lack of a better term. what am I doing wrong?

Sarah Douglas:

does it do it on other fabrics?

Sandy:

I have only done cottons and they come out perfect

Sarah Douglas:

If it is only now and then, hold onto the end plate with a couple of fingers and use the rest of your hand to (thumb) to push down and in toward the  center to keep the needles from rising too far to pick up the fabric  Slubs in heavy fabric lift the gears a bit, and then a near needle, not the one in the slub, gets loose.

Kay:

With an Amanda Jane, 24 row, is fabric right side up or down going through pleater?

Sarah Douglas:

Doesn't matter.

Sandy:

Same ?  but regarding a Pullen 16 row

Sarah Douglas:

Makes no difference to the pleating which side is up. Only to how often: you catch the smocking thread in the pleating thread. Lower pleating thread, fewer chances to catch it with the smocking thread : Only nap fabrics really matter. You can wind up pleating the nap : if you don't have the wrong side up. The nap doesn't hold pleating stitches

Kay:

You consider that the pleat is the same depth on right or wrong side?

Sandy:

i thought one side was deeper than the other

Sarah Douglas:

It can't be a different depth on one side. : Physics fixes that

Cathy:

Sarah, would you talk a little about the choice to use an insert with a plaid or go with the plaid as the insert?

Sarah Douglas:

So what are you making?

Cathy:

I have seen pleated plaids that I did not think were effective

Sarah Douglas:

Some aren't

Cathy:

I tend to like solid inserts with plaids......guess I am chicken

Sarah Douglas:

Small plaids tend to blurr into nothing messes plaids pleated as part of a garment, not insert, work well,

Cathy:

Which plaids?

Sarah Douglas:

Solid inset in plaid lets the smocking show.

Ginny:

I like the others.......but haven't had good luck. I'm going to try some of S/s ideas

Sarah Douglas:

pick a plaid that won't overwhelm the body wearing it

Kathy:

with plaid, depends on the size of plaid and the smocking design

Cathy:

Do you all like larger plaids to smock up?

Kathy:

as to whether it is more feasible to use insert or smock on the plaid

Ginny:

I generally like 1 inch or less tinier the better

Sarah Douglas

I never used smocked plaids much except in dresses with smocked bodices

Cathy:

Ok, then what type of smocking plate is good to use with plaids??????

Sarah Douglas:

that let the whole thing fit together with a minimum of effort]

Cathy:

Give me some names

Sarah Douglas:

Really simple

Sarah Douglas:

what about the old chella Thornton pyramids. That used to be great on plaids

Kathy:

simple geometrics and un busy pictures

Cathy:

Sarah, is that still in print?

Sarah Douglas:

no, I don't think so. The book came out when I was in high school. I stole it from my mother the book reviewer

Cathy:

lol

Cathy:

thief......

Sarah Douglas:

she invented picture smocking CT, I mean

Sarah Douglas:

People keep reinventing the CT thing.

Sarah Douglas:

stacked cables, about 11 stitches wide in the middle, and then each row jumps up a space and starts another pyramid from stitch 1 and the threads carry up on the surface. Nifty!

Sarah Douglas:

Curves?

Cathy:

Sure

Ginny:

yes, go ahead. Maybe you'll give me the nerve to try

Sarah Douglas:

Just an exaggeration of what you do to make the fabric stay straight only you deliberately pull it out of line to fit the line you want to follow. Bishop dress neck, for instance.They fit better if the neck is shaped, not straight. Or sleeve edge.

Ginny: really?

Jean: but, don't you end up with larger pleats at top than bottom, or vice versa?

Sarah Douglas:

Human body is not straight, so clothes, real clothes, aren't cut  straight, so smocking should be either. It should fit like real clothes  If you use straight edged sleeves they hang oddly and it looks as if your arms are on backward yes, larger pleats in the neck edge, finer ones at the shoulders. But the same number of pleats at both edges pull back on the wide part to slow it and get shallow pleats, feed the neck in faster.  Shape of sleeve? like a shirt sleeve cuff

Jean:

I am pleating a sleeve for Becky B's Kristiana"s coat

Jean: yes...sleeve cap

Sarah Douglas:

cap of sleeve. is it curved? are you going over the top?  Ok, very few rows. one in the seam allowance, right next to the seam line half space needles if you can.. that's good

Jean:

not too drastic of a curve, though

Kathy:

depending on the sleeve, often pleat piece then draw sleeve pattern on sleeve  on top of the pleats

Sarah Douglas:

lesson 15 for details.

Jean: ty

Sarah Douglas:

Yes, if the whole top of the sleeve is smocked, it is far easier to cut the sleeve  out of the pleated fabric

Sarah Douglas:ty?

Jean: but I am afraid it will detract from the style of the coat

Kathy:

yes, pleat, block, smock, stay stitch, cut

Sarah Douglas:

you tiptoe around the cap, it's backward from the way you pull the fabric on most

Sarah Douglas:

curves. short edge is the inside of the sleeve cap.  Beth, what about the one you sent today, choosing a pleater?

GarFairies:

yes that came in from someone who couldn't be here she was curious as to which one was the best to buy

Sarah Douglas:

depends on what you pleat most of -- baby clothes and dolls need finer

GarFairies:

she's smocking doll clothes and children clothes

Sarah Douglas:

pleats because there isn't as much fabric available.

Sarah Douglas:

Amanda Jane

GarFairies:

I recommend the AJ as pullens as somewhat hard to get sometimes

Sarah Douglas:

Easier to start with the 16 row, but the child will grow and fit the 24 row.  More useful in the long run.

Kathy:

wish had both 24 row instead of 16 row

GarFairies:

How do you go about pleating a piece of fabric that is 3 yards long?

Sarah Douglas:

slowly. Sorry.

Kathy:

very carefully

GarFairies:

I have ladies come in and want me to pleat just the top - nightmare time

GarFairies:

I can't even get it on the dowel

Sarah Douglas:

yes. don't roll it. Just let it lie on the table behind the pleater and keep

Sarah Douglas:

feeding it in.

GarFairies:

duh, that makes so much sense

Susie:

how do you do that if you have those holes where your dowel goes.

Cathy:

.......neat idea

Susie:

does that make sense?

Kathy:

go between the handles

Sarah Douglas:

you squnch the fabric down so it oozes into the end plates and then straighten  it out again, so it goes into the gears flat. that is why slowly.  Sleeves too. Don't roll them, just feed in a little bit at a time

Kathy:

never roll sleeves

Sandy:

What would you use a piece of fabric 3 yards long for?

GarFairies:

They just want the top pleated because they haven't decided how long the front is

Sarah Douglas:

sure it is, but the effect is worth it. Stuns people. If you don't need the whole width plea

Susie:

What is considered the best pleater for now?

Sarah Douglas:

pleated, then you just have to fuss with the long end through the hole from the end plate outside it.

Sandy:

Well if you need a front panel 3 yards long, well that's a pretty big nightgown.

Sarah Douglas:

I use sally2 and amanda Jane most of the time.

Susie:

Well, some of us are pretty big girls!

Cathy: lol

Kathy:

hey, I interpreted as 3 yd width

GarFairies:

LOL - the lady didn't know how long the front should be

Sarah Douglas:

you mean the length of the piece is 3 yards. Not that you are pleating three

Sarah Douglas:

yards all in a row

GarFairies:

yes one long length - drives me nuts when she comes into my shop

Sarah Douglas:

three yards should do it. for length pleat both ends, she can have front and back smocked. cut foot holes in the middle.

GarFairies:

yes she's a big gal way over 7 feet

Susie:

Beth, sounds like a good opportunity to PUSH some advice her way or class info!

Sandy: Are you talking length or width?

GarFairies:

that's a great idea - a new variation of an African dress - dashiki (sp)

GarFairies:

I was talking about length - the lady is over 80 and has had her pleating down like this for years.

Kathy:

Beth, pleating 3 yd width or 3 yd length?

GarFairies:

years - must add in a drop seat

GarFairies:

3 yard length

Sarah Douglas:

how wide?

GarFairies:

with only 8 rows pleated on top - 45" wide

Sandy:

I thought you meant see was running it width wise.

Sarah Douglas:

train. she's marrying a prince this time

GarFairies:

I think she's making nightgowns - hey she's over 80 and she knows what she wants

Sarah Douglas:

Just feed the part to  be pleated in and let the rest trail around

GarFairies:

yes that is what I will do next time - just couldn't figure out how to get it on the dowel

Sarah Douglas:

Only need a long enough dowel to hold the top steady with real long things if you use a dowel. The extra nine miles can roll on itself just to keep it out of the way

GarFairies:

Well the hard part of it was that she had folded over the top.  It was my second worst pleating experience

Sarah Douglas:

lump, lump, lump

GarFairies:

yep, yep, yep

Sarah Douglas:

pull to slow the double layer so it matches the single layer. it pleats more or less because of the bulk, see lesson 7, GAR

GarFairies:

ok Sarah I'll review

GarFairies:

Sarah I've been told that you are an Historian of Smocking,  do you know where it started?

Sarah Douglas:

Did a lot of digging once upon a time. the oldest possible piece I know about came out of a danish bog. 1175, bc was the last date I saw anyone put on it. looks like an insert smocked in outline stitch, from

GarFairies: totally cool, where do I get some more info about this?

Sarah Douglas:

the photo Article in the Embroiderer's guild, london, magazine several years ago.  I'll try to look it up. There was something earlier that made it sound more possible.

GarFairies:

ok I'll ask there.  I was told it was related to Italian Shirring

Sarah Douglas:

there is english smocking that goes back to the 15th c. baby bonnets in Bath and the V&A.  :Among other things. about a dozen kinds of smocking done over the centuries running stitch, like Italian and back stitches, and then you can use stretching

SheridR:

What do you do when the thread breaks in the middle of your pleating?

Sarah Douglas:

back stitches and through the pleat ones.

AnneWynne:

Sarah, any particularly good sources for the history of smocking?

Sarah Douglas:

use a hand sewing needle, put the thread in it, the needle into the pleats, and follow along between the remaining needles aiming for the place where the lost one was

Sarah Douglas:

no really good single source, anne.

AnneWynne:

Thanks

Sarah Douglas:

Diana Keay's book has quite a bit of information.

Anne:

title?

GarFairies:

The Book of Smocking (Still available, click here to go to the end of the log for book review)

Sarah Douglas:

She is I know wildly wrong about one thing, but not important. Can't remember good some one can remember. In the17th Century they used running stitches on the surface of pleated fabric and set up designs that can be copied by counting pleats. then in this case, they whipped the running stitches making an outline that looks like a heavy cord lying on the surface. Neat.

Kathy:

sounds beautiful

Kathy:

the effect of counting the pleats lends itself to pretty designs

Sarah Douglas:

I can say for sure that it didn't begin with the mayfair smock in the V&A

GarFairies:

Have you seen smocking from other countries?

Sarah Douglas:

Yugoslavia had it's own system   Rumania still does, and was exporting it 15 years ago.yucky cheese cloth type blouses, but neat, smocking. Worked up and down and across to pull up the pleats. Can't describe it quickly, I put all this together for my SAGA master's paper. Dozen or so museums

Link to Part Two of this Chat Log

Link to Handout mentioned in chat

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