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Member since 8/30/07
Posts: 3
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Posted on: 8/30/07 11:19 PM ET
Hi,
I am a new member. I agreed to shorten a pleated skirt for a friend's daughter. Problem is, I have never shortened a pleated skirt before. Not sure how to hem it and keep the pleats intact. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
  
Member since 1/28/03
Posts: 1979
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Posted on: 8/31/07 6:36 AM ET
A pleated skirt needs to be shortened from the top and not from the hem, remove the waistband and replace it back on. If the waistband does not fit the skirt anymore you need to take in the side seams to get the same circumference as the waistband again.
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http://thesewingdivas.wordpress.com/
  
Member since 3/2/04
Posts: 2073
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Posted on: 8/31/07 8:29 AM ET
I agree completely with Els.

If the skirt has a yoke that the pleats are attached to, you can take it apart there to shorten it, instead of the waistband.

Heaven forbid, you don't want to redo the hem :)
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Ardis

the lefthanded daughter of a lefthanded mother
  
Member since 8/30/07
Posts: 3
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Posted on: 8/31/07 11:21 AM ET
Hi,

Thanks to both of you for your replies! Problem is the skirt is very long and the girl I am shortening it for wants it real short. She wants 7 inches off the length. It isn't pleated from the top, but halfway down - no separate yoke - all one piece. If I shorten it from the top, there will be no smooth hip area left. I think my only option is to cut from the bottom. Oh and yes, I forgot to say, it isn't pleated the whole way around. It is a Catholic school skirt for a teenage girl who likes to push the envelope when it comes to school rules!

Any other suggestions?
  
Member since 8/10/02
Posts: 2463
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Posted on: 8/31/07 4:59 PM ET
If it is all one piece then it sounds like the smoothness comes from the pleats having been stitched down flat. In that case, I would baste the pleats down further to provide the new "flat area" and then shorten from the top as advised. Once you have the length right, stitch the pleats down properly to the most flattering place on the girl.
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Like Miss Frizzle says "Take chances, make mistakes ..." isn't that what fitting is all about? I am happily taking chances and making mistakes as I fit muslin after muslin ...
newmansneedle.blogspot.com

  
Member since 6/3/05
Posts: 177
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Posted on: 8/31/07 11:02 PM ET
My off-the-wall suggestion is to have the friend's daughter right there with you while you tackle this project. If she likes to push the envelope, learning to sew her own outfits would be a creative way for her to do it. If she doesn't want to learn to sew, it would still show her how much work is involved in this "simple" request, and might lead her to treasure the skirt (after all the work you are going to be putting into it) instead of casting it aside after a few weeks of wear.

(I once had a friend who would sew for her boyfriend, but only if he stayed in the room with her while she did so. He had a much higher appreciation for those shirts after she thought up that rule.)
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We all have a dark side. Looking at my fabric stash, I am forced to admit that my dark side is pink.
  
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