What are pleats?
Pleats are made when fabric is folded over on itself. They are a fantastic way to add volume and shaping to a garment - in this case a pair of pants - without the need for darts.
Pleats in pants
There are a range of different pleats you can use when wanting to add fullness to pants. Forward pleats, reverse pleats, double pleats…
A single pleat on each side of the front waist is the most common approach in pants.
If you want to increase the volume at the back of pants, you can add a pleat there as well, but it is important to consider how much volume you want in the pants overall.
My suggestion is to add pleats in the front, and then use the cut and spread technique to add the extra volume you’d like in the back.
WHAT TO keep in mind when adding pleats to pants
Depending on the pattern you’re hacking, adding more fabric into a design may impact areas of the pattern differently. Here’s two things you should keep in mind when adding pleats to pants:
If it is too close to the CENTRE FRONT this could add excess volume in the crotch area.
If it is too close to the side seam, there may not be room for the volume of the pleat when it is folded in place and could add too much bulk if you choose to include a pocket.
DETERMINING PLEAT WIDTH & DIRECTION
You will need to have a think about the size of the pleat you want to add to your pattern. This is totally up to you, and depends on the look you are wanting to achieve.
If you are struggling to work out the width you would like your pleat to be, have a play around with some fabric (or even a piece of paper). Fold different sized pleats into the fabric to get an idea of how it will look and how much fabric it will use.
Keep in mind where you intend the pleat to be placed in the garment and how much room there is. This will help you determine the best size for the pleat.
It’s up to you which direction you'd like to fold your pleat - it's just a design decision. If you're unsure, have a look at your pleat sample! We like to fold ours towards the side seam as this avoids excess volume flaring into the crotch area.
How to add volume to pants using pleats
In this example, we only want to add volume in the upper section of the pattern, so we will separate the pattern at the knee.
This allows us to add volume for the pleat, yet keep the hem width the same. You can skip this and add volume through the whole piece, if you prefer.
In the case of our Pants block, the knee line should be around the same area as the LENGTHEN/SHORTEN LINES. Hold the pattern up to your body to check.
Take care to draw the slash line perpendicular to the grainline.
