No one wants to be non-pleated. (Did I get ‘Beat It’ stuck in your head? Mission accomplished.) They’re absolutely everywhere this season, from Tadashi Shoji to Sea to Vionnet to—I could go on and on. I’ve loved the pleat trend for a while now, but I never quite knew how to accomplish it. There was no way I’d be slaving over an iron for hours to get a look that would come out after one wash, and probably look incredibly wonky anyway. Luckily, Mood saved the day: accordion pleated chiffon in 13 colors. Obsessed.
Fabrics & materials used:
- 5 yards Rose Shadow Accordion Pleated Chiffon
- 1/2 yard Baby Pink Solid Poplin (optional lining)
- 9″ Regular Baby Pink Zipper
Rather than using a regular pant pattern, which typically features 4 panels sewn together, these pants just take two panels. Measure your waist, divide it in half, and that’s width of each panel you need to cut out. Be sure that you measure your chiffon with the pleats tight. This will give you the width you need for the pleats to fall open around your hips. (I know Mood counts a yard of this chiffon with the pleats naturally relaxed, not pulled flat or pleated tightly, so be sure to order a little more than you think you need.)
Next, you’ll need to measure the rise of your pants. This is the measurement from your crotch, up to your waist. Typically, your rise in the back is longer than the front (in order to go over your butt). Fold your pant panel in half, like you see above, and sew from the bottom to the pant rise measurement. Do this with both panels, and then combine both at the rise, like you would with a normal pant pattern.
Your pants should be starting to look like some actual pants! All it needs is a waistband and a zipper. I chose to use the pleats in my waistband. This can be a bit tricky, and definitely called for some interfacing to keep the pleats in place.
Lastly, you can hem the pants a few different ways. If you have a serger, I strongly recommend pulling it out for this project. If not (like me), you still have options. You can go for a thinly rolled hem, although this might mess with the pleating a little bit. Personally, I chose to simply baste along the bottom with a zig-zag stitch. It pulled the pleats apart slightly, but they still drape nicely!
The chiffon can be rather sheer, so I chose to make a quick pair of shorts out of some poplin I had lying around. They were sewn in along with the waistband, but they’re optional – especially if you’re looking to layer these with a swim suit for a chic resort look! What color are you going to make yours in?
21 comments
Beautiful! But I don’t see myself hemming call that. I just know it would come out uneven and messy. How about some FrayCheck and call it good?
Thank you! Yeah, I was dreading the hem the entire time, but a basic zig-zag stitch around the bottom ended up doing the trick pretty easily. FrayCheck would probably work too!
Now I know what to make with the pleated chiffon I purchased. Thank you
Those pleated pants are beautiful! My plan was to do the p pleated skirt. I will attempt both. Great job.
Claudia
Thanks so much! Be sure to tag Mood when you finish your projects; I’d love to see them!
How do you account for the longer rise in the back? Or do you use the longer of the two measurements?
Yes, I went with the larger of the two. Since the pants are already fairly loose and flowing, it’s not too noticeable if the fit is slightly loose. You could also add the two together and divide the number in half!
Why did you need 5 yards? Is the fabric measured with the pleat unfolded?
Yes, it’s measured as the fabric naturally lays – not quite fully folded or unfolded. I got 5 just to be safe, and probably had about 3/4 of a yard leftover.
Wow, Flowy elegance!
Do you have a pattern for a tiered, pleated floor length evening dress? I saw such a dress at Nordstrom’s evening wear. It’s elegant and stylish.
Hi there! Unfortunately, we don’t have a floor length pattern, but our Yarrow and Zenobia dresses could definitely be altered to have more tiers!
I love these pants! I can hardly wait to make a pair for summer! Is the top you’re wearing with these pants also a Mood pattern? It pairs so perfectly, I want to make one to match my pants! Lol
Thank you so much! Unfortunately the top isn’t one of our patterns, but we have a similarly styled pattern coming in June! 🙂
I’m sorry to sound so “newbie” but I really love these pants and want to try to make them but can’t figure out how you got such a wide leg? Your instructions are to cut two panels, each measuring half your waist size, then fold the panels in half again to sew up for each leg, wouldn’t that make a pretty thin pant leg? Please tell me what I’m missing? Is it just that type of material that makes them so wide?
Hi! Yes, the fabric is cut when the pleats are closed, so when it opens up a lot when it hangs loose.
Hi Courtney I’m currently trying to make these pants. I’m having a really hard time getting the pleats to close. They seem to want to fall wide open. I’m using drapers tape to keep them closed but it seems like when I’m making them
All close up together they start to invert and stick up. Please help! I thought this was going to be ‘quick and easy’ and ive already spent hours on it!
Thank you!!
Hi Louisa – I’m sorry the pleats are giving your trouble! They can be a pain sometimes, but the final result is so worth it, I promise! 🙂 For these pants I ironed the pleats at the seam allowance before putting the draping tape on to keep the pleats closed. In the past, when pleats are super finicky, I’ll also use draping tape on the wrong side of the fabric to keep the bottom pleats from folding backward when sewing. The only other thing to do would be to use lots of pins, which I know can take a lot longer, but the result would be gorgeous new pants. 😀 I hope that helps!
I used the tape on the back as well and that helped. All finished and I’m pleased with the result.
Would you say the pleated satin is easier or harder to work with than the chiffon as I really want to make the skirt in Kelly green (waiting for it to come back in stock!)
I’m glad to hear they turned out nice! 😀 I’ve used both the chiffon and satin and they’re very similar to work with. The satin is a bit more slippery, but it’s not too bad!
I would like to ask how did you sew the waist. Did you used the zipper?
Hi Karolina! I can’t say for sure, as this garment is no longer in the studio. But I recommend using the waistband pattern from one of our skirts. Our Romulea Skirt might do the trick!