Pleat to pleat, or how to iron a pleated skirt at home
Pleating is a popular design technique used by fashion designers to create women's clothing.
A pleated skirt is at the height of fashion, but over time, folds can lose their appearance, so it is important to know how to iron such a product correctly.
Is it possible and how to iron a pleated skirt at home, our article will tell you.
Content
Preparing for ironing
Do not rush to grab the iron and iron the pleated skirt. Before starting such work, you need to prepare:
- Read the label information carefully. It should be written on what temperature conditions can be used for the fabric when ironing. By neglecting this rule, you risk ruining the thing.
- Clothes should be washed before ironing. It is better to wash the product with your hands, but you cannot rub and twist it. When choosing a machine wash, you need to set the "delicate mode", and the temperature according to the information indicated on the label.
- Many housewives, before ironing the pleating, sew each fold with a thin thread, without tightening the stitches. It is not necessary to perform such laborious work, you can simply fasten the folds along the hem and in the middle.
These simple and affordable preparatory work will make ironing easier and more enjoyable, and the result efficient and quick.
How to iron pleated leather with an iron?
It is not easy to iron a skirt with pleats, especially if there are many of them and they are small. For perfect care of the product, each fold must be well ironed. However, not everyone has the time, energy and desire to do such a scrupulous job.
There are some simple tips and little tricks.that will return the product to its attractive appearance:
- First, set the iron to the lowest setting to evaluate the reaction of the fabric fibers.
- When ironing, use the steam function, not all fabrics tolerate contact with water at high temperatures.
- Before ironing the pleated skirt, if this is the first time you are doing this, place a thin cloth or gauze on top so as not to burn the material.
If you dry the pleating properly after washing, you don't need to smooth it at all... The skirt should be dried naturally in a well-ventilated area by spreading it out on a flat surface and gently straightening each fold. Clothespins cannot be used, they deform the fabric.
When sewing pleated models, chiffon, silk, thin knitwear are mainly used, much less often leather, wool and dermantine.
Each material has its own individual characteristicswhich are important to consider when ironing a skirt.
From silk
If the skirt is made of rayon or natural silk, iron it from the wrong side. Heat treatment of fabric can give it a greasy appearance.
Best when ironing a silk skirt use slightly damp gauze to form beautiful folds... You need to iron carefully, avoiding strong pressure with the iron on the fabric.
You don't need to iron a silk skirt using a non-standard approach:
- Hang a pleated silk skirt on a hanger in the bathroom, straighten all the folds with your hands.
- Turn on hot water for 10-15 minutes, creating a steam bath effect.
- Leave the garment in the bathtub for 5-10 minutes to properly light the fabric with the steam.
It is important to keep moisture away from the silk directly, otherwise the water will ruin the fabric.
Chiffon
Chiffon is the most capricious material among all types of fabrics from which pleated skirts are sewn.
In order to iron the product correctly and not spoil it, follow these tips:
- Exclude moisture from entering the material, even steam can harm the chiffon.
- The iron should be run in smooth movements without strong pressure in the direction from the center to the edges of the folds.
- After completing the procedure, let the product cool down, leave it on a hanger for 10-15 minutes.
If you wash a chiffon skirt in a stocking, you don't need to iron it.
Woolen
Pleated wool skirt experienced housewives recommend ironing through two layers of gauze using the steaming mode.
Knitted
To iron a knitted pleated skirt and at the same time the product has served for many years, stick to these rules:
- The knitted skirt must not be exposed to high temperatures. The temperature regime during ironing should be set to a minimum.
- Iron your clothes through several layers of gauze or a thin cotton cloth.
- Ironing must be done from the wrong side.
After leaving the front side, the folds must be steamed.
Polyester
Most often, ironing of pleated polyester skirts is not provided and sometimes even prohibited. You can find out about the rules and prohibitions of ironing on the product label.
Pleated skirt can be ironed in two ways:
- Not with a hot iron. Draw out all the folds, wash, gently iron through cheesecloth in 2-3 layers.
- Apply steamer... You need to hold the device at a distance of 10-15 cm and not linger too much in one place.
The second option is easier. In order for the pleated to keep its shape well, before ironing from the inside of the skirt, you need to draw lines along the folds with dry baby soap.
Leather or leatherette
If you need to iron a pleated skirt made of leather or leatherette, stick to these rules:
- Use the iron on the Wool setting.
- Turn the product on the wrong side.
- Pull over an ironing board.
- Place a thin cotton fabric on top and iron the skirt.
- Hang on a hanger and leave for a couple of hours.
Dermantine
In order for such products to retain their attractive appearance for a long time, it is important to learn how to properly wash, dry and store them in the closet.
How to restore creases after washing at home?
In case of improper storage in the closet or violation of the washing rules, the folds lose their shape. You can restore them on pleated fabric in several folk ways:
- Grate with laundry soap, mix with warm water. Add 1 tbsp to the soap solution. l. vinegar, starch and the protein of one chicken egg. In the prepared solution, moisten gauze or a thin cotton cloth, squeeze lightly and iron the pleated skirt through it, in which you want to restore the folds.
Due to the egg white content in the solution, the iron may stick slightly to the fabric, so it is recommended to put a sheet of paper on top. With this method, your skirt will become like new again.
- Impregnation for restoring and fixing folds can be prepared according to this recipe. Take laundry soap, water, and gelatin. For 1 liter of water, you will need 100 g of soap shavings and 1 tbsp. l. edible gelatin. Dissolve all ingredients in warm water, dampen a cloth and iron the folds on the skirt.
- Mix water with vinegar in equal proportions. Moisten a cloth in the solution and iron the folds.
Tips and bans
By following these simple tips, ironing a pleated skirt will be much easier.:
- It will be easier to iron folded fabric if you put the garment in a stocking and dry it like this before washing.
- When washing in a washing machine, spinning cannot be used, it will ruin all the folds.
- Before you start ironing, you need to prepare a clean and perfectly flat surface.
- To make sure that the iron is correctly selected, you need to touch it to the fabric in an inconspicuous area of the skirt.
- First, the lining of the skirt is ironed, then the belt of the garment, without affecting the pleating. From the seamy side, you need to iron the seams of the product.
There are also some prohibitions to be aware of. before ironing the pleated skirt:
- You cannot linger for a long time in one area of the fabric, so you can burn out the product.
- The iron should not be pressed, its sole should slightly touch the material.
- Do not spray directly onto the skirt from a spray bottle; a cloth soaked in water is used to generate steam.
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Conclusion
Careful care, according to the information indicated on the product label, and adherence to the rules for ironing a pleated skirt, will allow you to maintain the attractiveness of your favorite product for many years.