Pleats in a Figure of 8

Length = 0.95 meters

Width = 1.2 meters

Stretch = double the length

Possibilities: endless

So what do you do with a pleated fabric that is only 0.95m wide by 1.2 meters in length but stretches to double the length? That was the thought I had when I managed to lay my hands on this amazing piece of fabric.

I was at work the other day and had the chance to rummage through some fabrics that were going to be donated. I was like a kid in a sweet shop and although I was bedazzled by the range of fabrics, I was limited to what I could carry (by hand) back home. One of the fabrics available was this permanently pleated fabric. Issey Miyaki’s ‘Pleats Please’ comes to mind and I knew I had to have it.

I realised that this fabric was perfect for an experiment that I wanted to try; a pair of trousers that loops like a figure of ‘8’.

Intrigued?

Instead of explaining what I mean, have a look at my sketch of the workings.

Makes sense?

Well, I had to test my theory out and guess what? It actually works. The result is a pair of trousers or would you call it a skirt?

Now, this is a weird pair of whatever you want to call it. It wears like a trousers but looks like a skirt. I decided to have it elasticated at the waist as it give the pleats more flexibility.

Just so you know, I made this trousers without a pattern. Having a restricted size and a fabric that changes due to the pleat, I felt that it was much easier to attack it directly. There was a lot of stitching and unpicking but guess what? It was worth it.

Here is the inside!

Initially, this was suppose to have a slit to form the ‘trousers’ leg we all know but as the pleat gave flexibility when I am moving, I decided to leave it to form the skirt shape!

So how does it look like when I move. Well, here’s me doing some ‘cool’ moves!

This has been such an exciting experiment. Often, we are spoiled by choices but when given a problem that restricts our options, amazing things can happen. Also, procrastination stunts progress. Like I tell most of my students, why spend an hour thinking about it when you would have done something by then.

So get off your phone and make!