Category Cartridge Pleats

A Cartridge Pleat is a sewing technique used to gather a large amount of fabric into a small waistband, collar, or armscye without adding bulk.
Key Features:
Rounded Shape: Unlike flat knife or box pleats, cartridge pleats are soft, rounded, and tube-like, resembling a row of stacked cylinders or cartridges on a belt.
Hand-Sewn Method: They are created by hand-sewing parallel rows of running stitches across the top edge of a fabric panel, then pulling the threads to tightly bunch the material.
Attached without Flattening: The top of each pleat is individually whipstitched to a band or lining so that the fullness springs outward dramatically.