Thursday Threads: 'Tuck Me In' Tutorial - How to Pintuck

I am sharing my tutorial for pintucking as guest posted on Vintage Gwen. Stop by and show her some love!

Pintucks are a great way to add visual interest and texture to your space. These sewn tucks can be used to add a bit more glam to bags, pillows, clothing, and linens!

Be sure to pintuck your fabric before cutting your pattern piece. 

 To begin, gather all of your MATERIALS:

1} Fabric cut to size. I used 100% cotton and began with a 8 inch x 45 inch strip. The final width after pleating is 2.5 inches. Be sure to allow extra fabric to pleat.

2} Ruler / fabric pencil or chalk {optional}

3} Sewing machine and matching thread

4} Iron



I am sharing two methods for pintucking. The first is very concise, but I had trouble getting my pleats even. The second method is more freehand and gives control to vary pintuck width as desired.


FIRST METHOD
Mark lines using a ruler on the right side of the fabric as a guide. Width between lines should be double the desired width of the pintuck. Here I marked 1/2" lines for a finished tuck of 1/4".

Fold fabric {with wrong sides together} matching the first two marked lines. Pin or iron.

Straight stitch along the marked line.

For the next tuck, match the third and fourth lines and pin wrong sides together. Stitch. Repeat this method until all pintucks are made. Finally, iron pleats to one side.

PINTUCKS USING FIRST METHOD

SECOND METHOD
Tucks can be sewn using your presser foot as a guide rather than marking lines on the fabric. I felt my tucks were more concise using this method.

To make your first tuck, start by folding your fabric {wrong sides together} near one edge. Stitch together using a 1/4" seam allowance.

For the following tucks, fold fabric to make 1/2" fold from your previous line of stitching. Then stitch another tuck using 1/4" seam allowance from folded edge.

Continue this method for all pintucks. Lastly, iron all tucks in one direction.

PINTUCKS USING SECOND METHOD

You can now add your pintucking to any project or pattern. The possibilities are endless! These pillow covers are available in my Etsy shop.

Thank you to Jennifer at Vintage Gwen for inviting me to share. I hope you have been inspired to try pintucking!