I have been thinking of ways I might get nice even small hand pleated fabric going vertical on the dyed Blue Diva panels! It is a design as I go process you could accurately say. I am very excited at just the thought that it might work!! So, I decided to take a panel and wind it around and around the pole several times, to incorporate the entire five and a half feet of dress length. I used masking tape on the two edges to hold the silk to the pole. Pieces of masking tape held the ends to the rest of the silk. Could I get the silk tight enough on the pole to make the pleating, and could I get it to stay on the pole?? What kind of string or thread could be thin enough and yet not break under the stress, and still do its job of making tiny little pleats for me?? These were some of my questions and thoughts that I really needed answers for. Ahh. Rayon thread! No, it broke too easily. My regular string was too thick. Nylon thread seemed like an option, but what I had was clear, and I wanted it to show on the pole so I could see my progress. There was this button hole twist, a heavy thread used to sew on buttons and such, but not enough of it. Then I found what I really thought would work. A bonded nylon thread. Tough, yet resilient. I used it to repair a hot air balloon named Spooky once upon a time!!!!
(Originally published 17 February, 2013) Edited 9 August 2023