The Vide Knit Pants Sewing Pattern has a stitched pintuck option. The vertical seam adds character to the pants and creates a visually flattering shape. So it’s a detail worth trying, and if you follow this tutorial, it will be a breeze to sew!
Preparation
Mark the pintucks as described in the marking pintucks post.
Fold and press the pintucks
Fold along the waist and hem pintuck notches.
Make sure the entire pleat follows the grainline. Move the pins if needed.
Press the pintuck from the right side. Use low heat and always do a sample. Since you need to see the grainline, it can be tricky to use a pressing cloth. If that’s the case, use low heat to shape the pleats and then use slightly higher heat and add a pressing cloth to make the pleat more permanent. Remove the pins as you go.
Sewing the pintucks
Use a medium-length straight stitch to sew the pintucks. A good length could be 2.5 to 3 mm but always do a sample first. There should be a little stretch, so don’t make the stitch length too long as it will minimise the stretch.
Stitch the pintuck about 2–3 mm (⅛”) in from the fold. Use the edges and markings on the presser foot as a guide.
The pintucks should be sewn close to the edge for best results.
Pintucks are best for knit fabrics with minimal lengthwise stretch. If you are having problems with the fabric stretching out, either use a walking foot or feed the upper layer of the fabric towards the presser foot. If your machine has a presser foot adjustment, try to reduce the pressure.
The finished stitched pintuck.
Steaming the pintucks
If the pintucks are stretched out during sewing, despite your best effort, you can usually steam-shrink them straight afterwards. Steaming the tucks rather than pressing them afterwards is always best, as you don’t want to flatten the tucks too much.
Hoover the iron above the pintucks and release steam from the iron. Try steaming the pintucks both open and folded for the best result.
You can also steam from the wrong side to smooth out the pintucks even more.
A crisp straight, pintuck that follows the grainline. I hope that this tutorial gave you the confidence to try this option for the Vide Knit Pants Sewing Pattern.
Follow the Vide Sew-Along series.
