Bilberry top sewing details - part 3 - pleat

Welcome back to the Bilberry Top blog series! In this series, I’m walking through a few key sewing steps from the pattern using photos and added tips—perfect if you like a visual boost alongside the instructions. Each post focuses on just a few details, not the full construction. And in this post, let's talk about the front pleat!

First step is to sew together the front seam. I recommend starting the sewing from the top down towards the bottom — it’s easier to see where the neck facing is folded. From the top to the notch, you only sew through one layer of fabric. Since I use an overlocker, I want to overcast the edge to get a clean look. (If you are using a regular sewing machine and the fabric doesn’t need to be overcast, you can actually start from the notch and just sew downwards.)

When folding away the front facing, I fold at the notch placement. In this case, I always cut the notch — that makes it easier to fold. And don’t worry if this is not done perfectly; it will be hidden under the pleat!

Next step is to sew the pleat. The easiest way is to fold the pleat properly, all the way from the neck down to the bottom, and maybe add some pins so it stays in place. You can hand-baste the pleat seam first if you want.

Since you will be sewing from the right side of the fabric (easier to get it neat), I prefer to add pins at the start and finish points and also along the pleat.

At the end of the pleat, I pivot and sew along the edge one or two stitches, then pivot again and sew back. This makes the endpoint more secure and prevents the fabric from breaking during wear. And that’s it — the pleat is done!

(If you look very closely, you can see that I have unpicked the seam once, since it got a bit crooked the first time — it can happen to all of us!)

How it looks from the wrong side after pleat is sewn.

If you forgot to mark the pleat or find it tricky to get it straight, no worries! On the wrong side, you can determine the pleat's height placement and width by looking at the folded facing (so 1 cm or 3/8” from the edges). You can use a ruler to get a 90-degree angle (or anything that has a 90-degree angle — I use an envelope in the picture…) and mark the pleat with a tracing pen, pins or hand baste it.

After the pleat is sewn, you can open up the neckline and press it gently with steam and a pressing cloth (to avoid shiny press marks).