Simple Box Pleats "how to"
I did this tutorial awhile back when I made my King Triton page but somehow I never posted it here on my blog. So better late than never...
Simple box pleats
The last time I did a page with lots of layered box pleats, I got so many emails asking how to create them that I decided to make a little “how to”. Honestly I just sat in front of the tv and hand folded the strips of paper with no measuring and that’s ok, but to just make it a bit simpler, I have added some measurements.
You can cut your strips of paper any width you like, but go ahead and cut a 12” length one 12” strip folds to be about a 6” length. You can make straight cuts, use your decorative edge scissors, or use border punches. In diagram #1 and 2 you will see that I have scored the paper strip between the scallops dividing into sections of 1 scallop and 3 scallops repeating.
Fold as shown in diagram #3. This will give you a very uniform box pleat following the design of your border.
If you would like to make a straight border, you can use any measurement in thirds. For my example I have scored in sections of ¼” and ¾” repeating as shown in diagram #4.
The measurements I have given you so far create a box pleat with space in between each raised “box”. You can also make closed pleats. In diagram #5 I have scored in a repeating pattern of ¼”, ¾”, ¼”, ½” repeating. You will have the ¾” as the top of your “box” so when you fold keep that in mind.
In diagram #6 I just want to show you that I have punched a strip of paper and randomly folded without any measurements, not following the punched design in any way. It’s just another look that you might want to add when layering a bunch of pleats.
After creating several of your pleated strips, lay them on your layout to see how the colors and patterns will fit on your page but keep in mind that these strips will shrink quite a bit when you actually fold them flat and attach them. Diagram #7.
Finally let’s talk about attaching these pleats to your page. Most patterned papers are cardstock weight and once you have folded them, they do not want to lay flat for you. You will need to really secure your pleats well before attaching them to the layout. The easiest way for me is to use my sewing machine and run a straight stitch along the top edge, but a low temp glue gun or red line double sided tapes might work for you as well. Next layout your pleats on your page because they are now the size they will be. At this point you can use any type of strong adhesive to attach your strips or machine stitch of course. Diagram 8
Here is my finished layout so you can see the effect of my mixed box pleats. I hope you will try some box pleats. I think you will find that they are a simple way to add impact to your projects.
Simple box pleats
The last time I did a page with lots of layered box pleats, I got so many emails asking how to create them that I decided to make a little “how to”. Honestly I just sat in front of the tv and hand folded the strips of paper with no measuring and that’s ok, but to just make it a bit simpler, I have added some measurements.
You can cut your strips of paper any width you like, but go ahead and cut a 12” length one 12” strip folds to be about a 6” length. You can make straight cuts, use your decorative edge scissors, or use border punches. In diagram #1 and 2 you will see that I have scored the paper strip between the scallops dividing into sections of 1 scallop and 3 scallops repeating.
Fold as shown in diagram #3. This will give you a very uniform box pleat following the design of your border.
If you would like to make a straight border, you can use any measurement in thirds. For my example I have scored in sections of ¼” and ¾” repeating as shown in diagram #4.
The measurements I have given you so far create a box pleat with space in between each raised “box”. You can also make closed pleats. In diagram #5 I have scored in a repeating pattern of ¼”, ¾”, ¼”, ½” repeating. You will have the ¾” as the top of your “box” so when you fold keep that in mind.
In diagram #6 I just want to show you that I have punched a strip of paper and randomly folded without any measurements, not following the punched design in any way. It’s just another look that you might want to add when layering a bunch of pleats.
After creating several of your pleated strips, lay them on your layout to see how the colors and patterns will fit on your page but keep in mind that these strips will shrink quite a bit when you actually fold them flat and attach them. Diagram #7.
Finally let’s talk about attaching these pleats to your page. Most patterned papers are cardstock weight and once you have folded them, they do not want to lay flat for you. You will need to really secure your pleats well before attaching them to the layout. The easiest way for me is to use my sewing machine and run a straight stitch along the top edge, but a low temp glue gun or red line double sided tapes might work for you as well. Next layout your pleats on your page because they are now the size they will be. At this point you can use any type of strong adhesive to attach your strips or machine stitch of course. Diagram 8
Here is my finished layout so you can see the effect of my mixed box pleats. I hope you will try some box pleats. I think you will find that they are a simple way to add impact to your projects.
From Sketchsavvy.blogsspot.com
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