Painful Pleats

So this summer I was asked to make a 1770s gown for a 12 year old girl. I said yes forgetting that it was the age of volume.  To get the volume needed in petticoats (skirts) of the time most designs required pleats, the bane of any womens' existence.  Figuring out the folds and getting even folds, never mind creating the perfect box pleats or knife pleats, takes forever. For this garment I spent 2 days, in total 24 hours, minus food and bathroom breaks trying not to cry over the dreadful pleats. My roommate,  who does cosplay and was making a extreamly complicated jacket, heard me curse about every 2 hours as I again found myself taking out the pleats and starting over. Finding the right combination of pleats to fit the waist band was seeming impossible.

I love how pleats lay but for labor you get the same effect with gathers and less hair pulling and crying, at least with the trick I showed you last week.  However the pattern called for pleats. Luckily a few weeks prior to getting this job, I visited my mother. I was digging through her sewing cabinet looking for my next blog post when I came across something I haven't found anywhere, a pleating tool. Remembering a skirt I wanted to make (still haven't) I borrowed it. I intend to return it as soon as I find one of my own.

This tool makes pleating a snap. What I can't figure out is why they stopped making them. Made by the Oakville Company of Oakville, Connecticut starting in 1961, it made even pleats 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches. Ajustable and well marked the metal tool works really well. All you do is insert around the fabric you wish to pleat and twist. Once you pin the pleat in place you remove the tool and start over.

I love gadgets that make my life easier but why did they stop making them? Got an answer would love to hear it.