Pleating is a steam heat process and we use no chemicals during the process. The durability of the pleats depends entirely on the fabric.
100% polyester is the best at holding pleats even after being washed.
Cotton and linen will pleat but tend to crease easily and the pleats may not hold as well.
Care Information and Problems that can Occur
All care is taken during the pleating process but no responsibility can be taken for a very rare occurrance where there may be slight colour change, bubbling or shrinkage.For all garments that have been pleated - we do not advise drycleaning or machine washing/drying, or using fabric softener as this will either soften or remove the pleats
These are some of the issues that happen when the wrong fabric or prep prior to pleating happens :
1. Incorrect fabric : Any material can be pleated, but we do not guarantee the durability. (Must have at least 65% polyester).
2. Hems sewn tight : When one side is sewn and that side of the material is pulled in and does not sit flat - this will cause garment to run off grain and will cause folds in the garment/material. Also some hems are sewn too thick - this causes poor pleating in that area.
3. Incorrect measurements : With sunray pleating if the waist is not cut to correct size - this causes false pleating in the waist area when the garment is gathered into the tight forma for processing.
4. Water Stains : On rare occasions - normally with sunray pleating on certain fine materials and pale colours we get water marks from the steam on cardboard process. These can easily be removed by gently rubbing the mark with water and either Sards wonder soap or Sunlight soap and allowing to drip dry. Cooking them in a steam cabinet reduces the risk to just about zero, but you will not get such a sharp or durable pleat.
5. Bands on garments : These can cause poor pleating due to the thickness and the type of band especially with fine pleating
6. Please make sure all pins are removed from garments, these can damage the machines and the pleater if missed
7. Please ensure that the material is cut to the correct drop. We do not cut material as we are not set up to do so and we do not accept responsibility if we have to.