#21

After I put in the straight stitch down the front panels, I decided to finish up the pleats so they wouldn't tear or stretch out any while I worked on the rest of the coat. I measured out 2-1/2" strips of just the cotton shell fabric and made fabric tubes. After turning them out, so the paisley side shows, I folded in the open end - it was sewn over under the machine. The panel was attached to the outside of the coat, as you can see. The top of the pleat is where the middle of the tube (horiztonally) is. When I attached it with a straight stitch, I went above the top of the pleat and below it. This adds extra reinforcement. Pleats are heavy which means that they tend to rip out easier if not properly reinforced.