Pleaters 'n Needles

A Pleater is a machine invented in the 1950's in South Africa as an easy way to make pleats for Smocking. This wonderful machine takes fabric that is fed in from the back and pushes it through rollers or gears that are grooved and when are meshed together with the fabric in-between pushes it onto specially designed needles which are threaded with quilting thread. Once it has come through the pleater off of the needles and onto the thread(s) it is blocked and sized waiting your beautiful smocking. Today we carry only what we consider the best investment for your money, the Amanda Jane Pleaters from Australia - the most reliable pleater around. Oh and we pay the postage for USA orders except when you add in items, then we charge according to the extra weight. We will let you know the shipping charge by separate email. One more thing, ALL the pleaters come with ALL NEEDLES in place as shown by the picture.

Note on the needles: All Amanda Jane Pleaters have the same needle. Read needles are different for 16rows and 24/32 rows.

S h i b o r i

Pleaters are also used for machine smocking and for the fabric painting process known as Shibori. One can get beautiful consistent pleats which are perfect for hand painting in what ever designs your Shibori painting moves you to make. Use with acid dyes (acid refers to the vinegar) that require no steaming (Procion Mx). Fabrics such as rayon or silk chiffon or wool challis pleat and dye with an elegance that is way beyond regular tie dye. If one were really creative and the mood to make something beautiful and original strikes you (and you might be suffering from a small case of Empty Nest Smocking Syndrome) one could make Shibori Fabric Sculptures and add in a little smocking here and there to keep the pleats in place. Here is just one example of Shibori made with a pleater from the book by Elfriede Moller "Shibori"

Today's Smocking

The Smocking most older Americans are familiar with is to either use gingham or dotted fabric or make dots onto fabric in rows and then pick up these dots in a precise manner to form pleats, this technique is still done today. In Australia I understand that Smocking on a Brick was a common method for making pleats and is still being used today when pleating heavy or piled fabrics such as Velvet or Velveteen. (To read an article written by Judith Brandau on this very subject, please click here.) There are also other methods that have sprung up from the inventive minds of the past several hundreds of years but thankfully today we have a little machine which does everything for us, well almost everything.

Quick Price Comparison

Amanda Jane 24-row $217.00 ppd
Super Amanda Jane $247.00 ppd
Read 32row $220.50 ppd

Displaying 1 to 16 (of 16 products)

Amanda Jane Pleaters Amanda Jane 24row Pleater The same size as the Super Pleater but without all those extra half spaces. As you can see from the photograph there are half spaces on the first... $225.00 Add:		Amanda Jane Pleaters Amanda Jane Pleater Needles 12 needles per package for all sizes of Amanda Jane pleaters $21.00 Add:

Amanda Jane Pleaters Amanda Jane Super Pleater - 24row w/half spaces 24 rows with 23 half space rows (half space between each regular needle). This is the new pleater is the one everyone is talking about. It has 47... $255.00 Add:		Ellen McCarn EM Smock and Block Guide for Bishop Dress & Blouse Necklines Bishop, Yoke & Collar Guide is a versatile aid to use from the start to finishing of the smocked garment, but it Bishop or Yoke, Collar or... $6.00 Add:

Generic Pleater Needles The pleaters: Newell, Pullen, and the Durand use the 16 row needle size. This needle measures 1 1/2" from end to end. If your needle is longer... $20.00 ... more info		Hand Quilting Thread for pleating - Orange Sold by the spool. The orange color is perfect for forming your pleats as you can actually see it when smocking. Orange is better than red as it... $2.75 Add:

Grace Knott Iron On Dots - Pleater Compatible Spacing Pleater Compatible spacing iron on dots is the one to use with all the smocking patterns we sell. These dots have been designed to exactly match the... $3.50 ... more info		Grace Knott Iron On Dots - Traditional Spacing When you want to pleat and don't have a pleater these iron on dots are what you need. Each package contains two 24" x 36" sheets filled... $3.50 ... more info

Read Pleaters Read 16 row Pleater needles One dozen needles of genuine Read 16 row pleater needles per package $20.00 Add:		Read Pleaters Read 24 row pleater A good pleater with side pin mechanism for changing needles. Comes with all 24 needles + 15 half space notches. On sale until we run out of stock. $169.00 Add:

Read Pleaters Read 24/32 row Pleater Needles 1 dozen Read 24/32 row pleater needles $20.00 Add:		Read Pleaters Read 32 row Pleater With this sized pleater you don't have to fuss with double pleating as 32 rows is a lot of area to smock (about 12"). Comes with 32 needles, a... $216.50 Add:

Read Pleaters Read Maxi Pleater A good pleater with side pin mechanism for changing needles. Comes with all 47 needles installed + 23 half space notches. On sale until we run out... $189.00 Add:		Sally Stanley Pleater Needles One dozen in package - Also fit Mary's 24 row Pleater $20.00 Add:

The Pleater Manual by Sarah Douglas This is THE definitive guide to operating a smocking pleater and working with pleated fabric. Written by an expert in smocking, Saran Douglas gives... $18.00 Add:		Thread Caddys This nifty little box, hand made of pine, has a space for your pleater to sit up on top. Underneath the lid in the base of the box are spaces (or... $46.00 Add: