How to Make Wedge Pleats in CLO3D (Pleats That Fan Out From One Point)

I recently got this question on YouTube: how do you make a pleat that fans out from one point, so it’s wider at one end, like a wedge?

It’s super easy to do in CLO3D, and in this video I show you two ways. (If you’d like to see it in Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer, let me know in the comments on the video!)

The secret: the Pleat tool

CLO3D has an amazing Pleat tool that does most of the work for you. The trick to a wedge pleat is simple: give the pleat a depth at one end and 0 at the other, so it tapers away to nothing.

Before you start, think about which way you want each pleat to fold. That’s what decides the direction of the pleat, and it’s the part that trips most people up (it tripped me up a few times in this video!).

Method 1: Wedge pleats on a sleeve (pleat ends at the hem)

For this one, I used a short sleeve with pleats going from the shoulder seam down to the hem.

1. Select the Pleat tool.
2. Click where you want the pleat to start, then where you want it to end.
3. Pick the side you want to pleat.
4. Choose a knife pleat.
5. Set the depth to 1.5 at the beginning and 0 at the end.
6. Use Reverse Direction if you need the pleat to fold the other way.
7. Click OK.

I added a pleat on each side of the sleeve’s center and set them both to fold in toward the center of the shoulder. Make sure you’re on the front half of the sleeve. (I did the first one on the back by mistake. Ctrl+Z to the rescue!)

Tip: If the simulation gets cranky after pleating, because the pleats moved a lot of fabric, reset the pattern and simulate again. Lowering the particle distance can help too.

Now you have a wedge pleat that’s full at the shoulder and disappears at the hem.

Method 2: Wedge pleats on a bodice (pleats end at the bust)

What if you want pleats coming from the shoulder and ending at the bust? There’s no seam at the bust, so the pleat has nowhere to end. You need to create an edge first.

1. Cut the bodice across at the bust line where you want the pleats to end. (You’ll merge it back together later.)
2. Use the Pleat tool to add each pleat from the shoulder seam down to that new bust line, with a depth of 0.5 at the top and 0 at the bottom. I added three pleats.
3. Reset the 3D arrangement before simulating. All that fabric moving into the seam can make it cranky.
4. Simulate and check that each pleat folds the way you want. I wanted all three folding toward the outside.
5. Merge the pieces back together.

Tip: If your bodice has a bust dart, rotate the dart closed before you merge. I didn’t do it first in the video and wished I had. It gives you a much cleaner merge.

Now you have three wedge pleats fanning out from the shoulder.

Two ways, depending on your design

• Pleat runs to an edge (like a hem or seam): use the Pleat tool directly, tapering to 0.
• Pleat ends in the middle of a piece: cut the piece to create an edge, pleat, then merge it back together.

You could probably even move the bust dart completely up into the pleats. Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see that as a video!

Got a question?

If you have questions about digital pattern drafting, in CLO3D or any other program, leave them in the comments on the YouTube video. I love answering them!

New to CLO3D? Grab my free CLO3D Beginner Roadmap to see what to learn first. And subscribe on YouTube for more digital pattern drafting tutorials.

Happy patterning!