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Eighth grade, for me, was quite a memorable year….

I grew to where I was taller that most all the boys. My feet grew to the size they are now. I was chosen to sing the Christmas Solo, Silver Bells. And I had the coolest pair of Bongo jeans… the ones that zipped up the back and had box pleats in front.

They were the jeans I was wearing when the first boy ever asked me to dance at my friend’s, Tabitha and Teala’s boy-girl birthday party. Sigh.

It was a whirling mess of hormones and mixed emotions. Cute boy, cute jeans and some serious butterflies baby.

I’ve never forgotten those amazing jeans and when I make box pleats, I remember them fondly.

But before learn how to make box pleats, we need to do a little preparation.

Take each apron tie and pin it to the waistband, right sides together.
Sew 1/2 inch seam.
Trim seam to 1/4 inch and press the seam toward the tie.

Now on the those Bongo jeans… I mean box pleats!

Step 1

Fold your apron skirt in half and iron to mark the center.
Ignore my awful ironing board cover. It, unlike my jeans, is not cool.

Step 2

Open the apron up and fold each side toward the center as below.
Iron the edges to mark what will be the center of your pleats.

Turn back the sides 1 1/2″ and crease with your iron. This will be your stitching guide.

If you want to check and make sure the apron fits your waistband, now is a good time to do so. Just pin your pleat on the seam line and carefully flip your apron over and check it against your waistband. Make any adjustments, if needed.

Turn your apron skirt back over and measure 3 inches from the top of the apron skirt. Mark with a washable pen or a pin. This will be your guide for where to stop stitching for your pleat.

You can also turn your apron down 3″ and iron for a guide if you don’t have a washable pen.

Next, using a straight stitch, stitch down your line and stop at your mark.

Open up your apron and lay it flat.
Carefully open the pleat as shown below. It will make a little cave… hellllooooooooooooooo

Match the creased center of the pleat to the line of stitching.

Iron your pleat so it’s flat like a gluten free pancake. ha.

Turn your apron over and admire those super classy box pleats!

Baste the pleats down so they don’t go crazy when you get ready to sew on your waistband. Otherwise, they might find an eighth grade boy and start flirting.