# Just throw in a couple pleats and be done with it! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 29, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295 "2012-04-29T03:04:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/1 "2012-04-29T03:04:15Z")
My daughter was kicking up a ruckus last night after she got home from work. She has been sewing a skirt for MLP:FIM cosplay (she’s Twilight Sparkle) and, after following my wife’s instructions, the waist turned out two inches too big. So it was all her mom’s fault, wah-wah-wah. Me: It’s 10:15 and you need this done by 8:00AM and you are only trying on the skirt NOW? Her: She wouldn’t let me work on it! Wah-wah-wah! Me: You’re 22 and work evenings. Your mother works days. You couldn’t sneak in some time to finish it? Her: Wah-wah-wah! It’s her fault! Wah-wah-wah! Me: So throw in a couple fucking half-inch pleats. If you had done that instead of throwing a tantrum you’d be done by now. Her: But I already put in the waistband. Me: And you finished the bottom hem with safety pins so I know you don’t give a shit how it looks, though I don’t know why that was better than just sewing the fucking hem. But don’t trim the extra material inside because you might gain weight. Her: But I plan on _losing_ weight! Me: Yeah, don’t we all. :rolleyes: And I don’t understand why you didn’t put in a drawstring waist so precise measurements wouldn’t be needed. It was starting to dawn on her how ridiculous she sounded, so there was a wink in her voice when she said: Her: Because I didn’t think of it. But Mom didn’t think of it, either. Who taught my kids sewing? I know I didn’t because they would be able to figure out problems, but sewing isn’t something most people go to their fathers for help with. I assume that my wife forbade her and her sister from working on it because she expected them to show some initiative and make an end run around her when the skirt got started. I would expect and even hope they would and I might even tell them, “Here’s the problem. Most beginners could make this skirt in a few hours. You have two months to figure it the fuck out. I’ll be around if you have any questions.” As I am certainly not at fault, I blame the school system for teaching for the test instead of teaching problem analysis and solution. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/2 "2012-04-29T03:09:12Z")
I think it’s only fair to place the blame squarely where it belongs - on the Hasbro corporation. They have deep pockets. You need to start thinking lawsuit. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/3 "2012-04-29T03:16:20Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > My daughter was kicking up a ruckus last night after she got home from work. She has been sewing a skirt for MLP:FIM cosplay (she’s Twilight Sparkle) and, after following my wife’s instructions, the waist turned out two inches too big. So it was all her mom’s fault, wah-wah-wah. […] > > Me: So throw in a couple fucking half-inch pleats. If you had done that instead of throwing a tantrum you’d be done by now. > > Her: But I already put in the waistband. […] 😕 Who puts in the waistband **before** fitting the skirt to check the size of the waist? Did your daughter just trustingly sew all the seams and finish all the details according to the measurements her mother gave her without ever even trying it on at the basting stage? If so, then yeah, no sympathy here. If you’re not going to make a muslin (and let’s face it, what casual sewer bothers with making a muslin anymore?), then you have to at LEAST keep checking the fit of the garment as you progress. Anybody who blindly cuts and sews and finishes an entire garment without any fittings is asking for a cruel disillusionment when they put the finished garment on. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/4 "2012-04-29T04:05:32Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Who puts in the waistband **before** fitting the skirt to check the size of the waist? I know! > [@](#): > > Did your daughter just trustingly sew all the seams and finish all the details according to the measurements her mother gave her without ever even trying it on at the basting stage? Yes. ☹ > [@](#): > > If you’re not going to make a muslin (and let’s face it, what casual sewer bothers with making a muslin anymore?) And with a muslin you have a physical, long lasting pattern you can reuse. ETA: I’d say, “for when she wants to make a skirt for real,” except I suspect her next is for Rainbow Dash. Fuckin’ Hasbro. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/5 "2012-04-29T04:10:26Z")
Duct tape will solve everything. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/6 "2012-04-29T04:12:40Z")
And fabric glue. Which would also make a prettier hem than safety pins but she forgot we have a couple bottles of it. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/7 "2012-04-29T05:22:42Z")
Did somebody hide the pit while I wasn’t looking? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/8 "2012-04-29T12:43:59Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Did somebody hide the pit while I wasn’t looking? In a hidden dungeon in Canterlot, it would seem. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/9 "2012-04-29T12:51:31Z")
Your daughter is cosplaying anything, to say nothing of cosplaying _My Little Pony_ (how does that even _work_?), at the age of 22. Something entirely unrelated to sewing is pretty fucked up here. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/10 "2012-04-29T13:22:31Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > Your daughter is cosplaying anything, to say nothing of cosplaying _My Little Pony_ (how does that even _work_?), at the age of 22. Something entirely unrelated to sewing is pretty fucked up here. Your attitude, mostly. Well, and the daughters, but that’s due to being a selfish, entitled brat rather than liking to dress up. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/11 "2012-04-29T15:20:14Z")
Sew what? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/12 "2012-04-29T15:26:44Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > (how does that even _work_?) Apparently by making an oversized skirt. (There’s something really wrong with a society that gets upset when people dress up as ponies for a related get-together but doesn’t bat an eye at people dressing up as centaurs for Halloween. At the very least, since it’s MLP, one can assume they won’t be slutty ponies.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/13 "2012-04-29T15:31:39Z")
Cinch it! That’s what the “Gap Girls” on SNL always used to advise. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/14 "2012-04-29T16:07:56Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > She has been sewing a skirt for MLP:FIM cosplay (she’s Twilight Sparkle) And what does her boyfriend think about all this? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/15 "2012-04-29T18:14:37Z")
MLP is how she met him. He’s completing his masters and starts down the doctorate path next Fall. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/16 "2012-04-29T18:26:14Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Apparently by making an oversized skirt. > (There’s something really wrong with a society that gets upset when people dress up as ponies for a related get-together but doesn’t bat an eye at people dressing up as centaurs for Halloween. At the very least, since it’s MLP, one can assume they won’t be slutty ponies.) I’m not upset - if you want to dress up like a pony in a skirt and go…do whatever people dressed up like ponies in skirts do, well, more power to you. It’s just _incredibly weird_. The whole fucking resurgence of one of the worst cartoons is weird. Cosplaying cartoons is a bit weird, cosplaying ponies is weird, an adult cosplaying a pony from a children’s cartoon is definitely _far_ outside the norm of adult behavior. It’s a whole big weird appropriation. My opinion is let the 6-year-old girls have their shitty psuedo-empowering cartoon, but if you get off on dressing up like a pony I can’t very well stop you. I can think it’s fucking weird, though. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/17 "2012-04-29T18:30:04Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > At the very least, since it’s MLP, one can assume they won’t be slutty ponies.) You’re not familiar with the MLP fandom, are you? Bronies would be all over that shit. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/18 "2012-04-29T20:29:54Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > I’m not upset - if you want to dress up like a pony in a skirt and go…do whatever people dressed up like ponies in skirts do, well, more power to you. It’s just _incredibly weird_. The whole fucking resurgence of one of the worst cartoons is weird. Cosplaying cartoons is a bit weird, cosplaying ponies is weird, an adult cosplaying a pony from a children’s cartoon is definitely _far_ outside the norm of adult behavior. It’s a whole big weird appropriation. My opinion is let the 6-year-old girls have their shitty psuedo-empowering cartoon, but if you get off on dressing up like a pony I can’t very well stop you. > > I can think it’s fucking weird, though. Don’t hold back now - let’im know how you \*really \*feel about it all. Shit, I’m almost afraid to ask your opinion of the 501st. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/19 "2012-04-29T20:56:50Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > I can think it’s fucking weird, though. And yet you know what cosplay is. :dubious: _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_ is supposedly written for both little girls and adults. I wouldn’t know, having fallen asleep during the first episode, but that’s what I’ve been told. The whole con ([ACen](http://www.acen.org/)) was full of cosplayers, including ones dressed up as sexy anime characters. I paused to let one cross the street in front of my car because I have a personal rule against running down cute women in bikini tops. I’m fucking weird like that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295/20 "2012-04-29T22:45:51Z")
Hey! I expect the Pit to be full of bile and excrement, but not this…this…glitter! Man, it’s all over the place now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-throw-in-a-couple-pleats-and-be-done-with-it/620295.md?page=2)