Abstract: A method of making a pleat in a sheet-like material comprising the steps of feeding a flexible and thin sheet-like material having a flat surface in a direction of an extended line of an imaginary straight line which is perpendicular to its one end and along the surface, left and right parts of the sheet-like material being conveyed at a substantially same speed at both sides of the straight line, the one end of the sheet-like material being of a flat form at a start of the feeding, the left and right parts of the sheet-like material being gradually reduced in distance therebetween and drawn near toward the straight line at the middle portion of the extended line so as to face with each other and diagonally cross the surface, and coming in contact with each other perpendicularly to the surface at the forward portion of the extended line, thereby to form the pleat, conveying the sheet-like material through the middle portion to the forward portion with the left and right parts gradually twisted in a direction

Abstract: An automatic curtain pleat sewing apparatus for forming and sewing pleats for a curtain, comprising: a sewing machine having sewing needles; a pleat forming-supplying unit having forepart holding plates for holding the leading end portion of the curtain fabric and the remainder thereof; pleat folding plates for pleating the curtain fabric thus held by the forepart holding plates; a pleat portion supply unit for integrally rotating the forepart holding plates and the pleat folding plates so as to insert the pleated portion of the curtain fabric in the sewing part of the sewing machine; a rear-end holding unit capable of moving the rear end portion of the curtain fabric forward and backward while holding the rear end portion thereof; and a full-width measuring unit capable of measuring the full width of the curtain fabric when the rear-end holding unit moves backward.