Whens an 8 yard ,not an 8 yard ?

**Freelander Sporrano** · 3rd June 04, 07:55 AM

I've read somwhere that an 8 yard Kilt, is not necessarily 8 yards of material ....So how long is it

Can one of you please enlighten me

**Rufus** · 3rd June 04, 08:00 AM

Depending on the waist size of the individual, they can need more or less yardage to ensure coverage, while maintaining all of the pleats.

If you have a 50" waist (which, judging from your picture, you don't

), 8 yards of fabric isn't going to cover you, unless they took fabric from the pleats.

**Graham** · 3rd June 04, 08:00 AM

Sorry, that's a bit deep for me

**Rufus** · 3rd June 04, 08:01 AM

wha wha wha....

**Freelander Sporrano** · 3rd June 04, 08:13 AM

Cheers for kind word's about my waist size.

What I mean by all this is, do Kiltmakers actually stat out with 8 yards of material, or is it adjusted according to waist size before all the pleating begins.
Am I making any sense here,or am I just a bit slooow

**Graham** · 3rd June 04, 08:23 AM

Freelander, 'me 'ol mate, this is what a kiltmaker recently said to me:

"I've found, measuring out most kilts we get to adjust, that when they claim to be 8 yards, they are only 5 or 6 yards. We're going to be taking the "yardage approximates" off of our site b/c it's MISLEADING. If someone with a waist of 32 inches orders an 8 yard kilt and someone with a waist of 54 inches orders the same pattern in an 8 yard kilt, the yardage is GOING to be different. That's why it's misleading." (name withheld to protect identity)

Does this help, or further confuse?

**bubba** · 3rd June 04, 08:23 AM

The kilt is divided into thirds. 2/3 is apron and 1/3 pleats. The amount of fabric for the pleats is calculated, then the apron length added to give the amount of fabric for a finished kilt by waist or hip measurement, depending on which is larger.

**Rob** · 3rd June 04, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by Graham

Freelander, 'me 'ol mate, this is what a kiltmaker recently said to me:

"I've found, measuring out most kilts we get to adjust, that when they claim to be 8 yards, they are only 5 or 6 yards. We're going to be taking the "yardage approximates" off of our site b/c it's MISLEADING. If someone with a waist of 32 inches orders an 8 yard kilt and someone with a waist of 54 inches orders the same pattern in an 8 yard kilt, the yardage is GOING to be different. That's why it's misleading." (name withheld to protect identity)

Graham,

If your kiltmaker friend is to be believed, some kiltmakers have been ripping off their customers. I have a 34 inch waist, and I have just measured the total length of material in my (nominal 8 yard) traditional kilt, and it is almost exactly 8 yards.

Rob (who has found that he can trust his kiltmaker, Laura Hepplewhite of McCalman Kilts)

**bubba** · 3rd June 04, 08:59 AM

Unless the company does high volume kiltmakers vary the cost depending on waist size somewhat reflecting the amount of fabric. It's called a fat tax

**The Kilted Chef** · 3rd June 04, 09:26 AM

Quote from The Art Of Kiltmaking by Barbara Tewksbury & Elsie Stuehmeyer:

"'I had a kilt made, and they put 7 1/2 yards of material into it, and it's still too small. I wish they'd put 8 yards into my kilt.' The problem lies not in the amount of cloth but in the overall size of the kilt. If the size at the waistband is too short, cramming another 6 yards into the pleats isn't going to make the kilt fit better, anymore than adding fabric to a gathered skirt will make the skirt fit if the waistband is too tight."

"'I want an 8 yard kilt, because I've heard that the more cloth in a kilt, the better it looks.' [You] may not be able to put 8 yards of cloth into your kilt. If the person is small, there may simply not be enough room across the back to fit in all the pleats that you could possibly make with an 8 yard piece of kilt fabric."

"Regardless of whether a kilt is pleated to the sett or to the stripe, the depth of the pleats is governed by the size of the sett. The only way to make someone a kilt with deeper pleats is to have the person choose a different tartan with a larger sett, or choose a heavier weight of the same tartan, which will have a larger sett and therefore deeper pleats."

In summary, if a kilt is made from tartan, the depth of the pleats is determined by the sett, not the yardage. Which means the trem "8-yard kilt" can sometimes be a misnomer.

I guess I have rambled on enough...

Larry