[Bugbear]

Unfortunatly, as far as I can tell, it would be impossible for me to make a tartan kilt properly. I'm not even sure I am able to sew in the way required to make a kilt.

The exchange rate is good right now, so I understand.

If it does work out with the box pleat, it would be helping another person get a box pleat in this tartan. That also factors in my decision which is why I am focusing on it right now.

[meinfs]

GPS sez: "Re-calculating"

The numbers I gave Ted are close (not exact) to the box-pleated to sett kilt that I made in the Bear Tartan recently...

[Bugbear]

Thanks Mein. Close is perfectly fine for what I am asking. I needed to get an idea of how a fabric split would work, and also ponder the difference between double and single box pleats.

I think I am leaning more toward a single box pleat in Bear for a number of reasons; one of which is that the fabric can be shared with someone else seeking a box in Bear.

[Bugbear]

Well, I am still saving a little bit here and there toward the first goal of affording the cost of the eight yards of Bear tartan fabric, but the stack of money is not quite high enough yet. As I said before, "I don't make these kind of purchases without having saved up the money first, so it could be a while..."

However, I have had time to think over all of this. It's looking like the regular box pleat option is the best way to go for a number of reasons. It might be easier
to deal with, now that I think about it...

I doubt that I will throw my Stillwater half-sett Lamont in the trash, especially after all the work and modifications I have put into it.... I did have some worries about having and wearing the two tartans, but the Bears probably won't care.

[piperdbh]

Ted,
Here's another option:
If you don't find someone who wants the rest of your Bear tartan, you could have a half-plaid made from the remaining yardage. It's approximately 2 yards long, double-width, and has belt loops or a long hem in one end, which a belt passes through and secures around your middle. The unbelted end then lays over your shoulder, either through an epaulette or pinned to your jacket with a broach. In your neck of the woods, though, it might be cool enough to wear the half-plaid for about twenty minutes a year.

By the way, will the non-symmetric nature of the Bear tartan require more yardage than a symmetric tartan would need?

[Bugbear]

Originally Posted by piperdbh

Ted,
Here's another option:
If you don't find someone who wants the rest of your Bear tartan, you could have a half-plaid made from the remaining yardage. It's approximately 2 yards long, double-width, and has belt loops or a long hem in one end, which a belt passes through and secures around your middle. The unbelted end then lays over your shoulder, either through an epaulette or pinned to your jacket with a broach. In your neck of the woods, though, it might be cool enough to wear the half-plaid for about twenty minutes a year.

By the way, will the non-symmetric nature of the Bear tartan require more yardage than a symmetric tartan would need?

I think the other half of the tartan yardage will find a home. And yes, the heat out here is a part of the consideration with this, but perhaps more that a box would be half the weight.

Meinsf would need to answer the question about the non-symmetric tartan and yardage. He's made a couple of box pleated kilts in Bear tartan, so he knows all that stuff.

[Peter C.]

Originally Posted by The Wizard of BC

Ted,
I don't think you question can be totally answered with a firm, exact amount of fabric.

The of the amount of fabric used in a Kilt is not a set number. It does not always lend itself to a formula.

Now that I've said that my brain works best when it has numbers to work with. So here is what I do.

And please remember that this is totally different than the way a Traditional Kiltmaker does things.

A Traditional Kiltmaker takes a known amount of fabric. 4 yards double-width for example. They then lay out both Aprons, the Deep and Reverse Pleats, and then find out how much is left over.
They then use the Sett size (or one full repeat of the Tartan pattern) and depending on if they are pleating to the Stripe or to the Sett will figure out how many Setts there are in the remaining fabric and that will give them the size of the Pleat reveal. The Pleat Depth is what is left over.

What I do is determine the Pleat Reveal I want. That tells me how many Pleats the Kilt will have. I then know the width of the aprons so the total is the amount of fabric I will need. (Notice that a Traditional Kiltmaker starts with a given amount of fabric and adjusts Pleat reveal, where I set the reveal and let the total amount of fabric to change.)

For example, A Kilt I would make for myself would take 6.93 yards if pleated to the Stripe and 7.65 if pleated to the Sett. I would have aprons 16" wide at the waist and contain 26 Pleats with a 1" reveal. IF THE SETT SIZE IS EXACTLY 6".

Keep everything the same but change just the Sett size from 6" to 6 5/8" and the same Kilt will now take 7.38 yards pleated to the Stripe and 8.10 if pleated to the Sett.

NOTHING HAS CHANGED IN THESE TWO EXAMPLES BUT THE TARTAN SETT SIZE.

Now let's switch to a Box Pleated Kilt.

If everything is perfect and the creases of the Pleats meet on the outside as well as on the inside of the Kilt each pleat width will be 1/3 of the Sett.

To look well a Box Pleated Kilt should have pleats somewhere between 2" and 3.5" wide.
If we keep with the same 6" Sett as in the Knife Pleat example above the box pleated Kilt with the same Tartan has a 2" wide Pleat.

The Problem comes with the Double Box Pleats Each Pleat uses 3/5's more fabric per Pleat. This would result in Pleats only .6" wide. Not good.

So we would have to use two Setts per Pleat or 12". This results in a Pleat 2.4" wide.

But it also uses 3/5's as much fabric per Pleat.

Here are the numbers I would come up with for my example Kilt sizes from above.

A Single Box Pleated Kilt with a Hip of 42" ---
Tartan Sett = 6"
17" Aprons
13 - 2" Box Pleats
Total amount of fabric used 5.9 Kilt yards.

A Double Box Pleated Kilt with a Hip of 42" ---
Tartan Sett = 6"
18" Aprons
11 - 2.4" Box Pleats
for a total amount of fabric of 6.16 Fabric Yards.

In the box pleat examples, a very easy way of calculating the material you need for the pleats, providing the pleats meet perfectly, is to multiply the measurement you have allowed for the pleats at the hip by 3 for a single box pleated kilt because you have the equivalent of 3 layers of material around the hips of a single box pleated kilt, and by 5 for a double box pleated kilt because you have the equivalent of 5 layers of material around the hips of a double box pleated kilt. (The pleats must meet of course)

Then just add what is required for the 2 aprons.

Peter

[ChattanCat]

Hi Ted,
Traditional kilt yardage is determined by the sett, pleat type, and the hip size. The sett varies depending on the tartan and the mill making the tartan. The pleat types are the customer's option. Once the pleat type, tartan sett, and hip dimension are all known and accruate cost of the kilt can be made.
Cheers,

[Bugbear]

Hi ChattanCat,
Right at the moment my tartan, which is a special weave, is $41.63 per single width yard, and normaly only comes in eight yard lengths, so is about $333; that's USD.

I'm still not quite at that point, but working on it.

I also have not committed to a particular style of kilt yet either; though I have leaned toward the single box pleat.

As I've said, I haven't quite saved up enough to afford the fabric and shipping etc.

In the mean time, I have been very slowly improving the kilts I already have; particularly the wool kilt. I feel ambiguous about them because they are not in my tartan, but I can live with that.