You pleat it how?

[TheBrus]

I am working with double-width tartan, so I have two pieces, each two metres long. My tartan is 16oz Logan weathered tartan from Marton Mills. The pleat stripe I want to use is the red/black/yellow over-check. I am following MAC Newsome's instructions on laying out the design.

My question is this. I have calculated that I will need to have 9 pleats, and the width between pleat stripes is 7". My problem is that there are WAY more than 5 pleat stripes between the first pleat and the left edge of the fabric. If I use every-other stripe, I come up with 5 pleat-stripes. But that seems like way too much fabric between the pleats. Using one pleat per stripe seems right, but too many pleats. Am I doing this right??? Should I be thinking this through differently?

[sydnie7]

Could you have forgotten about leaving unpleated fabric for the under apron?

Hasty guess based on first read of your description. . . and without firm reference to which "left" and "right" you are dealing with (i.e. viewed from where).

[TheBrus]

No, I'm just talking about laying out the first piece.

[madmacs]

Is it a very large or a very small sett? and are you using the same stripe for each pleat?

[TheBrus]

MadMacs: Yes, it's an average-size sett. 7" to the repeat. I'm using the same stripe for each pleat.

[TheBrus]

https://3305566789532915850-a-180274...ed-400x400.jpg

The yellow stripe is the pleat-stripe.

[TheBrus]

Can I just say: NEVER MIND!

Here's another reason one shouldn't assume: I assumed that when I ordered 2 metres of tartan from Marton Mills, a wee man in the cutting room would roll out a bolt of tartan, painstakingly measure exactly 2 metres, and cut it. What the wee man has actually done is just eyeballed a generous amount (3 yards or so), and charged me for 2 metres.

That's a whole different ball of wax.

[xman]

They usually add 6" or so, but if you're at the end of a bolt and there's a foot or two left over, well it doesn't make sense to keep two feet of cloth.

Also, 2m is about 2.2 yards so that would be 4.4 yards of cloth there and you really only need the 4 in most cases.