4 yard Box Pleat Kilt

**Retro Red** · 3rd August 07, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by MacWage

So, which stripe did ya'll pleat it to?

Since I was a bit uncertain as to which stripe in the XMTS tartan to pleat to, Matt was kind enough to offer the following recommendation -

"If you want my personal reccomendation, if I were making the kilt for myself, I'd pleat to alternate lines (effectively meaning pleat to the sett in a box pleat).

Here's why. I've noticed that F&K's cloth really doesn't want to hold a sharp pleat. Try as I may, I can get nothing better than a soft pleat to hold in it. Other kiltmakers have expressed the same concerns. I had hoped that this would be better in their 16 oz cloth, but I just completed a kilt in this new weight, and I'm having the same issue.

A soft pleat is not neccesarily a bad thing. In fact, Bob Martin reccomends it in his All About Your Kilt. However, in a four yard box pleated kilt, a soft pleat looks much better if the pleats are on the wider side.

So, if you pleat to alternate stripes, this allows you to increase the pleat width by 50%. This will give you much nicer hanging pleats, in my opinion"

Sounded good to me, so I said, "Make it so!" (though in this case I guess I should have said, "Make it sew!"

)
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**Mael Coluim** · 3rd August 07, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by Steeplechase

My 4 yard Box Pleat Kilt in the latest run of XMTS Tartan was delivered today. Our own MAC Newsome made it for me, and this is my first wool kilt. I hope to get some pics over the weekend. It is beautiful Matt!

Look foward to those picts, Robbie. I hope to bag one on the next run of XMTS plaid.

**Steeplechase** · 3rd August 07, 11:46 AM

Well Retro Red, mine must be the one Matt must have referred to with the soft pleat. It is to the yellow stripe. I like it and my wife thinks it looks great. Being that she isn't excited about me being kilted (outside of the games) it must look good.

I look forward to seeing a diffent pleating on this tartan.