Yardage needed?

[Tiny]

I currently find myself in a situation of all my kilts starting to outgrow me. Last year when I started kilting I picked up a 48"waist OTR kilt that was snug at its largest hole. Since then I have dropped down to 46" OTR kilts and now they are wanting to migrate south when I wear them if I don't have a belt on.

I know your all crying on the inside for me

Anyway my plans are to get a kilt made with the Smith tartan. Marton Mills sent me a sample of the Jura range in the 16oz that I really like. I'm just about ready to pull the trigger and order the fabric but I'm trying to figure out costs. Such as how much fabric will I need. Ideally I want a kilt at natural waist pleated to stripe. I like the idea of pleating alternating red and yellow but not opposed to going with one or the other. all my OTR kilts are pleated to the set so I really like the idea of getting pleated to a stripe for my first non-OTR kilt.

[Paul Henry]

A 46" waist is around the point when kiltmakers think it's worthwhile getting a little more than the "standard" 8 yards. It allows the kiltmaker a little leeway,if you want to be able to play with different stripes or alternate ones.
Having a few extra "setts" to play with would also be a good thing.If you were to order 4.5 metres that would give you more than enough which then equates to roughly 9 yards.Jura fabric isn't the most expensive kilting cloth, so getting a little extra with the order will make the future sewing decsions all the easier!
Remember though that you should always measure your actual measurements an " Off the rack " one might not be accurate, in fact it's very unlikely to be the actual size!

[Tiny]

I know what you mean about OTR sizing. I've measured myself and I'm now just under 46. Most likely be closer to 45 in a month or so. When I am ready to get the kilt made I'll be measured I'll have a third party or my kilt maker do the measurment.

[Barb T]

Typically it's the *hip* measurement, not the waist measurement, that really governs how much tartan you need. You want the pleats to look good at the hip, and most kilts will have some taper toward the waist. This is particularly true for people with smaller waists, where their hips are likely to be 6-8" bigger than their waists. If your waist were 36" and your hips were 42" (I've made kilts for many guys who have these measurements), you wouldn't have nearly enough tartan if you bought it based on the 36" measurement. So, its the hip measurement that is really critical to determining yardage needed. The caveat to that is if your waist is actually bigger than your hips - in that case, you'd work with the waist measurement, because, under those circumstances, your kiltmaker will make your kilt with no taper in the pleats and no flare in the apron.

And, I'd say for myself that I typically buy more than 8 yards for anyone with hips over 44" unless I know that the sett size is small. And that could easily be someone with a 42" or less waist....

Also, how much tartan you need will depend in part on the size of the sett. If the sett is fairly small, and you want the kilt pleated to the stripe (traditional, same stripe on each pleat, rather than alternating), it doesn't take as much yardage.

Anyway, your kiltmaker would be happy to order the tartan for you and get what you need without getting a lot extra. Having said that, PaulHenry is right that MM's tartan is less expensive than others, and an extra half yard double width isn't that much more money.

[piperdbh]

I'm no kiltmaker, but I am a fan of box-pleated kilts, which usually use less yardage than knife-pleated ones. That might be something else to consider.

[Schiehallion]

Knife pleats work, look and swing better. The full yardage is well worth the extra cost. Don't spoil the ship for a 'hapeth of tar' for your kilt!