Pleating to the block?

[Patty Logan]

After reading about McMurdo’s new kilt he just recently received in the mail in the Graham of Menteith tartan, it got me thinking…is it possible to pleat that tartan to the block(I think that’s the term, correct me if I’m wrong) where you have both white strips visible on a single pleat wich is in fact pleated to that green section as a hole? I’m assuming that there will be lest pleats then on a typical kilt since the pleats are going to be super huge. Would that be possible?

[figheadair]

It would be possible. How big the pleats would be would depend on the size of the sett and to some degree, the style of pleating.

[Patty Logan]

It would be possible. How big the pleats would be would depend on the size of the sett and to some degree, the style of pleating.

Would it also be limited to being box pleated?

[OC Richard]

I don't think whether a kilt is box pleated or knife pleated changes how the pleats show the tartan.

I took a kiltmaking workshop from Elsie Stuehmeyer, who made loads of boxpleated army kilts during her time at Thomas Gordon & Son (Glasgow) and she said the pleats were sewn in exactly the same way whether the kilt was to end up knifepleated or boxpleated.

She demonstrated this by holding up a kilt which had had the pleats sewn, and with her fingers configured the underneath portion to create a boxpleated kilt. In other words the difference is what happens under the surface, not on the surface.

In any case here's that tartan https://www.lochcarron.co.uk/graham-...-tartan-fabric

and there is a sizable green band which would probably work for pleating as long as the pleats aren't wider than the green band is.

Personally I would probably pleat it to the black line in the blue band. It gives a nice wide blue space on either side of the black line, which kiltmakers have said they prefer.

[Pleater]

There are - usually - various options when pleating - some obvious - I have a pleated to the goldfish and a pleated to - ah, either the elephant or the hippo, not quite sure now, with the DPM (camouflage) it is not pleated to any part of the pattern, I have alternating colour stripes, three in sequence bands, pleated to hide the red/show the grey and black, alternating shallow and deep pleats which look the same on the outside as well as more ordinary folds.

It is normally possible to find a way to pleat which achieves the required geometry whilst giving a good/interesting/satisfactory appearance and those two features combined make a pleasing outcome for both the maker and wearer if they happen to be different people.

I usually lay out the fabric in various ways until I get the 'ah yes' reaction to an option and then go with that one.

Anne the Pleater

[figheadair]

I don't think whether a kilt is box pleated or knife pleated changes how the pleats show the tartan.

Richard,

I was meaning the older style of broad box-pleat. The construction is different and the pleats wider and so there is often a visual difference to the later style of higher yadage kilts.