Pleated to the stripe

[Jimmy Carbomb]

I think it often depends on the tartan in question. Unless someone specifies one or the other, I pin up a chunk both ways and see which looks the sharpest. Some tartans are ghastly pleated to the stripe and others are blah pleated to the sett.

Cheers!

Barb

Ain't THAT the truth!!!

It's also infinately easier to pleat to the stripe for a kilt maker. If you're going to try to make your first kilt... try doing it to the stripe. It will also cut off a LOAD of time in the kilt making process.

This is why I (personally) prefer to have ALL of my kilts pleated to sett. It's an art that's dying, and one that takes real talent to do correctly. I have traditionals that look like the pleats are a solid wall of tartan since the kilt makers took the time to work the taper and pleats the right way. I have a BearKilt in Cape Breton that is another PERFECT example of how a "pleated to the sett" should look. There are pictures that honestly look like I'm wearing a solid material wrap. What a thing of beauty!

I prefer to honor the designer of the tartan and maintain the meaning in the weave... but that's just me. I also know that I love the look of the "Leatherneck Tartan" with the sewn to the stripe look. That's just unreal!!!

All I ask is that a kilt does NOT have the pleats with horizontal striping. I've seen it too many times, and it looks like a "Where's Waldo" or "Freddie Kruger" garment!

[beerbecue]

All I ask is that a kilt does NOT have the pleats with horizontal striping. I've seen it too many times, and it looks like a "Where's Waldo" or "Freddie Kruger" garment!

In that case, Mike S. should choose the red stripe to pleat to, otherwise there will be a green/black/green/black horizontal pattern if pleated to the double white stripes....

I agree, pleating to the sett is much more difficult - that's why I will be ordering and buying my kilts pleated to the sett - I am all fine and dandy doing them to stripe myself.... I started laying one out to sett, and it gave me too much of a headache!!!

[chasem]

All I ask is that a kilt does NOT have the pleats with horizontal striping. I've seen it too many times, and it looks like a "Where's Waldo" or "Freddie Kruger" garment!

Not sure what you're describing here, Jimmy. Can't quite picture it. Have any examples?

[beerbecue]

Jimmy and Chasem, Would it be something like this??

http://www.macgregorandmacduff.co.uk...iltpleats1.jpg

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Mike is going to have the same pattern in the horizontal of the kilt no matter how he pleats it. That's just the way it works. :-)

What I think Jimmy is talking about is a kilt pleated, not to a line, but to a solid color. That picture of the MacGregor kilt that beerbeque posted is not an example of this. It is pleated to the white line. Now, imagine that kilt pleated to the solid red block. You would not see *any* vertical stripes on the back of the kilt. All you would see is the horizontal pattern of the sett.

So, the same pattern is always there in the horizontal. It's just if you choose a solid color to pleat to, rather than a stripe, it stands out all the more.

I don't agree with Jimmy 100%. Pleating this way can look good. Again, it all depends on the tartan. Pleating this way is *very* unusual, though, so you will have a different looking kilt.

I, personally, favor pleating to the stripe, just because I think it looks better. All my kilts are pleated that way.

Aye,
Matt

[M. A. C. Newsome]

That photo that Doc just posted is a perfect example of what I was talking about. There, the kilt is pleated to the red, so you don't see any verticle stripes.

Aye,
Matt

[beerbecue]

Mike is going to have the same pattern in the horizontal of the kilt no matter how he pleats it. That's just the way it works. :-)

I guess I just can't visualize it properly... if it is pleated to the red stripe, and the red stripe lies in a dark field only, then won't that dark field be the only one visible in the pleats, and it won't make a noticeable horizontal pattern (dark/dark)??

....As opposed to being pleated to the double white stripes, which lie in dark and green fields, so both of those would show in the pleats, forming a horizontal pattern of dark/green as well??

[chasem]

ok now it makes sense. Doc's picture helped a lot.

Beerb, I think I understand what you're saying, but I think if Mike pleats to either stripe, he's going to have a vertical stripe look rather than a horizontal stripe look. I'll have to look at the tartan again.

[chasem]

ok, I looked at it again, and I see what you're saying now, Beerb.

I think if pleated to the white stripes, the white will stand out more than the horizontal darks, and so it will feel more pleated to the whites, with vertical lines rather than the horizontals.

Not sure about the red, I don't know how much the red will stand out from the rest.

[Doc Hudson]

All I ask is that a kilt does NOT have the pleats with horizontal striping. I've seen it too many times, and it looks like a "Where's Waldo" or "Freddie Kruger" garment!

I know what you mean Jimmy. This photo from Alexis Malcolm is the perfect example of what you mean.