Knife vs Box Pleats

[Tartan Hiker]

OK... then lets see if I have this right.

Since I purchased a blended medium weight tartan, ( not wool )and have the yardage, I'm better off with the 8 yard knife edge pleaded kilt.

Had I purchased the heavier material, my options would have been opened to both Knife or Box, with Box being lighter weight and more balanced, constructed of less material ** read economical**, yet still authentic.

BTW, I bought the 14 yards ( not dbl but single ) so I would have enough for a full kilt and a fly plaid. and probably some left for other accessories.

Given all the details above, I would agree with your decision.

[Pleater]

I too would advise that you use a longer length of any medium weight fabric - the box pleated kilts look better in something with a bit of gravitas - otherwise they could get a bit skirtish looking.

A box pleated heavyweight kilt looks very suave - and a double box pleat gets a double 0 rating, from me at least.

Now you need to decide if you are going for a continuous run of knife pleats or one of the Kingussie (mirror image) styles.

Anne the Pleater

[Tartan Hiker]

Now you need to decide if you are going for a continuous run of knife pleats or one of the Kingussie (mirror image) styles.
Anne the Pleater

Geez, Anne...don't confuse him again! He just made a decision and now he's got yet another option!

[piperdbh]

And with single width tartan, you'll have to seam two pieces together to make a fly plaid.
I'd encourage you to check out Matt Newsome's blog entry about his half-plaid. It looks a lot like the belted plaid, of feilidh mor, but is not attached to the kilt, and looks good with either box- or kinfe-pleated kilts. Since you'll likely have a bit of fabric left over, that might be a nice option. (I'm stitching mine up on Thursday.)
By the way, what tartan is it?

[Barb T]

If it's your first kilt, you're better off going with something where you can read good instructions (either 8-yard knife pleat or 4 yard box pleat). I wouldn't try a Kingussie if I hadn't made a kilt before.

I agree with everyone that you ought to try an 8 yard knife pleated kilt first, given the tartan that you have. Box pleated kilts are better in 16 oz.

BTW: the instructions for making a 4-yard box pleated kilt are not in the book. Here's the info for getting the instructions (free):
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/m...x.html?t=43498