Box Pleat assistance needed...

[longhuntr74]

Have you got Matt's addendum to TAOK with instructions for box pleat kilts?

Brian

Definitely...sorry. It was "a given" that I probably should have stated up front. This question is not so much about how to make a box pleated kilt...it's more related to the fact that I find an 11" sett rather difficult to work with. It's bigger than most sets, which means that you end up with rather wide pleat reveals and have overlaps in the back. If you try to do a half set repeat, you end up with something too narrow...whereas if the sett was 15" it would be good to go.

I was planning to pleat to the green stripe...but you can't really do that with a box pleat and only get the green...as the band is only like 1.5" wide...then it transitions to the green black bands on either side...and I'm not sure I like that look. I tried to 3" pleats in three configurations:
1. Pleating to the sett with a 3/4 sett repeat: Doesn't give me enough depth in the boxes
2. Pleating to the stripe (either green band or blue field) with a full repeat: I don't like the way it looks with the black bands or the lack of any green showing
3. Pleating to the sett with a 5/4 sett repeat (basically a true pleating to the sett as you would do with a tank...just wider pleats of course): This configuration gives me the same look as option 1...but I ended up with TOO MUCH material in the boxes.

I think the best look I've developed so far is the 3/4 sett repeat with 2 5/8" (taking Anne's advice about narrow=bad) pleat reveal. This will give me 8 pleats across the back...meaning I don't have a center rear pleat and my pleats will start and end on different pleats (ie. one will be the green stripe and the opposite end will end on a blue field).

Anne...I did consider double box pleats...but I think I've decided on the standard single box pleats...I think it will give a more accurate look during reenactments...though I know that kilts in the 1760s-1780s were not sewn. But heck...If I only use 3.5 yards in this kilt, that gives me 5 3/4 yards leftover for a feilidh begh (or phillabeg).

Anyways...I have seen what Hothir and Josh (NorCalPiper) did with their box pleats...wondering if anybody else out there has done a box pleat in Regimental Weight Black Watch...did you do anything besides standard 3" pleating to the green stripe? Sorry for rambling....