Pleated to sett or stripe?

**socalferg** · 26th October 08, 01:19 PM

Barb T.'s explanation I think provided some insight.

Either way I think this looks good.

**Tommy Hunt** · 26th October 08, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by pdcorlis

Is this a 4 or 5 yard kilt? This looks like the compromise that often gets made when the total length of material is less than 8 or so yards.

I just assumed this (17oz tartan) kilt it was an eigh yarder or because of my size maybe a 7. It was one of their pricier kilts.

**Tommy Hunt** · 26th October 08, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by Barb T.

When a kilt is pleated to the stripe, every pleat is identical. So the kilt in the first post in this thread is definitely not pleated to the stripe, even though there is, in fact, a stripe down each pleat. The kilt below shows what pleating to the stripe is:

The kilt shown in the first post in this thread is not pleated to the sett, either, because the sett is not replicated in the back of the kilt. It's close, but you'll notice that the red stripes on the edges of the triple green blocks aren't present. The kiltmaker also didn't make any attempt to preserve the proportions of the tartan sett.

Having said this, you'll notice that the tartan sett is _huge_ - I'm guessing 12" based on the likely size of the apron. It's always a challenge to pleat a tartan with a huge sett, so sometimes a kiltmaker makes compromises when trying to pleat such a tartan. I don't know if the maker was a knowledgeable kiltmaker or not, so it's hard to say why he/she chose to do it this way.

Steve is right that the center back and front stripes should be the same.

Curiouser and curiouser. So I have a kilt that breaks a few rules and is neither pleated to sett nor to stripe. Wow. As a someone who's studied the two truths of Buddhism that has a special meaning for me LOL. As an artist I just love the design of it. I can see now why it isn't pleated to sett missing that red stripe. I guess they did it that way so it didn't end up with two red/blue sections side by side on either side of the kilt.

Thanks Barb. This is all really interesting.

**Kiltman** · 26th October 08, 06:46 PM

Barb is right, not that I should pass on her opinion. If it were to the sett it would look just like the aprons, if it were to the stripe all the pleats would look alike. It appears to me that kilt maker approximated the sett but didn't cheat the pleats. Perhaps, as Phil asks, it is short on the amount of fabric that was needed.

**Tommy Hunt** · 26th October 08, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by Kiltman

Barb is right, not that I should pass on her opinion. If it were to the sett it would look just like the aprons, if it were to the stripe all the pleats would look alike. It appears to me that kilt maker approximated the set to sett but didn't cheated the pleats. Perhaps, as Phil asks, it is short on the amount of fabric that was needed.

I suppose I could find out how much fabric was used couldn't I? Just add up what's there. I'll do that once the kilt is returned. If it's less than 6 yards I'll feel a bit cheated. Don't the good ones have 7 or 8 yards?

**Barb T** · 27th October 08, 04:57 AM

I suppose I could find out how much fabric was used couldn't I? Just add up what's there. I'll do that once the kilt is returned. If it's less than 6 yards I'll feel a bit cheated. Don't the good ones have 7 or 8 yards?

Depends on what kind of kilt you ordered. But it is true that a trad knife pleated kilt is typically 8 yards or more. But realize that, even if the kiltmaker started with 8 yards, you won't measure a full 8 yards if you start at the apron edge and measure all the way to the underapron edge. Depends on how the kilt actually laid out and where the center front and back stripes were with respect to the cut edge of the tartan. It's pretty common to lose nearly a full sett at the apron and underapron edges, plus nearly two setts at the join. And you have to remember to add in the double fold at the apron and underapron edge facings.

**Tommy Hunt** · 27th October 08, 05:38 AM

Ok Barb thanks. I'll measure and just see what I come up with. If it's 4 yards I'll faint. ;)

**Tommy Hunt** · 31st October 08, 11:56 AM

My kilt's on the way back from Scotland and I've been told it's all fixed. Oddly I find myself anxiously looking to get it back. I've never been a clothes person so this is weird. I'll let you guys know how it went.

**Moosedog** · 31st October 08, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by Tommy Hunt

Oddly I find myself anxiously looking to get it back. I've never been a clothes person so this is weird..

Welcome to the addiction!

Moosedog

**Pleater** · 2nd November 08, 03:24 AM

Sometimes when I start to pin a kilt all my intentions just evaporate and it is almost as though the design which emerges is something that the cloth itself designed.

That is how a perfectly ordinary 20 pleats became a 50 pleat mirror imaged reverse Kingussie, where the reveal is grey and black but the pleats flash alternately red and white.

I don't usually get a bit Zen about making clothes, but sometimes the kilt seems to make up its own mind about how to create pleats to that particular size in that particular tartan.

Anne the Pleater