Pleating to sett issues

[dolltrbin]

Newbie taking the leap.

I purchased a copy of TAOK (awesome book btw) and 8 yds. of Davidson Modern 16oz. wool.

Now the problem; I can't seem to get the pleating right. Trying to pleat to sett (sett repeats roughly every 6-3/8", red stripe on black). It doesn't seem to want to work out right and its giving me fits. Could someone take a look at the pic and let me know if I've laid this out correctly?

Thanks in advance, you guys rock.

[Me cousin Jack]

Newbie taking the leap.

I purchased a copy of TAOK (awesome book btw) and 8 yds. of Davidson Modern 16oz. wool.

Now the problem; I can't seem to get the pleating right. Trying to pleat to sett (sett repeats roughly every 6-3/8", red stripe on black). It doesn't seem to want to work out right and its giving me fits. Could someone take a look at the pic and let me know if I've laid this out correctly?

Thanks in advance, you guys rock.

Im unable to see a posted picture.

[dolltrbin]

Second try on the pic

[dolltrbin]

Apparently, I also have trouble posting pics. It shows in the "preview post" but doesn't turn up in the actual thread

[dolltrbin]

Last try, direct upload this time

[dolltrbin]

Arrrggghhh

[gsmacleod]

O4CaaF.jpg

Here you go.

Shane

[The Wizard of BC]

May I ask please, what style of pleats you are planning?

The reason is that the width of Refined Knife Pleats will usually be somewhere between 5/8" and 7/8". Occasionally 1" wide

In the photo provided there are 4 pleats per Sett. If the Sett is 6 3/8" this would create pleats 1 19/32" wide.

[dolltrbin]

Thank you Shane, don't know why I couldn't do that.

Steve,

I'm trying to do knife pleats. They don't seem to come out evenly. Trying to center the appropriate stripe in each pleat.

Problem may lie with the area bordering the red stripe. The stripe that is overlaid by the red is slightly wider than the distance between the narrow stripes (if that makes any sense).

Should all the pleat reveals be the same width or will they vary?

[The Wizard of BC]

To answer the last question first all the pleats should be the same width.

And the entire Tartan pattern should be present without any element missing.

We try to choose a pleating so that when the tapers are sewn no element just ends before reaching the top of the taper creating 'spear points'.


So, one way of doing this, which is a bit different from how Barb explains, is the way I do it here in my shop.

Almost any Tartan can be divided into a number of equally spaced elements.
You can find these elements with just a bit of experiment.

Begin by drawing what has been knicknamed by one of my Kilt Kamp students as "The magic Starburst". It consists of a set of lines drawn from a single point at the top and straight down to any number of equally spaced divisions lower down.
This creates a set of equally spaced lines of gradually increasing width.



Take a strip of your fabric from the center. The alignment should be the same as your fabric for the kilt. (Lengthwise not up and down)
This strip should be about as long as around your butt from side to side.

The element of the Tartan that you have chosen for the center of the apron and center of the back should be in the center of the strip.



Once you have the strip cut, place it on the starburst and move it up and down along the starburst until one full set is aligned with any two lines.



You can move the strip up and down finding a different number of equal spaced elements until you are happy. This will usually be where the individual elements are between 5/8 inch and 1 inch.
In the photo above the strip is divided into 7 elements.

You then look to insure that this division of the Tartan is suitable by moving the strip side to side until the center element is centered within on of the divisions.



Carefully look at all of the elements of your Tartan where they are crossed by lines of the starburst.
You do not want a starburst line splitting a Tartan line or being so close to a Tartan element that it will cause a spear point when tapered.

Then mark out the divisions on your Tartan strip.



This is just a short explanation of the process and I can go into more detail if you wish but on your Davidson Tartan the divisions will probably look about like this.



This creates 12 divisions in each full repeat of the Sett. Each division is approx. 13/16".

Please notice in this ancient colorway Davidson Tartan that one full repeat of the Sett is not 6 3/8 inch. Not one Red stripe to the next, but the next Red stripe within a Black band. Or 6 15/16 inch.

Please note the two lines with small "Hash marks". These two pleats will be made so that the Tartan element goes straight down the edge of the pleat with all the taper on the other side of the pleat.