Hello From Philadelphia, and Great Kilt help

[AlchemiCailleach]

Hi all.

I am of Scottish ancestry and a paternally first-gen American. I have become interested in Tartans and Kilts a great deal in the last year or so. My first was the Black Stewart comfy kilt from Sport Kilt, but now I have a PV Ancient MacKay 5 yd great kilt.

My last name is Collins, which falls under the Angus District, which led me to the following forum page here. This was perhaps the most influential things on me when I began searching for Tartan patterns. I thought long and hard about many factors, and different materials and weights and features (just about a year of 'research' to distract from class work and other stuff). For that, I thank the members of this forum for your aid. I ultimately landed on the MacKay tartan because of color scheme and sette size, while the darker Angus tartan was not available at a similar price anywhere I could find.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...tartans-88676/

I am looking for help with my great kilt, if anyone can provide some help. Here are the details:

I have a waist between 36-39 inches, and wider hips than waist. My pleating instructions say to make the aprons half the waist size, and the width of the pleated part half the waist size. So, if we estimate that to be 18 inches per half of the apron, then the 5 yd kilt has 4 yds to be distributed in the pleated section, which stretches across another 18 inches. Does anyone know a good way to calculate the pleat depth, width/separation, number, etc? The sette is about 6 in square, and when I made the pleats 6 in deep I still had too much in each part, and so I need the pleats to either be deeper or closer together. I would prefer though that the pleats be deep enough not to come undone easily.

Thank you very much all!

[Tarheel]

Well met new friend. You seem to have done your homework as there are good questions in your post. I can do the math and even visualize the way I would complete my kilt (if I were you). Other members that have done their own great kilts will pipe in soon and I'm confident all your questions will be cleared up.

I remember threads that discussed interior belt hoops that created pleats, videos of donning, etc. Glad to have you with us, even if I didn't help here, I'll pop in often.

[Father Bill]

Can't help with the challenge; I'm not a Great Kilt guy, but . . .

Welcome to the "Great Rabble!"

[Liam]

Check the down load section of The Celtic Croft (advertiser here). They have a very good description.

[ASinclair]

Hello AC!



I can't help with the Great Kilt, sorry.

[Tomak]

Can't help with the great kilt, but hello and welcome from Southern California.

[Dughlas mor]

Welcome from Seattle. As far as pleating your great kilt, I can only suggest the time honored method of trial and error.

[Pleater]

You could make 18 pleats with 6 inches in each pleat and then put any spare into under apron pleats - they make sitting down or going up stairs easier by providing extra fabric to keep the aprons together.

The under apron pleats would take up the extra fabric, so that the two aprons would have two yards in them and the small pleats 3 yards, so it would be better balanced than a one yard in front and 4 in back arrangement.

You might find that making the 18 pleats a little more than 18 inches, more like half the hip measurement, will improve the balance and wearability. I used a great kilt as a dressing gown for a while, but it was a bit too wild and kept clearing off the coffee table and snagging door handles so it got recycled.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[dougle]

[AlchemiCailleach]

Check the down load section of The Celtic Croft (advertiser here). They have a very good description.

This is where I purchased the kilt from. I tried following along but ultimately had difficulty with the exact numbers.