My first kilt begins!

[Michael A]

There are still some supplies to arrive (interfacing canvas, buckles and straps), but tonight I have enough to start measuring, filling in sheets, calculating pleat number and depth, etc.

Let it all be done!


Grant Modern, House of Edgar 13Oz Medium Weight, single width, 8 yards.

[Michael A]

I suppose step one would have been to have chosen a symmetric tartan. This one appears not to be. I was going to pleat to stripe, so I will need to take a great deal of care when pleating time comes about.

[davidlpope]

This is a symmetric tartan.

[Michael A]

This is a symmetric tartan.

I don't understand. I had thought that the symmetry of a tartan meant that it was the same when rotated through 90°, but that isn't the case.

What am I missing? I can see that it is symmetrical in both axes, but with different dimensions along the x and y axis.

[Tarheel]

You would be correct Michael. The thread count should be the same with the "X" as in the "Y" axis. The lightest blue line in your tartan is different in one direction. I still like the colors and pattern.

[Grizzled Ian]

A symmetrical tartan has the same order of the colours and threadcount both across and up and down, and that is what I see in your piece of Grant. The weaving process, however, in mills both great and small, is rarely able to achieve exactly the same measure in the sett repeat in both warp and weft. So a symmetric tartan may not meet a strict geometric understanding of symmetry - but to a man on a galloping horse it's a symmetric tartan, OK?

BTW, your tape measure and your straight edge are laid down on different elements of the tartan, and neither one is a full sett repeat. The tape only measures the two wider red stripes (0" to 2 3/4") while the wooden ruler covers the two wider black stripes (0" to 4 1/4"); but note that the tape from 2 3/4" to 7" covers the same as the ruler covers; and that the full sett repeat is under the tape from 0" to 7".

But now it's time to get stuck into working out your preferred pleating option. Depending on how much each pleat narrows from hip to waist, you might have two or four stripes to choose from to avoid spear-pointing. Have fun!

[davidlpope]

You would be correct Michael. The thread count should be the same with the "X" as in the "Y" axis. The lightest blue line in your tartan is different in one direction. I still like the colors and pattern.

Not trying to be argumentative here, but he's not. The light blue is not a pivot. I'll show via a graphic in a bit.

[davidlpope]

In the photo above I have marked the two pivots for this tartan. Starting at either one of these pivots, the order of threads is the same in both directions. The light blue/azure in the Red Grant tartan is not a pivot.

The point that you may be getting confused about is whether this tartan is "square"- i.e. the measurement of a certain number of warp threads is the exact same as the same number of weft threads. It is not, hence the sett size will be a little different measured warp-wise vs. weft-wise. This is pretty common with commercially produced tartan, and not something to be concerned about.

Here is an assymetric tartan:



There is no pivot in this tartan, at all. Hence it is assymetric.

[Michael A]

That is very helpful David thanks.

[Adrian]

Personally I would pleat that tartan to sett for my very first kilt, then do one to stripe in a tartan where the the chosen stripe is nicely bordered by a decent width of colour....