Pleating this tartan to the sett

**Aspiringloser** · 24th February 12, 03:49 PM

Auld Lang Syne Modern 16 oz. from Marton Mills. I'd really like to pleat this one to the white stripe on the purplish or magenta whatever you'd call that color. The problem is that it is 11/16 in. wide. I may have enough pleats to accommodate 11/16 in. wide pleats. I will decide if this is possible once I start laying it out after cutting. Would you critique my test pinning? I pinned to 3/4 in. wide. The problem with that white on purplish to the sett is that there are black stripes on either side that won't allow tapering. Would you split a stripe that is 4 threads wide or would you hold the white stripe along the pleat edge?

**Paul Henry** · 24th February 12, 04:38 PM

I'm not sure if this forum section is only for Barb to give answers, or whether this question would be better off in the general help section?

But if I might:
My thoughts would be that I would need to know what the waist/hip measurements are , so that I could work out what the taper would be, and then it would be easier to know how much would be lost on the taper. I'd hesitate about splitting the 4 thread white line over 2 pleats in any case as you would still have the same tapering issue. I was mending an old kilt recently with a double line which was just the same size as the pleat width, and the original kilt maker made that pleat a little wider so that the tapering wasn't evident, all the other pleats were the same (narrower )width, it looked absolutely fine,and wasn't evident unless you looked really hard. I'll see if I can find a picture of it.
It's not unusual for the actual sett size when pleated to be slightly different , so don't worry too much about matching it up exactly, a slightly wider ,or slightly narrower band isn't really going to be noticed,and it does give more options for the pleating.

**Aspiringloser** · 24th February 12, 10:59 PM

Would you consider holding the white line, all four threads on the edge of one pleat and making your taper on the other side? That way you wouldn't have to lose the black stripe. I made the test pinning to 3/4 inch without taper. The elements for each pleat I chose seemed to give me the best chance for tapering without losing a stripe. I may find that these elements are the best choice when I figure out how many pleats I'll have and to what measurement they'll be covering. I'd be delighted to find out that I will have enough pleats that I will be able to pleat to the stripe, white line on purplish pink or whatever color it is.

Paul brought up a good point. Perhaps I shouldn't have posted this in Barb's section. I respect everyone's opinion. Mods please move this if you see fit.

**Paul Henry** · 25th February 12, 04:27 AM

here is the photo of the double lines with the wider pleat, I think it's a nice easy solution, and in truth there is no reason why, when there is a difficult pleating decision to make, not to have the option to change the width slightly

**Aspiringloser** · 25th February 12, 08:27 AM

If they could only all be as easy to pleat as the Wallace!!

**Paul Henry** · 25th February 12, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by Aspiringloser

If they could only all be as easy to pleat as the Wallace!!

Ah, but where would the fun be in that! I confess to rather enjoy the process of working out pleating with a new tartan, sometimes it takes moments, usually it takes a little longer!

**Barb T** · 26th February 12, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by paulhenry

I'm not sure if this forum section is only for Barb to give answers, or whether this question would be better off in the general help section?

Yes, actually this thread should have been posted in the general professional kiltmakers section. This "tips" section is for threads that I start myself. If you have questions, you should start threads there, rather than here.

**Aspiringloser** · 26th February 12, 09:58 AM

Sorry about that!! Mods please move this.

**Barb T** · 4th March 12, 10:52 AM

-I would definitely not try to split that tiny little white stripe - it will be almost impossible to make it look good.

-I also wouldn't hold the white stripe up the edge of a pleat - the white line is a pivot, and I think it looks odd when the pleats on each side of a pivot are not mirror images of one another.

-Another thing you should try is pinning up the pleat at the actual size and taper. The black stripe is dark, as is the adjacent green, and it might actually not be all that obvious if you lose the stripe in the taper.

-Paul Henry's solution is a good one, and you could choose to make the pleat with the white stripe either wider or narrower than the others. Try a test pinning first to see how you like it, though.

**Aspiringloser** · 4th March 12, 12:12 PM

Maybe just not use all of the fabric if I need the pleats to be wider? I still haven't cut this fabric yet so I'm not sure how many pleats there will be. I suppose all of this is premature. Trying to solve a problem that hasn't presented itself yet.