Pleat Size Help

**Bearded Man Brew** · 18th January 13, 08:43 AM

Hello,

I am making a non tartan kilt and have been trying to decide on my pleating. I wanted to know what would look better visually. I can do a 2 inch pleat and have a 10 inch set over 13 pleats or a 1.5 inch pleat with at 7.5 inch set over 17 pleats.

**David Thorpe** · 18th January 13, 08:58 AM

Assuming that you mean pleat depth rather than set, 10" is pretty deep for pleats.

**Bearded Man Brew** · 18th January 13, 09:01 AM

With a 2 in reveal, the sett is 10 inches, 2 inches for the reveal and 4 inch depth for a total of 10 in per pleat. 1.5 would be 3 inch depth for 7.5 in for each pleat. I may have terms incorrect, I hope this provides clarification

**David Thorpe** · 18th January 13, 09:20 AM

OK. The word "sett" used for a non-tartan fabric is what was throwing me. 3 or 4 inches of pleat depth isn't bad at all. It depends on the desired "look" you are after.

**The Wizard of BC** · 18th January 13, 09:36 AM

Can you give us a little more detail,
What you want to do in your kilt.
What look are you going for? Do you want a more traditional look or are you going for a Utilikilt look?
What fabric are you planning on using?
What style of pleating?

In general 2" reveal to pleating is usually only for the Utilikilt look. In general, the wider the reveal to the pleats the less they will swish.
In general a 10" Sett is pretty large. I find 9" is my max with 6"-7" being average. It all depends on the fabric. The stiffer or thicker the fabric, the larger the Sett size you need to achieve the required swish.

**Barb T** · 18th January 13, 10:21 AM

If you were making a trad knife-pleated kilt in wool kilting tartan, it would be typical to have pleats that are about 3/4-7/8" (i.e., the reveal would be 3/4-7/8"), with a depth of 3.5-4" (reflecting a typical sett size of 7-8" or so. That way, you can get enough tartan into a kilt to give it enough weight to swing well.

So, if you have comparable plain fabric, I'd aim for depth of 3.5-4" and a reveal of 3/4"-7/8" if you want to have a kilt that looks traditional.

**The Wizard of BC** · 19th January 13, 12:53 AM

Bearded Man Brew,

I think I may see where or what is causing your question.

First, lets get some terms and ideas the same so we are speaking the same language.

Sett is how much fabric is used to make one full pleat. It can also be thought of the amount of fabric from one pleat edge to the next pleat edge. This term comes from the Tartan world and means the size of the Tartan pattern.

Pleat reveal = the amount of pleat that you see. A 2" reveal means that each pleat shows 2" wide.

Pleat depth is just what it says the depth of each pleat.

As each pleat, from pleat edge to pleat edge, includes the amount of fabric in the Sett, plus the depth of the pleat, in and the depth of the pleat out - If your Sett is 10" and your pleat reveal is 2" that leaves 8 inches of fabric for the rest of your pleat. or 4" depth. 4" in + 4" out + 2" reveal = 10". Just as in your example.

Now here is where I think the problem lies.

If you have, as in your first example, 13 pleats, each with a 2" reveal, the result is a total of 26" of pleated area in the back of the kilt.
However in your second example you say you have 17 pleats each with a 1.5" reveal. That equals a total pleated area of 25.5".

These two should have been the same regardless of the pleat reveal. This is your starting point.

Here is the cool part. You can have the same Sett size but different sizes of pleat reveal. What will change is the amount of total fabric you use to span your hips with pleats.

Let's assume you have measured your hip size. Let's also assume that number is 48". For simplicity I am going to use 1/2 of your hip size for the apron and 1/2 the hip size for the pleated area. (not actually true and dependent on the type of kilt you are making.)
This gives you a 24" apron and 24" of pleated area.

If your pleat reveal is 1" you will have 24 - 1" pleats to span that 24".
If your pleat reveal is 2" you will have 12 - 2" pleats to span that 24".

But pleat reveal and Sett size do not have much relationship to each other. The Sett size and the amount of fabric you have are sure connected and that determines how many pleats you can make.

So just for grins, let's assume you have lots of fabric, and want lots of swish, so you choose a 10" Sett size.
If I have a 2" reveal, (4" deep), and have 12 pleats, each pleat uses 10" of fabric for a total amount of fabric of 120". (actually just a bit more but I'm not trying to confuse you)
If your keep the 10" Sett but reduce the reveal to 1.5", (4.25" deep), then you will have 16 pleats each using 10" of fabric for a total of 160" of fabric.
10" of Sett with a 1" reveal, (4.5" deep), 24 pleats, 240" of total fabric used.

So, first. - measure your total pleated area in the back of the kilt.
Then measure how much fabric you have to work with.
Then if you understand how pleats are laid out you can figure out how many pleats you have fabric for.

**Canuck** · 19th January 13, 10:34 AM

Sett is a term used to define the pattern before it repeats itself, in other words blocks of colour repeat vertically and horizontally in a distinctive pattern of squares and lines known as a "sett".
One can pleat to a sett, meaning you pleat in a fashion that the sett pattern is repeated across the back of the kilt. Depending on the tartan the sett may vary in size before repeating 7-10 inches.

**Barb T** · 20th January 13, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by Canuck

Depending on the tartan the sett may vary in size before repeating 7-10 inches.

Sett size can vary quite a bit more than that, actually. Commercially woven kilting tartan has setts ranging in size from under 5" to more than 15". 6-9" setts are the most common.