Box pleats vs Knife pleats?

[dana]

Can one of our kilt makers (or other experts here) please explain to me the differenced between box pleats and knife pleats? Some sort of diagram would be most helpful. Thanks

dana

[Uncle Ricky]

Knife pleats all go in the same direction, Box plears alternate left, right, left, right.

[Pittsburgh Kilts]

Knife pleats all go in the same direction, Box plears alternate left, right, left, right.

Did you follow that? In a tradtional kilt, knife pleats are used the whole way around. Then the very last pleat (under the inner apron) is a box pleat--there is one "slit" showing on the outside, but underneath the fabric goes both directions, kinda like two pleats in one.

For those familiar with the patented Utilikilt "symetrical pleating" design, the box pleat is in the back center. All the rest are knife pleats.

[bubba]

As far as Utilikilts patent, they didn't invent the center box pleat with knife pleats goingt out from it. I recall seeing a picture of an antique kilt outfit, kilt and jacket in tartan, that used that pleating pattern. Damned if I can remember where I saw it.

[Jimmy Carbomb]

[dana]

Thanks guys, especially Jimmy. That's the perfect diagram.

dana

[Miah]

I think that Amish skirts use that style to pleat.
here is a Picture of a Box style pleat.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

The "symmetrical" style of pleating you see in the Utilikilts is called "Kinguisse" pleating, because the only Scottish kilt known to have been pleated that way (with a single box pleat in the center, and knife pleats fanning out to either side in opposite directions) is a Robertson kilt, c. 1820, held in a museum in Kinguisse, Scotland.

We have a reproduction of that kilt in our museum in NC, and also we have a recently "rediscovered" kilt from c. 1840 that shows the same style of pleating, the second one so far discovered.

Aye,
Matt

[bubba]

Thanks Matt, that's what I was thinking of. There are only so many ways to pleat a kilt and I can't imagine they haven't all been used at one time or another.

[Canuck]

I think that Amish skirts use that style to pleat.
here is a Picture of a Box style pleat.

The amish and mennonite ladies have used the symetrical pleating style for many years only no-one has thought to patent it. This style has been in the public domain for years well before utilkilts came along.

If you think about it, most kilts are pleated this way as Jeff has said it's just the location of the box pleat. Either you have it at the side or in the centre or any combination.
Just want to clear any question that Utilikilts were first to come up with this style of pleating, they weren't. They just hold an American patent.