pleating to the sett & the elements of the sett - Do I have this right?

[jhockin]

So: i'm starting on kilt #5, a traditional hand sewn ( following Barbs 'bible'- aka "The Art of Kiltmaking"). Spent a good portion of the day doing test pleats & reading & re-reading 'AoK'.
Finally ( after numerous versions of 'to the stripe', and box-pleating) decided to go with ( & practise) pleating to the sett.
Here are some photos that I thought might help others (IF [BIG "IF"] I did this correctly! -please, kiltmakers, let me know if I've done this wrong, BEFORE I start sewing - tomorrow!).

First, I studied the "elements of the sett" and marked off those elements between 5/8" & 1", marking "A", as what I have already chosen as center stripe/'center back stripe':
-from left to right: F,A,B,C,D,E:


2nd, a close-up of the test pleat, with the "elements" marked:
F,A,B,C,D,E,F,A,B,C,D,E,F,A
(I notice that the pleats differ in the width of the 'reveal'/what shows; I assume this is normal? .. it seems to look 'right', as far as repeating the sett.)

and, finally, the test pleat, alongside a length of the (so far)unpleated "Maple Leaf" tartan, that I am using for this kilt (16 oz) (winter is on the way, and i'll be wanting the warm one(s)! :

[The Wizard of BC]

Just a question.

Are all your pleats the same width of reveal?

It looks from your pictures that you stuck strictly to the elements and did not attempt to keep the pleats all the same size.

If this is indeed true then this would be incorrect.

You can fudge on where the pleat crease is in an element to keep the pleat width all the same. In an extreme case like Maple Leaf you can even fudge on the total sett if you have to. The finished pleating may not line up perfectly with an un-pleated section of fabric.

The thing you should look out for when picking where the pleat crease will be is to avoid having an element that will disappear when you taper.

The Maple Leaf Tartan would not be my first choice to give to a first time kiltmaker. But if you can do the Maple Leaf you can do almost any Tartan.


BTW, did you remember that the Maple Leaf Tartan is asymmetrical and allow for a hem in the other piece?

[jhockin]

Steve ( wow! that was quick! thanks!):

(quote: "Are all your pleats the same width of reveal?
It looks from your pictures that you stuck strictly to the elements and did not attempt to keep the pleats all the same size.")
- Yes, you are right, the reveal DOES differ ( as I think i mentioned, in my post?), as I DID stick to 'the elements - however, there will be no taper ( for now - I live in hope of regaining my once 'boyish figure", or at least some of it; so I plan to NOT cut out the inside of a couple of the pleats, either side of the back - for (hopefully) future alterations (to smaller waist).

(quote:" BTW, did you remember that the Maple Leaf Tartan is asymmetrical and allow for a hem in the other piece?")
- NO, I didn't "remember" ( since i didn't know - but it does explain some of the time & trouble I had doing test pleats) that it is an asymetrical tartan ... back to the 'drawing board', i guess

(quote: "The Maple Leaf Tartan would not be my first choice to give to a first time kiltmaker. But if you can do the Maple Leaf you can do almost any Tartan.")
- I LOVE a challenge! ( and a warm winter kilt!

[jhockin]

You can fudge on where the pleat crease is in an element to keep the pleat width all the same. In an extreme case like Maple Leaf you can even fudge on the total sett if you have to. The finished pleating may not line up perfectly with an un-pleated section of fabric.

The thing you should look out for when picking where the pleat crease will be is to avoid having an element that will disappear when you taper.

OK, so I've marked out the pleats, and (only just) started sewing (the first) pleat. I saw, while marking the pleats, what the Wizard and Barb mean about a challenge. I had to keep adjusting the pleat marks to keep stripes from disappearing, in the fell. It looks like I'll have to keep the tape measure at hand, along with a pad of paper, to keep track of my "fudging", so that I don't end up with the fell too big or too small, or strange angles on one side of a pleat, stripes from disappearing part-way up the fell, stripes centered all the way, (etc., etc.), and still keep the pleats the same ( or, at least almost the same) across the fell.
This is one of those times when it would be so handy to have a couple of extra arms & hands!

[Barb T]

Advice that is not in the book - use lots of pins. That little piece of advice is not in the book, because my co-author is absolutely rabid about not pinning. But I find that, if I pin, I make better pleats and don't wind up taking out half of them. And I can stitch 5-6 pleats an hour even with pinning, so I don't buy Elsie's argument that pinning slows you down.

[jhockin]

Barb (& thanks again) yes, I DO use more pins! I also found some of those 'extra hands", I was wishing for ( we'll haveta see how well it turns out):


the idea occurred to me, and I thought I'd give it a try! Using a 16"diameter embroidery hoop


By the way, Barb, I keep forgetting to ask: why do we wax the thread, for stitching the pleats? The book doesn't say; to reduce snarls?

[jhockin]

well ... using an embroidery hoop was NOT a good idea! Had to ripp out all those stitched (grrrrr!)

[vorpallemur]

Advice that is not in the book - use lots of pins. That little piece of advice is not in the book, because my co-author is absolutely rabid about not pinning. But I find that, if I pin, I make better pleats and don't wind up taking out half of them. And I can stitch 5-6 pleats an hour even with pinning, so I don't buy Elsie's argument that pinning slows you down.

Pins certainly slow me down when sewing anything else. I've not yet done a kilt to the methods in the book, but I'd expect they'd slow me down there, too. I use them when I want to look at how something will look and for hemming and the like, but not during actual sewing.

One thing I'm surprised the book doesn't suggest is using pre-waxed thread. You can get it in a skein, instead a spool. cut it at one end, and you've got a bunch of thread all the same length, of the right length. Saves a heck of lot of time.

[sydnie7]

No taper. . . I wonder.

There have been several discussions here about people who say that their rump and waist measurements are the same.

In reality, you probably have two circles of the same diameter (waist circle and rump circle) but I doubt that they have the exact same center in your body.

Try this -- imagine you are wearing p@nts, or actually put a pair on if you own them. Now measure from side seam to side seam around the FRONT of your waist. Then measure side seam to side seam around the REAR of your rump. This is about what your finished kilt hip measure should be, and I bet it is larger than you think. The aprons need to fall straight down from your navel toward the floor, not tuck inward under your belly.

I could be wrong, of course, but very few people are truly straight up and down with zero taper from buttocks to small of back.

[jhockin]

No taper. . . I wonder.

There have been several discussions here about people who say that their rump and waist measurements are the same.

In reality, you probably have two circles of the same diameter (waist circle and rump circle) but I doubt that they have the exact same center in your body.

Try this -- imagine you are wearing p@nts, or actually put a pair on if you own them. Now measure from side seam to side seam around the FRONT of your waist. Then measure side seam to side seam around the REAR of your rump. This is about what your finished kilt hip measure should be, and I bet it is larger than you think. The aprons need to fall straight down from your navel toward the floor, not tuck inward under your belly.

I could be wrong, of course, but very few people are truly straight up and down with zero taper from buttocks to small of back.

sydnie7
yes, you are correct; there is a one inch difference, W&H. ..I guess I should have 'said' very little taper. Thanks for your tip - I'll try that & re-check my 'splits' - haven't started sewing just yet.

Barb:
thanks, your photo really helps!

- (quote: "I chose to retain the overall symmetry of the red and green undercheck by splitting the central khaki stripe in the green undercheck.")
- I'm guessing that the green you refer to is what I was thinking of as black, and the 'khaki' is what I was thinking of as 'beige', in the three stripes: gold, beige, & brown??
- (quote: " If I had only 8 yards, I'd probably still double the sett and have larger, fewer pleats, but I can give you some advice on that if you tell me how much tartan you have and what the hip measurement is for the kilt.")
- I have 4 meters ( and yes, it is F&K, 16 oz.dbl wide)( already ripped into two pieces) & hip measurement is 45". - sounding like your suggestion to make deeper & fewer pleats (rather than 35, using single repeats) is a very good idea. Just wondering what size your pleats ( in the photo) are/were ?
-(quote: "be sure to allow for the hem when you rip the width!!")
- yeah, I screwed up there, too! Already ripped hte material - missed that part in your book, (but, it is heavily underlined & notated, now ). So, there is an 'offset'. of about one inch, bwt the 1st & 2nd piece; I'm hoping I can compensate, for this, by (after making a narrow hem, to make the two pieces match) a wider waistband ( say 1>11/2 inches??)