Pleating to the stripe but which stripe

[Nemuragh]

I’m thinking of having a kilt made up in Maclean of Duart by Lochcarron, medium weight (https://www.lochcarron.co.uk/maclean...tartan-fabric/ ). This seems to be one of several Maclean variations but this is woven with 7 colours (I think) including a dark blue and light blue. This makes the blue pop out in a way I really like (and the other variations don’t, not even the Lochcarron heavy-weight version).

My question is, if I get it pleated to the stripe, which stripe? The 2 light blue stripes which border the thin black stripe seems the logical choice but would it be possible to alternate between the thin blue stripes and the single darker blue stripe (or would this stripe be too wide to fit on a pleat)? This arrangement might give more colour variation if it were possible.

Any thoughts?

John

[Karl R]

My question is, if I get it pleated to the stripe, which stripe?

In the USA Kilts videos, their recommendation was to squint your eyes to where the entire tartan becomes blurry. Pick out the strip that stands out the most.

For example, on one of my dark kilts, it's pleated to the white stripe. When I get a Renwick Ancient tartan kilt, I will get it pleated to the red stripe. If nothing stands out, you might want to pleat it to the sett instead (as my other kilts are).

[Steve Ashton]

If I can suggest.

It is real easy to save an image of a Tartan and then, with a paint program, crop the image into pleats and simulate pleating by pasting multiple cropped pleats together.

Sort of like this.

[Nemuragh]

If I can suggest.

It is real easy to save an image of a Tartan and then, with a paint program, crop the image into pleats and simulate pleating by pasting multiple cropped pleats together.

Sort of like this...

Thanks, that’s good advice and, at some point, I intend to do something similar (I thought to do it in a vector graphics app, but that’s a technicality). I wonder though if it’s feasible to pleat the wider blue stripe or if pleats would not be wide enough to do it (as I mention in a previous posting). Is it possible to pleat to alternating lines - it seems to me that that would mean the pleats were different depths and therefore that would probably not be feasible, either.

[Steve Ashton]

Some Tartans pleat to alternating stripe quite well.





Others not quite as nice.



and some are just plain ugly.

[Benning Boy]

There's a picture of a kilt somewhere pleated to alternating stripes. I recall it belongs to Peter MacDonald. It looks OK to my eye. Maybe i can comenwith the pic. I'll see.

[Nemuragh]

In the USA Kilts videos, their recommendation was to squint your eyes to where the entire tartan becomes blurry. Pick out the strip that stands out the most.
...

Trying this suggests the darker blue, wide stripe but it is closely surrounded by light blue lines then yellow and white lines. I wonder if this would be too wide to fit on a pleat or if it would mean some of the adjacent lines disappearing where the pleat narrows (and therefore not being viable).

[Pleater]

Pleats of different depths are perfectly possible and not uncommon, particularly in shorter yardage kilts where extra pleats are squeezed from every bit of the fabric, or repairs where there have been catastrophic failures.

[OC Richard]

I'm no hand at computer programmes either!

When I had my Isle Of Skye kilt made, once the kiltmaker got the fabric he pinned the fabric showing three or four different pleating options and sent me photos.

Since MacLean of Duart has been, for many years, a popular Pipe Band tartan, it's easy to find online photos of MacLean of Duart kilts.

Here's a photo showing the pleating of the MacLean of Duart (ancient colours) kilts worn by Shotts and Dykehead Caledonian Pipe Band.

Looks like their kilts are pleated to the azure/blue/azure area you mentioned.



Their Facebook page has a closeup of the pleats

https://www.facebook.com/shottspipeband/

[Nemuragh]

I'm no hand at computer programmes either!

...

Looks like their kilts are pleated to the azure/blue/azure area you mentioned.

Well you seem quite adept at searches. Actually, I like to think I’m quite good with programs.

I’ve been playing with a vector graphics program and have found a section for the pleat that I like but don’t know if it is a practical proposition or how I would describe it to the kiltmaker.

B80ABEA2-9FC0-4045-A4D5-680FB8817428.jpg