Calculation of pleats in Kilt

[AJBryant]

What Steve said. It's all the same in the end.

[Carlo]

If you can visualize how to fold the fabric to achieve the pattern you need, you don't need to worry that 3/4 inch and 19.05 cm are the same thing.

And there we see the problems that come from conversions. 3/4 inch are 1.905 cm. The story of how a comma made an elefant out of a mouse

[Grizzled Ian]

Steve got the numbers exactly right, when you look at it another way. 3/4 inch does equal 19.05, but not centimetres. He meant to write MM, not CM, the poor tired munchkin. (You might also say he's 1100 out. Think about it, as Guru Bob used to say.)

[The Wizard of BC]

You buy them books and you buy them books, and all they do is chew on the covers.

Listen to what I mean, not to what I say.

It's just about this big [______ ]

[Pleater]

My engineer husband always wants measurements in mm - but when trying to fix the sink he cuts off quarter of an inch - there's the brain and there is the hand, as they say.

When I am sorting out pleats it is not unusual for me to use a micrometre - but you don't really need to.

I find it is usually easiest to mock up the aprons - just pin them, put in the under apron pleats, and then count the remaining sets to see how wide the pleat reveals should be - then you can fold the fabric, get the stripe or part of the set you need to show correctly positioned, press lightly and then tack down the folds.

You can then check that everything is going to work out right, that the measurement is right and everything looks correct before doing any serious sewing.

There is absolutely no difference using metric or imperial measurements - if you read the theory of constructing a kilt for a particular size and understand how the maths is done, and why, then you can do the same thing in any units of measurement.

A lot of kilt design comes down to making just over half the circumference pleats, and don't skimp on the under apron pleats so sitting down is not going to get anyone arrested.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Starhunter451]

My question is, how wide should the apron be? How far around the thighs?

[Steve Ashton]

Starhunter,

For a traditional style kilt the apron will be 1/2 of both your waist and hip. This is plus or minus a bit but not much.
This means that the aprons are tapered and wider at the hips than at the waist. Looking from the sides though the apron edges should be a vertical line.

For a modern or contemporary kilt the aprons can vary from 1/2 the waist to 1/3, and down to 7" wide for a MUG style.