Pleat sizing

[beerbecue]

Since I ripped out the only pleat I had done on the new kilt, I guess I can ask this now.

OK, I am pleating to the stripe. As it stands, I have 43 pleats (symmetrical around the back center stripe). 1/2" at the hips (21" in. in pleats) and ~7/16" at the waist (18.5" in pleats). Overall measurement is 38.5W 41H.

Should I remove a few and make them larger, or just go with what I have??

[Canuck]

Since I ripped out the only pleat I had done on the new kilt, I guess I can ask this now.

OK, I am pleating to the stripe. As it stands, I have 43 pleats (symmetrical around the back center stripe). 1/2" at the hips (21" in. in pleats) and ~7/16" at the waist (18.5" in pleats). Overall measurement is 38.5W 41H.

Should I remove a few and make them larger, or just go with what I have??

That's a lot of pleats. I'm 39 at the waist and 46 at the hip. My kilts range from 30 -34 pleats depending on the size of the sett. How wide is the sett is it 7 cm or 14 cm before it repeats the pattern. How wide is the stripe and the colour of the base stripe underneath it. OK if the width of the pleat is 5/8" you would have 33 pleats. 5/8" is about the size of a stripe in the average tartan.( I come up with 42 pleats at 1/2" wide but thats a lot of pleats to stitch) You would bury a double sett if the sett was 7cm or a single sett if it was a 14cm repeat pattern The exception is at the sides and the reverse pleat where you have to 4x the 7cm and double the 14cm.
What is the tartan you are using again please.
Cheers
Robert

[beerbecue]

It's a Hunting Stewart, the sett is 5 7/8" or 15cm. The field under the dominant stripe is green and dark blue, basically dark green.

I thought that seemed like a lot of pleats, and they are very small at the waist. Perhaps I'll do some calculations to make them bigger in the hips and decrease the number of pleats...

[Canuck]

It's a Hunting Stewart, the sett is 5 7/8" or 15cm. The field under the dominant stripe is green and dark blue, basically dark green.

I thought that seemed like a lot of pleats, and they are very small at the waist. Perhaps I'll do some calculations to make them bigger in the hips and decrease the number of pleats...

I don't have a copy of the tartan....however what is the width of the dark green? if it's close to 5/8" then you would have about 33 pleats which is rather nice for a kilt. It's easier to match the pleat to the next one because you have a line to follow and still take in the taper for the waist. You have very little to roll over on the taper.
All the best with your project. Just a hint, if you can get a hold of tailers thread it already comes in cut lengths and it's just long enough to complete a pleat. The thread is also waxed and is easier to handle and doesn't get twisted as you sew down the pleat.
Cheers
Robert

[awoodfellow]

hmmm ... as i wait for the Kilt Bible .....

ok. what do you mean, 'a pleat bigger at the hip'? shouldn't the pleat be uniform the entire length of the drop? just wondering, as it sounds as if the pleat is going to be a different width elsewhere.

please clarify . thanks

'brose

[Canuck]

hmmm ... as i wait for the Kilt Bible .....

ok. what do you mean, 'a pleat bigger at the hip'? shouldn't the pleat be uniform the entire length of the drop? just wondering, as it sounds as if the pleat is going to be a different width elsewhere.

please clarify . thanks

'brose

Well yes. from the hip down the pleat is the same. But since your waist is narrower than your hip(idealy) you have to compensate. So you take a fraction of the top of the pleat(the waist) or in some cases every second or third pleat in. You hardly notice it, because you have 26-34 or something pleats to take in 2-5 inches, all in the math. In fact at the edge of each apron you put in darts so there is even less tapering.
i.e. my waist is 39" my hip 46" We shall take half of each, because the front half of our kilt is apron. Half waist 19.5" half hip is 23". the difference between hip and waist is 3.5". I'm pleating the back of the kilt. so I have to taper 3.5" over 33 pleats. it's a fraction of an inch on each pleat. The apron also has to narrow by 3.5", but I do that at two places, one on each side, so I put a dart in that takes up 1.75" in the under apron and 1.75" on the outer apron. On the aprons you flare the bottom out so the apron doesn't curl. (The outer apron is also a bit bigger than half your hip and waist but that's explained in books) You can do that because you put in a double deep pleat on one side and a box pleat on the other. You have to hem up the bottom of each of those pleats so that the kilt will hang even all around in the front.
OK when you lay the finished kilt on the floor open apron to apron it curves. That once rectangle of material you started out with is a form fitting garment. beauty in motion of swishing pleats.
Read the kilt bible, dream about it and at three in the morning, you will wake up and say UREKA I figured it out. (this will happen....)
You're gonna love this! It is fun, just find a comfortable chair with plenty of light and start sewing down those pleats one at a time a few per session and it will all fall into place.
Cheers
Robert

[beerbecue]

It turns out I probably had too much fabric that I was trying to pleat. I am now planning on 37 pleats, 1/2 at the waist and a touch over 9/16 at the hip.

This is my first kilt from complete scratch, and keeping those pleats straight, even, and the right size is much, much harder than I could have imagined.

It will be very satisfying to wear this kilt when I'm done.

Thanks for the heads up Robert..

Troy

[The Wizard of BC]

A quick way to ballpark the amount of fabric you need is to measure your hips, and divide by 2. Take that number in inches and count out that many repeats of your sett. Then add 3 times that number and add it to the end.
For example; if your hips are 44". 1/2 of that is 22". Count out 22 repeats of your sett.
If your sett is 8" then 8 X 22" = 176".
Then add 3 X 22" = 66"
For a total of 243".
This will be the approxamate amount of fabric for a kilt with each pleat 1" wide at the hips.
It's only a ballpark figure to find out how much fabric you need.
Hope this helps.

[beerbecue]

Well, I am going to go bigger on the pleats, got some more tips from Barb.

I will be able to work on this today, so hopefully will make some progress, will let you all know..

Thanks for all the advice, it really has helped.

T

[RockyR]

Yeah, I'm with Steve on this... most kilts (on guys with a 38" to 42" waist) have 27 to 35 pleats... an averagre of between .75" and 1" per pleat. I HAVE done a kilt with .5" pleats (42 pleats total) at the piper's request (he had to match the rest of the band). They looked WAY too small.

Since you are pleating to the stripe, you can choose WHATEVER pleat size you want (when you use the sett, sometimes the way the pattern is laid out dictates the pleat size). I'd go with .75" per pleat. It'll give you a nice tight pleat without being too small.

I hope this helps a bit.