Sett Size

[CameronCat]

I'm wondering if this isn't more of an artistic decision than a scientific/ historic/ mathematical one. Perhaps personal preference is the controlling factor. As seen above, some generally prefer large setts and others, the smaller one.

Each of us have our own ideas about 1) what we think looks good overall and 2) what we think we look good in.

For instance, speaking only for me'self, in the picture at the top I prefer the larger sett for the MacDonald of the Isles, but if I were called on to specify the tartan worn by the gent on the extreme right, I'd like the sett smaller. Why? No idea...just the way I see it.

[Pleater]

Just to throw in another way in which set size can alter how a kilt looks, this time in the pleats.

I bought a length of tartan advertised as Black Watch, but it turned out to be Semple, and the pattern is very rectangular - but I decide to go ahead and make a kilt from it anyway.

I usually pleat to the stripe, but using every stripe, either the white or the red, meant that there were too many rather small pleats, and every other stripe gave too few but deep pleats.

The option which gives a good number of decent sized pleats is to have the pleats alternate white and red stripes - which means I don't have to chose one over the other and the effect is rather pleasing, I think.

I have only got it pinned together at the moment, but as the cold weather is fast becoming the norm I will be sewing it in the near future so you can see the result.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[kilted_brewer]

The option which gives a good number of decent sized pleats is to have the pleats alternate white and red stripes - which means I don't have to chose one over the other and the effect is rather pleasing, I think.

I have only got it pinned together at the moment, but as the cold weather is fast becoming the norm I will be sewing it in the near future so you can see the result.

Sounds great! Please share pictures at any stage!

[Paul Henry]

...snip....
I usually pleat to the stripe, but using every stripe, either the white or the red, meant that there were too many rather small pleats, and every other stripe gave too few but deep pleats.

The option which gives a good number of decent sized pleats is to have the pleats alternate white and red stripes - which means I don't have to chose one over the other and the effect is rather pleasing, I think.....snip...

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

I finished a kilt recently that has a large sett , Smith, with a red and yellow alternate lines over a standard blue/black/green repeating unit.
I choose to pleat to alternate red and yellow line, I suspect similar to Anne's idea,the pleat depth is reasonable, and not so big, and ends with with an interesting arrangement I feel