What length Kilt for my waist?

[Pleater]

There is also the 'doesn't feel right' factor - I was making up my first kilt in heavyweight tartan, and found that it really was too much, so I took out about a yard of material and it was a lot better like that. It meant that the visible portion of each pleat was slightly larger, the difference in appearance was very slight but the alteration in how it felt was significant.

It no longer felt as though I was wearing a bustle, and is more balanced front to back.

I have made a kilt using half sets in order to reduce the amount of fabric, so making more pleats but shallower ones arather than fewer deep ones.

A lot depends on the tartan, its weight and the sett size, as that could make well over a yard difference in the amount required to make the same size kilt.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[chrisupyonder]

It also depends where you live, hot or cold climate. I have a 12oz poly/wool 80/20% 5yd for summer. Very light and easy to wear. But now its winter in Scotland so I now wear my 16oz 8yd wool tank.

Welcome to the forum from the the far north on Scotland.

Chris.

[Alan H]

To be honest, it is not the waist size that is the critical measure in kiltmaking, but the hips. I presume the person who posted the original question is male, but we do have women on the forum. Someone with a 28" waist and 39" hips would need a different amount of tartan for a trad kilt than would someone with a 28" waist and 33" hips. So, I always ask for the _hip_ measurement when estimating tartan.

I would also want to know the size of the sett. If the sett is small, then it might actually be impossible to use even 7 yards in a trad kilt with normal size pleats if the person is small. So, you'd get the full effect of a trad kilt with less than 8 yards (i.e., it wouldn't look like a short yardage "casual kilt"). On the other hand, if the sett were big, even a small person's kilt could easily use up 8 yards.

Hope that's helpful! If it's confusing, just holler.

This. SO so so so so so SO this.

I wish everybody who spouted the term "8 yard kilt" like it was some kind of mantra would read this.

Your hip circumference is much more important than the waist measurment for most people. And....it's all pretty much irrelevant if you don't know the sett size of the tartan.