Sett question

**kilted firefighter** · 24th October 15, 08:19 AM

Thanks to all for the input. What I'm trying to figure is how many yards I need to make a kilt. I'm a fairly small guy (38.5 hip). Looks like with a 1 inch reveal and a 6-6.5 inch sett I'll need about 6 yards.?

**Barb T** · 24th October 15, 05:48 PM

How much you need depends on what kind of kilt you want. If you want a traditional knife-pleated kilt, you'll need more tartan than if you want a Kingussie or box-pleated kilt.

But, let's assume that you want a trad knife-pleated kilt. Your calculations assume a 1" reveal, but I find that a 1" reveal for someone your size is actually on the large side, so you really need more tartan than your calculations suggest. Yes, you could make a kilt with 6 or 7 yards and pleats with a 1" reveal, but it would look better and swing better with more. Someone with 38 1/2" hips needs roughly 8 yards for a a trad knife-pleated kilt.

But why do you want to know how much tartan you need?? If you are going to get a custom-made kilt, you definitely don't want to order your own tartan. A kiltmaker can get wholesale prices, whereas you cannot. And a kiltmaker will know how much to order. So trust your kiltmaker.

Oh - and the only way to find out the sett of a particular tartan, in a particular weight, from a particular mill is to ask them. They are happy to tell you.

**OC Richard** · 25th October 15, 06:42 PM

I was at a local Highland Outfitter yesterday (RP Blandford & Son) and I noticed that the sample book from the House Of Edgar did list the sett size of each tartan.

**MacCathmhaoil** · 25th October 15, 09:15 PM

Heed Barb's advice! For not much more than the price you'll end up paying for the fabric, you could probably get one of the excellent kilt makers on this forum to make a kilt for you. A well made kilt is not simply sewn, it is engineered.

**kilted firefighter** · 26th October 15, 03:51 AM

I wasn't looking to have a kilt made but to make my own. Point well taken on pleat size. I will recompute yardage based on other pleat widths. Thanks again for all your input. Everyone on this forum is so helpful, and even if I choose not to apply everything I learn here I am listening.
KF

**kilted firefighter** · 26th October 15, 04:06 AM

By the way. What pleat width would be suggested? 5/8, 3/4, 7/8,?

**Barb T** · 26th October 15, 04:43 AM

Buying tartan and pleating is not really a mathematical thing based on multiplying a theoretical pleat size by the size of the sett. Pleat size depends on the following:

1) Whether you are pleating to the sett or stripe. You typically get 2-3 more pleats into a kilt for the same amount of yardage when pleating to the stripe than to the sett (because pleating to the stripe has one pleat per sett, whereas pleating to the sett requires an inch or so more than a sett for every pleat). And you typically don't know until you actually have the tartan in hand and have tried out a bunch of test pleatings what you will like the best.

2) What the tartan is like. If a tartan has a lot of stripes, and there's a fair amount of taper in the pleats between the bottom of the fell and the waist, you may be constrained to a certain pleat width at the hips in order not to have "spear points" and lose stripes in the taper. Depending on the nature of the tartan, that could require either bigger pleats or smaller ones.

The best thing to do is order 8 yards of tartan if you are an average size guy (hips less than 42" or so) and have a tartan with an average sett size (6-9"). That will give you maximum flexibility in choosing your pleating. If you are bigger than that, or if the tartan sett is on the large side, order a bit more. If you're making your own kilt, an extra 1/4 yard double width isn't going to cost you much, and it will give you more flexibility.

Having said all that, I try to make pleats around 3/4-7/8" at the hips for an average size guy. I think it looks good. Smaller than that, and it can look like too many little pleats (although if you don't have any choice, that's what you do). For a bigger guy, I typically make somewhat bigger pleats (maybe an inch or a little more) because it looks more proportional across a larger backside. But again, a tartan may not give you a choice.

**Taskr** · 26th October 15, 08:14 AM

If I can suggest; if making your own kilt then the advice of many here - as did Fr Bill above- is to get Barb's book "The Art of Kiltmaking" (TAOK). I've been contemplating making a kilt for some time and recently got the book. Very glad I did. Answers all the questions including ones not even thought of