Wide knife pleat vs box pleat

[The Wizard of BC]

So, can I ask why you chose to make narrower box pleats? If you look at a perfect box pleat the reveal will be 1/3 of a full Sett. It is not uncommon for box pleats to be 2.5 to 3 inches wide.

This would eliminate any excess overlap except behind the Fell where the pleats are tapered.



An example of extreme box pleat overlap is a Military box pleated kilt.



A box pleated kilt is called a 4 yard kilt as it will usually take about half the amount of fabric as a narrow knife pleated kilt.
The wide knife pleats are done for two basic reasons. One is to create a more rugged looking kilt. Sort of like a cargo kilt. The other reason is to save fabric. The wider the pleat - the fewer pleats - the less fabric. This is the way the low yardage or 5 yard kilts are made.

[The Wizard of BC]

Oh, and by the way - We don't iron a kilt. We press. We use the heat from steam to soften the fibers and then press down - HARD.
We do not move the iron over the fabric. We press - lift - press. The basting is just to hold everything in place while we press. You will usually pull slightly, just enough to take the slack out of the fabric, the pleats to get the fabric to lay flat between the rows of basting.

[derosa]

So, can I ask why you chose to make narrower box pleats? If you look at a perfect box pleat the reveal will be 1/3 of a full Sett. It is not uncommon for box pleats to be 2.5 to 3 inches wide.

Going exactly 1/3 of the set wouldn't have been optimum for my measurement, I first went wider but the small gap created seemed like it wouldn't let the pleats move as well while going slightly narrower would.

[Barb T]

Actually, a slight gap is far better than a slight overlap. I've found that the overlap needs to be more than 1/4", preferably more than 1/2". If it's too small, the overlap kind of "tangles" in the back (i.e., it tries to lie on top in one part of the pleat in one place but under in another part), and the pleats don't hang well. If the overlap is half and inch or so, the pleat knows what to do, and the overlap stays consistent and stable from bottom to top of the pleat.

And, as Steve points out, a military box pleated kilt is simply a box pleated kilt with such a large overlap that it becomes an underfold.

I am confused, though, why basting isn't working to hold the pleats. I put 4 horizontal lines of basting across a box pleated kilt, and I haven't had any trouble keeping the pleats straight for pressing.

Oh - and one more thing. A box pleated kilt should be pressed a bit more lightly than a trad knife pleated kilt or a military box. If you have any gap between the pleats, the gaps will ghost through the right side of the pleats as a "valley". Pressing lightly avoids this.

[jhockin]

I'm not certain I understand the OP's first post, but ( please correct me if I am mistaken!), I seem to recall that one sews the pleats ( not referring to basting the pleats after sewing the fell) differently, down the fell, for knife pleats vs. box pleats. ( it has been a few years since I made my most recent kilt, and my memory isn't what it used to be).

[Barb T]

I baste horizontally (i.e., perpendicular to the pleats) for both knife and box pleated kilts.

Box pleated kilt basted horizontally: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...ed-kilt-90859/

Knife pleated kilt based horizontally: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-straps-89726/

I've never had any issues getting the basting to hold, and it takes a LOT less time than basting down the edge of every pleat (and you don't press a lot of little divots into the edge of every pleat where all the stitches are).

I don't have any close-up photos here at home, but, when I get to my office later this week, I'll dig some up and post some close-ups.