Quote Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome
...when I hand-tailor my four yard box pleated kilts, I always pleat to the stripe (unless someone tells me they prefer pleating to no pattern). I don't see how box pleats v. knife pleats would make a difference here. So I don't quite understand.
I'm not sure what your "I don't quite understand" is referring to, but since you followed up my post it might be to my comment about the number of pleats. If so, I offer the following:

All else being equal, my comments are intended to show that a larger waist and a smaller sett will produce *potential* for the largest number of pleats. I stand corrected, however. It's true that a smaller sett will lead to the potential for more pleats, but all else being unchanged a larger waist actually has the opposite effect.

On a four yard kilt there are only six feet of cloth at the back (where the pleats are). If the sett repeats every 6 inches, for example, then there can be a maximum of 12 repeats of that pattern in the two yards at the back (two repeats per foot). Therefore, the maximum number of pleats would be 12 pleats. Oddly enough, a larger waist would result in *less* cloth at the back and as such *decrease* the potential number of pleats (and also increase the size of each pleat). If one adds more cloth, then more pleats are possible (again, because more cloth end up at the back of the kilt and there are a greater number of repeats of the sett). If the sett is smaller, then more pleats are possible. These variables all work together:

More cloth = potential for more pleats
Smaller waist = potential for more pleats
Smaller sett = potential for more pleats

I think I have this right. Mind you, I know this only in theory, having never made a kilt (soon, soon...), so I bow to those with more actual experience than I. This certainly includes you, Matt.

Kevin