Short yardage tank?

[Kid Cossack]

Gents:

It's heresy, I know, but I think I actually prefer the look of the short yardage knife pleated kilts (say, five vice eight).

I know that many if not most makers offer a machine sewn, five yard, knife pleated kilt, and some of them will offer it in heavyweight kilting tartans (i.e., sixteen ounce).

To the best of my information and belief, only Matt Newsome offers five yard, knife pleated, hand sewn kilts. I may be wrong---does the rabble know of any other makers offering such a "mini-tank" or "tankette"?

[JRB]

I was under the impression that they looked the same and only the swish and heft differentiated them. Is there actually a noticable visual difference between a 5yd. and 8yd. kilt?

[Tattoo Bradley]

The real difference is noticeable in the pleat depth. And kid, my first kilt is a five yarder, hand sewn. However, I have no idea who the maker was (one of those, send us your money online type things.)

[billmcc]

It's heresy, I know, but I think I actually prefer the look of the short yardage knife pleated kilts (say, five vice eight).

...does the rabble know of any other makers offering such a "mini-tank" or "tankette"?

Kid, I also prefer 5-yard kilts. Matt Newsome is the only kiltmaker I know of who offers a hand sewn 5 yarder.

[Kid Cossack]

I was under the impression that they looked the same and only the swish and heft differentiated them. Is there actually a noticable visual difference between a 5yd. and 8yd. kilt?

Noticeable? I dunno if it is to most people, but here's two pictures from Matt Newsome's website.

http://kilts.albanach.org/HPIM1910.JPG (Five yard leatherneck knife pleated to the stripe.)

and

http://kilts.albanach.org/details.html (Scroll down to the Moffat tartans, one box and one knife---the knife is the eight yarder.)

I think I like the five yarder more several reasons: historical accuracy, better balance, and slightly less expensive. (Note that since I am talking about a hand sewn kilt of heavyweight worsted wool, it's not like I'm cutting too many corners, nor saving all that much money.)

Perhaps I just like it out of pure perversity, because it falls outside the usual taxonomic classification scheme for kilts.

[Kid Cossack]

Kid, I also prefer 5-yard kilts. Matt Newsome is the only kiltmaker I know of who offers a hand sewn 5 yarder.

Thanks, Bill! I almost seem to be settling in on two kiltmakers: USA Kilts and Matt Newsome kilts.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I don't know that I'm the only one making a hand sewn 5 yard knife pleated kilt, but there certainly aren't many out there. Most of the major kilt making firms will offer either a "full eight yard" typical kilt, and a "casual kilt" of some variety with less yardage that will almost invariably be machine sewn.

I really specialize in the four yard box pleated kilts. That's what I first learned how to make, that's what most of the kilts I have made have been, and that's what I really enjoy making. However, I started to offer the 5 yard knife pleated kilts simply because some people were attracted to the idea of a kilt with less yardage, but they preferred knife pleating to box pleating. And they didn't want a machine made kilt. Why shouldn't these people be able to get the kind of kilt they want?

Why do I use 5 yards instead of 4? In my opinion, 5 yards is about the minimum you need (for an average sized man) to get a decent looking knife pleat and still be able to pleat to the stripe (given the average sett repeat of most heavy weight tartans).

~M

[davidlpope]

I'll start with the disclaimer that what follows is simply my opinion and that I don't corner the market on kilt-wearing advice, so feel free to disagree.

That being said, for a while I thought that 8-yd, 16oz. kilts, referred to as "tanks" on this forum, were the thing. Then I realized that they were really uncomfortable to wear in the situations I was typically wearing them in. When I took off my kilt at the end of a day I felt like I had been released from a heavy, sweaty, wool prison. Now I exclusively wear heavyweight 4yd box-pleats and 5yd knife pleats by Matt Newsome and couldn't rave about these styles of kilts more. There's a couple reasons for this-

1. I really think that 16oz fabric is definitely the best for kilts. The setts are larger, the fabric holds pleats better, and it is more hard-wearing than lighter weight fabrics. Additionally, it is often available in a wider range of tartans than 13oz. fabrics.

2. I believe that 8yds of 16oz fabric is just too much to put in a kilt. Figuring 2yds for the overapron/underapron leaves roughly 6yds of fabric to squeeze into 1/2 my hip measurement- approx. 21". The result is that the sheer weight of the back of the kilt is a constant tugging presence. I'm convinced that this is one of the main reasons that most kilts that one sees are worn too low. After 3 hours walking around at a highland games, gravity ultimately wins. 4yd box-pleated and 5 yd knife-pleated kilts offer a garment that is balanced and comfortable to wear, whether its walking, sitting, or driving in a car.

3. Traditionally kilts were made of less cloth than 8yds. In my mind, these historic kilts, created at a time when kilts were everyday wear instead of "formal dress", better reflect a time-tested version of the garment. I'm all for tradition, especially when it's more practical.

4. Because these kilts use less fabric, they are less expensive than an 8yd, 16oz "tank". Since I like many different tartans and have no allegience to any particular "clan" sett, I like the ability to own more kilts for my money, thus perpetuating the "jonesing" phenomenon.

If you haven't tried a lower-yardage kilt I encourage you to take the plunge. If you're like me you'll never go back.

Cordially,
David

[Kid Cossack]

Why shouldn't these people be able to get the kind of kilt they want?


~M

EXACTLY!

Actually, the reason I was asking if anyone else made such a hand-sewn, sixteen ounce five(ish) yard kilt was because, umm, err, I'd rather buy your box pleated kilts!

I figure that it's always better to go with the "house specialty" (so to speak).

[O'Neille]

I have a couple skimpy tanks that are on the 5-6 yard range and absolutely love them when it is hot out. I also have a couple wool/PV blends that are both handsewns that behave very good and I've used for many occasions. I like the slim lines of them for day wear. Like you said I think the proof is in the material used. If it doesn't have considerable weight and swish it doesn't even come close to a tank.