A Military box pleat kilt

**Pleater** · 9th July 07, 10:44 PM

With the inner layer of pleat being restrained by elastic the design should be ideal for lighter weight fabrics.

I believe that the military originals had a strip of elastic some 5.5inches up from the lower edge, sewn so as to allow some movement but not a full flaring of the pleat.

**JohnH** · 10th July 07, 01:18 PM

I believe that the military originals had a strip of elastic some 5.5inches up from the lower edge, sewn so as to allow some movement but not a full flaring of the pleat. (Pleater)

Just so and it is stitched to alternate pleat edges, ending at the inverted pleat. It is not connected to the deep pleat.

BTW, Pleater, I accidentally omitted a couple of details when I told you how much material was in the pleats. It depends on two things, the most important being the size of the sett. So, 18cm sett x 31 pleats = 5.58m. (This would actually be for a kilt pleated to the stripe.) For a kilt pleated to the sett you will use 1 sett + 1 pleat width for each pleat. Thusly; (31 x 18) + (31 x 1.32) = 5.99m. (6.49yds!)

**Pleater** · 11th July 07, 12:02 PM

Hey John, no worries, I found a whole bolt of a light blue mixed fibre material -from testing it with bleach it is about half wool.

So I can just keep cutting into the material as I make the pleats - is 31 pleats the standard military pattern? Its just that on the first photo of this thread - I think of an ex military kilt, pleated to the stripe, there are 34 stripes.

So - there could be 2 which are actually the edges of the aprons - maybe I wasn't paying attention (trying not to get too interested) but that leaves 32 stripes, or reveals.

I looked back at previous messages and there is one pleat not folded back - it said the deep pleat at the right of the apron - that is the under apron - right?

So going back to the original pleated to stripe MB kilt - is has 32 reveals, one of which is the larger pleat at the right hip, and 31 other pleats?

**JohnH** · 11th July 07, 08:56 PM

So I can just keep cutting into the material as I make the pleats - is 31 pleats the standard military pattern? Its just that on the first photo of this thread - I think of an ex military kilt, pleated to the stripe, there are 34 stripes.

Thanks for pointing that out, Pleater. It seems that I now have a very large quantity of egg on my face!

I just rechecked both of my ex-Army kilts and the Black Watch (knife.) has 32 pleats. The QOH (MBP) does indeed have 33. (The stripe furthest to the right in the photo is on the edge of the apron.)

So, I mis-counted TWICE and I'm supposed to be an engineer.

I had been looking at photos of ex-Army kilts from other regiments on eBay and it sort of looked as though there were 31 pleats on all of them. Now, I'm not so sure. I suppose I should do some more research to see if I can find information on the details of the manufacturing contracts for each regiment's kilts. Maybe the Imperial War Museum's uniform section. I won't be back in the UK before October, but, I will make a point of going there if I can't find out online.

I looked back at previous messages and there is one pleat not folded back - it said the deep pleat at the right of the apron - that is the under apron - right?

No, this time I am right. (3 in a row would mean sackcloth and ashes!) The first thing you sew if you follow Barb's instructions is the RH edge of the apron to the deep pleat and, yes, it is not folded back.

So going back to the original pleated to stripe MB kilt - is has 32 reveals, one of which is the larger pleat at the right hip, and 31 other pleats?

The first MBP I made has 31 pleats, including the deep pleat. The very big pleat on the right hip should be the inverted pleat and it is entirely hidden.

It is too late to change the one I am making now, as I have cut the material. (There would have been enough for 1 more pleat, but not 2.) Besides, I just finished sewing the pleats and I really don't want to start again from scratch.

I may just have to change the last line of my sig!

**JohnH** · 15th July 07, 08:25 PM

More progress. I have re-basted the LH edge of the pleat extensions through all 3 layers and basted the pleats. (along the white stripes, except for the top row.) (Note the different appearance of the pleat basting. This helps to hold down the edge of the extensions.)