The Swing of the Pleats

[BozemanboB]

Hey, all.

As one of the VERY few kilties living in Bozeman (I haven't seen any other in, well, years) I have zero opportunities to see how kilts swing. Tough to look at my own swing while walking, you understand. (Whoa, the double-entrendre there is entirely unintended.)

I'd like to make another kilt, this time hand-sewn with nice heavy wool in an attractive tartan (Skye, perhaps!), and I want to make either a kinguisse or reverse kinguisse. I don't know which I want to make, but the answer will be determined by the answer to this question: On a conventional knife-pleated kilt, which way do the pleats "swing better"? Do they swing better to the left? Or do they swing better to the right?

My thought is that I can take advantage of the optimum swing-side by making a kingussie or reverse, and then I'll get great swing in both directions.

Looking forward to your opinions!


boB

[sorcererdale]

The first time I saw my kilt pleats swaying from a video a friend made was really cool! Have someone video you, or set up a camera and do it yourself. It really is cool to watch!

DALE.

[RockyR]

On the bottom of our Semi Trad and Casual pages, we have videos of Hamish and Ron MacDonald. Both videos show the swing:

http://www.usakilts.com/casual_kilts.php
http://www.usakilts.com/semi_traditional_kilts.php

Hope they help you decide.

BTW... I just finished my own Isle of Skye tartan kilt and LOVE it.

[Riverkilt]

My local Safeway market has a surveillance camera in the liquor aisle with a large monitor so folks can see themself and know that big brother is watching.

So a treat for me is to walk down the liquor aisle and eyeball the monitor. Never realized how much my pleats do swing.

Of course a highland games is pure heaven for watching pleats swing.

If I even get up to Bozeman to visit my kin there you can watch my pleats and I'll watch yours.

Ron

[GMan]

It just is great to see the swirl of the pleats. It also makes me glad that I have the freedom.

[BozemanboB]

If I even get up to Bozeman to visit my kin there you can watch my pleats and I'll watch yours.

Ha! That'd be great! We'll take turns walking down Main Street and watching each other's pleats. Sort of a pleated leap-frog!! (Huh? Leaping pleat-frog?)

Let me know when you come around, and if you have some free time I'd be pleased to show you around my part of Bozeman.


boB

[Riverkilt]

For sure, been four or five years, I'm due up there.

Ron

[McFarkus]

Ha! That'd be great! We'll take turns walking down Main Street and watching each other's pleats. Sort of a pleated leap-frog!! (Huh? Leaping pleat-frog?)

Laphroaig?

[turpin]

To answer your question, Bob, the pleats on a knife pleat swing more freely to the left, as that is the direction they open. For every two strides you get one full swing. I think the reverse kinguisse would be the thing to do, because the left side would swing left and the right open to the right, so you'd get great swing on each stride.

[ccga3359]

To answer your question, Bob, the pleats on a knife pleat swing more freely to the left, as that is the direction they open. For every two strides you get one full swing. I think the reverse kinguisse would be the thing to do, because the left side would swing left and the right open to the right, so you'd get great swing on each stride.

Butt () perhaps one needs the larger pleated area that knive pleats give to generate that swish. Please define Kinguisse pleating. Is this where the centre pleat is a reversed box pleat with the rest knife pleats pointed toward the centre pleat such as my leather RKilt?