Layout for 4 yard box pleat

[fluter]

I am starting on a 4 meter box pleat in MacGregor of Cardney. I'm estimating the apron layout, and pinning up some pleat ideas. So far, I'm laying out the aprons just as I would a knife pleat... I solicit advice or comment.

Since the sett is just under 6 inches, a box pleat with a single repeat seems as though it might be a little shallow. What do the experienced box-pleaters think? I think we'd have from 9 to 12 pleats, depending on the exact layout and how much I reserve adjacent to the aprons:




A double repeat, still centered on the white line, looks attractive. This may cut down on what's available for each end, however. I don't know whether it would look good with fewer than 6 pleats, and that may be cutting it closely:



Finally, I thought of alternating a white stripe and a red band. Here are 2 versions, with green stripes on each side of the seam, and trying to keep the green on the odd pleats and the red band between. That could be tricky, but there aren't that many seams...




I guess I should also pin it up with 10 or so red bands, or red and green without the white; just to see it. The horizontal white stripe might be a little much, there. Back to the drawing table...

[Smayniac]

I'm not the expert, but the last option looks to me almost as though it's pleated to the sett; I'm not positive as you don't show the fabric without pleats. I'm sure the real kiltmakers will weigh in soon enough.

Bob

[fluter]

I'm not the expert, but the last option looks to me almost as though it's pleated to the sett; I'm not positive as you don't show the fabric without pleats. I'm sure the real kiltmakers will weigh in soon enough.

Bob

Yes, the idea was to suggest the sett at least. It's 2 pleats to 3 repeats, so the second pleat shows the red, then the third is back to the white stripe. I think that MacWage proposed this method a while back. No doubt others have, too.

[Tartan Hiker]

My $.02 worth:

1. You're right when you rejected the idea of pleating to something other than the white stripe. Having only those bold white horizontal stripes would not be good.

2. Pleating to the single repeat would produce a very "busy" stern. Those white stripes are really big and bold...and I think there are just too many.

3. I really like the alternating pleat pattern...it does suggest pleating to the sett and reduces the number of white verticals. I'm really not sure about the different widths you've made up in the last photos. With all the other elements at play, I don't think alternating pleat widths would be visually appealing. However, I suppose you may have no choice but to vary the pleat width with this approach. Note how in the very last photo the wide pleats appear darker than the narrow pleats. I don't like this very much...it will make the darker pleats "stand out" and give the rear of the kilt a 3-D look that I don't think I'd like (reminds me of a cheerleading skirt). Note that you don't get this impression with the next-to-last photo (even though those pleats also appear to be of different widths) because the wider ones are the lighter ones.

Whew...I guess I'm saying that if you have the material to pull it off, I'd go with the second-to-last photo.

[HeathBar]

How much under 6 inches is the sett? When I did my dad's box pleat kilt, I used one and a half setts per pleat. The sett in this case was close to 6 inches, maybe a hair over. So each pleat used roughly 9 inches of material. Therefore each pleat was 3 inches wide. And in effect, pleated to the sett. Matt Newsome made the suggestion to me when I ordered the material. I'm sure if you did a search in the DIY section for Barclay dress, you might find my thread on it. Here's a shot of the pleats.



Good luck. I hope this helps.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I'd pleat to the sett on this one (1.5 repeats per pleat), simply due to the size of the sett. If you pleat to the stripe (1 repeat per pleat) your box pleats will end up being way too shallow and you'll have a devil of a time with them hanging right. If you pleat to the stripe (2 repeats per pleat) you'll end up with super-wide box pleats that just won't look as aesthetically pleasing. My solution given a sett of this size is typically to go with 1.5 repeats per pleat, which in a traditional box pleat, ends up looking like pleating to the sett.

M

[george7]

Great tartan choice! ;)

[fluter]

Thanks for the feedback, all. This sett is perhaps 5-7/8 inches. You could do a single repeat in a knife pleat, but I didn't think it'd work out here.

I think the alternating pleats will win. The inconsistencies in the first frame were just my sloppiness. I had 54 pins there, and it still did not want to lie flat!

HeathBar, your Barclay dress looks really fine with the 1.5-repeat.

Smyaniac, sorry to leave you with incomplete data! The tartan is just the same as MacGregor red and green, the most common form, but with darker hues. Here it is next to 3 other versions:



Those are (left to right) Celtic Croft's homespun, a Sport Kilt, and a USA Kilt in the custom run of Marton Mills PV. If you're interested, get one of those USAKs while Rocky still has the fabric: it is beautiful.

So yes, the alternating (1.5 repeats) arrangement does similate the sett...

Here's a look at a red version. I already have a Sport Kilt like this, don't guess I need another.

Great tartan choice! ;)

Thanks! I thought you'd like it.

[Alan H]

Hmmm.. box pleat to 1.5 x the sett. I never thought of THAT. maybe cousin Eric's Royal Stewart will gt done that way.

[fluter]

I've finally returned to the MacGregor/Cardney 4-yard. We were discussing using 1.5 setts per pleat, to give an alternating "pleated to the sett" appearance because the sett is about 5.8 inches.

Nine pleats would be a good use of the available fabric. Alas, I would then have "disappearing green stripes" in the taper. There are fewer pleats than a typical knife-pleated kilt, so there is much more taper in each pleat. Here is the first pass with 7 pleats. The bits of basting thread mark the waist and fell lines; I think they last better than chalk marks, given how I work.



I have not pleated for half a year, so some of these seams will be re-done! One nice feature of the box pleat process is that the "re-do"s are easier. The folded edge is sewn down to one thickness of fabric; whereas with the knife pleat, the next pleat is already folded, and we sew the edge to two layers. The result is that if I rip out a seam in the middle, it's much easier to stitch it back, without cutting the material underneath.

Here I'm ready to repeat one pleat, having just re-done the previous one (to the left). I made a paper template for my pleats, and chalked its outline for each one. Next I'll pin it up, bringing the chalk lines together and just obscuring them at the fold:



I may end up re-sewing both sides of the center pleat, as it's a bit narrow at the top. We'll see how persnickety I get ...