To the Stripe or the Sett, that is the Question?

[Celticlergy]

I am a re-enactor working on a French and Indian War look for Montgomerie's 77th, using the good old Black Watch. Would I be right in saying, historically it should be pleated to stripe; since it is a "military" application?

[Woodsheal]

I am a re-enactor working on a French and Indian War look for Montgomerie's 77th, using the good old Black Watch. Would I be right in saying, historically it should be pleated to stripe; since it is a "military" application?

Highlanders of that period did not concern themselves with pleating to either sett or stripe, especially when donning the plaid ("great kilt"). Philabegs were pleated to the "whatever" as well....

[The Wizard of BC]

Celticlergy,

Also remember that the Belted Plaid was made from hand woven fabric with hand spun yarns. It was probably plain weave and far heavier than that which we use today.
Think army blanket.
It wasn't so much pleated as gathered.
I watched a guy don the great kilt in a very unique way that made a whole lot of sense.
He simply pulled the fabric over his shoulders till it hung around his legs at the height he wanted. Higher, up above the knees, for warm days, and lower, around his ankles, on cold days.
He wrapped the front sort of like a bath towel then reached his belt around and cinched the thing at the waist.
It took all of about 30 seconds to put on.
None of this lay your belt down and carefully pleat the fabric. None of the laying down and then trying to get up again.
He simply was wrapped up in his sleeping blanket one moment, stood up with it around his shoulders and cinched it on. Very interesting to watch.

[Bugbear]

Celticlergy,

Also remember that the Belted Plaid was made from hand woven fabric with hand spun yarns. It was probably plain weave and far heavier than that which we use today.
Think army blanket.
It wasn't so much pleated as gathered.
I watched a guy don the great kilt in a very unique way that made a whole lot of sense.
He simply pulled the fabric over his shoulders till it hung around his legs at the height he wanted. Higher, up above the knees, for warm days, and lower, around his ankles, on cold days.
He wrapped the front sort of like a bath towel then reached his belt around and cinched the thing at the waist.
It took all of about 30 seconds to put on.
None of this lay your belt down and carefully pleat the fabric. None of the laying down and then trying to get up again.
He simply was wrapped up in his sleeping blanket one moment, stood up with it around his shoulders and cinched it on. Very interesting to watch.

Thanks for explaining that. I've done that with a regular blanket many times in the winter when I had to get up in the early morning. I use a strip of cloth as a tie-on belt kind of like a robe.

I'm just not going to listen to the other stuff about laying on the ground while pleating the plaid stuff any more.

[ChattanCat]

Take for instance a Scott tartan. You could pleat to the mustard and ketchup stripes or to the sett. Pleating to the mustard would take an awful lot of material (~ 14" sett) or you could pleat it to the sett to be more economical. Any tartan can be pleated to the stripe or the sett. It's just an economical issue with really big setts.

[Rob Wright]

I prefer the sett but my Douglas Grey Ancient is pleated to the stripe, quite nice with the black and grey tartan.

Rob

[Abax]

When contemplating a pleat to a stripe, think about knife pleats vs box pleats.

Of course, most - but not all - box pleated kilts are pleated to a stripe. But that's not the point: For most people, a box pleat will be wider and show a lot more of the tartan, creating a totally different effect than if the tartan was knife pleated to the same stripe.

Abax

[Bugbear]

When contemplating a pleat to a stripe, think about knife pleats vs box pleats.

Of course, most - but not all - box pleated kilts are pleated to a stripe. But that's not the point: For most people, a box pleat will be wider and show a lot more of the tartan, creating a totally different effect than if the tartan was knife pleated to the same stripe.

Abax

Guess a box pleat would show a couple of inches of the sett where the knife only has an inch or less showing in most cases... That would make a huge difference in what you see. Kind of confusing...

[ThistleDown]

Celticlergy,

Also remember that the Belted Plaid was made from hand woven fabric with hand spun yarns. It was probably plain weave and far heavier than that which we use today.
Think army blanket.
It wasn't so much pleated as gathered.
I watched a guy don the great kilt in a very unique way that made a whole lot of sense.
He simply pulled the fabric over his shoulders till it hung around his legs at the height he wanted. Higher, up above the knees, for warm days, and lower, around his ankles, on cold days.
He wrapped the front sort of like a bath towel then reached his belt around and cinched the thing at the waist.
It took all of about 30 seconds to put on.
None of this lay your belt down and carefully pleat the fabric. None of the laying down and then trying to get up again.
He simply was wrapped up in his sleeping blanket one moment, stood up with it around his shoulders and cinched it on. Very interesting to watch.

Ah god, Steve, I've not thought of this for years.

There was this chap at school -- he's long dead so he's not reading this about himself, and I think wouldn't wouldn't mind if he were -- who got out of his bed in the morning, wrapped his great blankie about, marched off to the showers with it about his hips, dropped it all on the floor, washed his fore and aft and towelled himself dry, wrapped himself as before and went off to dress for the day. Quite simple it was, as I think about it now, but my school mates and I did and perhaps ask was there a certain pride (and history?) to it we didn't see at the time?

In dressing for the day he was the easiest of us all, as we recall in our cups of rememberance, but we do wonder sometimes whether his ease in donning our daily dress came from our tradition or his....

[ThistleDown]

Celticlergy,

Also remember that the Belted Plaid was made from hand woven fabric with hand spun yarns. It was probably plain weave and far heavier than that which we use today.
Think army blanket.
It wasn't so much pleated as gathered.
I watched a guy don the great kilt in a very unique way that made a whole lot of sense.
He simply pulled the fabric over his shoulders till it hung around his legs at the height he wanted. Higher, up above the knees, for warm days, and lower, around his ankles, on cold days.
He wrapped the front sort of like a bath towel then reached his belt around and cinched the thing at the waist.
It took all of about 30 seconds to put on.
None of this lay your belt down and carefully pleat the fabric. None of the laying down and then trying to get up again.
He simply was wrapped up in his sleeping blanket one moment, stood up with it around his shoulders and cinched it on. Very interesting to watch.

Ah god, Steve, I've not thought of this for years.

There was this chap at school -- he's long dead so he's not reading this about himself, and I think wouldn't wouldn't mind if he were -- who got out of his bed in the morning, wrapped his great blankie about, marched off to the showers with it about his hips, dropped it all on the floor, washed his fore and aft and towelled himself dry, wrapped himself as before and went off to dress for the day. Quite simple it was, as my school mates and I still ask each other: there was a certain pride (and history?) to the daily dressing that we didn't see at the time?

In dressing for the day he was the easiest of us all, as I recall in my cup of rememberance, but we do wonder sometimes whether his ease in donning our daily dress came from our tradition or his....

Rex (the other one!)