Just an off-the-wall thought...

[ohiopiper]

Now I'm not about to do anything rash. so don't send the kilt police after me. But...

When we have a kilt made, we choose to have it pleated to either the stripe or the sett. When the kilt is made, the fell is sewn and the choice becomes written in stone, well, fabric, at least.

Has anyone ever tried to rework a kilt to change the pleating? Don't get me wrong, I'm not having second thoughts about mine, I'm just doing a little late night rumination here. Although my next kilt may be pleated to the stripe just for variety.

I figure if the cloth work was at all possible, presing out the existing pleates and re-pleating would be the minor issue.

Or is this just something only an idiot like me would even consider?

[Paul Henry]

Don't even think about it!

The kilt would need to be completely unpicked, which will take an age as it needs to be done carefully.A traditional style 8 yard kilt will have the pleats on the inside of the fell cut out, which might make repleating impossible. I'm just finishing a to the stripe one and I couldn't repleat to the sett as I;ve cut out the same element each time, so it no longer exists.
It's an interesting idea, but it's just not going to work, next time order two kilts one in the sett and the other in the stripe, I know some people have several different versions in their own wardrobe.

[piperdbh]

Paulhenry has given you the best answer.

If the kilt didn't have the upper portion of the pleats cut out, and if it could be "unsewn" without damaging the fabric, you'd still have the aprons to work with, which would shift either left or right, depending on how you repleated the kilt.
It might be sort of fun to print a tartan on a couple of sheets of paper, then tape them together and fold some pleats, making a paper model kilt, then unfold it and repleat it to a different stripe, and see just what happens.

[ohiopiper]

Exactly the type of answer I was looking for. I'm by no means considering it, I happen to like my new kilt. But I'm also the type who wonders if something is possible. Apparently it's not. As for ME trying it? I can barely sew on a button!

[Pleater]

I can do that with the kilts I make, because I don't create tailored kilts.

The aim was to be able to remake my kilts as I lost weight, so I simply pressed in the pleats and sewed on a waistband.

The top edge of the pleats is not straight, as that holds some of the folds in a manner more like a sewn pleat by putting the fabric under slight tension. The unevenness is hidden by the waist band.

By running a seam ripper along the waistband front and back and then cutting through the stitches along the top of the pleats I can return the fabric to its pre pleated state. The process of folding and pleating can then be done again, though it is sometimes necessary to press out the folds so that the memory of the previous kilt doesn't interfered with the next one.

Unless the concept of non destrutive kilt making is built into the design, however, there is no way to recover the unbroken length of fabric.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: