Pleating opinions.

**Whidbey78** · 1st May 11, 10:26 PM

Hey all.

I am starting on a new kilt for Mini Me and picked up this fashion tartan for seven bucks at Hancock Fabrics. It has similarities to Wallace and a couple of others. I'm digging the deep red...not too bright, not too dark. It's a PV, but not as tight in the weave as MM PV. Still, it should work well for this project. I'll have to hem it since this stuff lacks a kilting selvedge, but the extra weight at the bottom will help the swish a bit. It drapes really nicely, and holds a pleat remarkably well for a cheap material. It has a surprising amount of "heft" as well. I'd rather use a MM PV, but that will have to wait until he isn't growing quite so quickly.

I'm looking for opinions on pleating. I took this pic,

and did a little quick "copy and paste" in GIMP to create a few mockups of various ways to pleat it. I'm partial to regimental pleating, and in some rare cases pleating to the sett, but figured I should look at other options. I figured I'd throw it out here and let the rabble weigh in. By the way, I did this in a hurry, so things aren't aligned perfectly and the reveals aren't even...I'll take my time when it's not in the digital domain. I'll also make sure the twill line is going the right way.

#1: Pleated to the black stripe. It's a favorite of mine...and the easiest. It's also kind of boring, but keep in mind this is for a rather narrow 18 month old backside.

#2: Similar style, but moved over a bit, revealing the vertical red stripe. I have one done in a similar way and I like it as much as the previous pic. (The vertical red strips at the pleat edges are just a small error in cursor placement when I copied this portion of the picture and wouldn't be on the actual kilt)

#3: This one centers the white stripe in the pleat reveal. I got this idea from my Wallace kilt. They look a lot alike this way except for the white stripe vs yellow.

#4: Just pleat it to the sett, though I'm not as fond of that option as others.

Or if anyone has any other suggestions please toss them in the mix! I'm all ears...er, eyes in this case.

Pretty much any way I do it I wind up with almost exactly the same reveal and depth in the pleats.

Thanks in advance for your input.

**Chas** · 2nd May 11, 02:26 AM

I am not really a fan of pleating to the stripe and an 18 month old will neither know nor care.

That having been said, I think option 2 is the best. #1 is as you say boring and #3 would look at a quick glance like a different tartan. Maybe it is because of the whiteness of the white stripes, but it has a weirdness about it that I don't like.

Regards

Chas

**Barb T** · 2nd May 11, 06:07 AM

Just a comment on option #2. Traditionally, a kilt pleated to the stripe has a central pivot with the two halves of the pleat being mirror images of one another. As Chas says, for a little tyke, it doesn't matter, but the second example is not the way a kilt pleated to the stripe would normally be done.

**AKScott** · 2nd May 11, 12:03 PM

I think I would go with #1. Looks fine, and he is going to outgow that thing in not much more time than it took to make it.

If he was going to be in it a bit longer I personally kinda like #2. I guess if there is another mini-me in the offing I might think about taking that kind of trouble.

**Whidbey78** · 2nd May 11, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by Barb T.

Just a comment on option #2. Traditionally, a kilt pleated to the stripe has a central pivot with the two halves of the pleat being mirror images of one another. As Chas says, for a little tyke, it doesn't matter, but the second example is not the way a kilt pleated to the stripe would normally be done.

Good point Barb. Part of the problem with the picture of number 2 is that I was off when I did the cut and paste. The red stripe should be centered in the pleat, but it's a bit off. Still, even after straightening that out I'm not liking it much. My American Heritage from Rocky is a good example of what you're talking about. You're right, it isn't the way it would normally be done...and the more I look at it the more I understand why and the less I like it, especially after considering how it would look in motion. It might not induce a seizure, but will definitely look wrong. I'm not sure why I looked at it as an option...just throwing ideas a round and somehow that one stuck.

Three works with a narrow vertical stripe, such as my Wallace kilt, but it's probably just too bold to really work here. I have to agree with another post that it does almost look like another tartan was used in the pleating. When I look at the sett I don't notice the white stripes being so bold, but when they run down the center of the pleats and become a focal point that's all I notice.

I'm thinking on this one that option one is probably the best. It will look good, and when he's running around there will be flashes of red from the pleats. I like the way my Oakliegh kilt flashes blue...I think I'll just go with my first instinct.