Pleat Depth

[HeathBar]

I'm new here, but I've got a question thats been nagging me for some time.
A while back, I bought some non-clan tartan in a medium weight wool. I have 3yds and it double-width. So I figure I have 6yds to make a kilt. Now I'm a pretty big guy so I figure I'm going to need every bit of it.
My question is, should I go with fewer (10) deep pleats or more (18-20) shallow pleats.
No, I don't have BarbT's book, yet. I found some basic kiltmaking instructions a year or so ago, and just recently dug them out.
Any help or thought would be appreciated.

Thanks
HeathBar

[Barb T]

Hi!

A kilt with 10 deep pleats doesn't look much like a traditional kilt, which isn't necessarily bad. Traditional kilts typically have 20-30 pleats or so.

Realize, though, that, with tartan, you can't simply choose the number of pleats and pleat depth, because the number of pleats and pleat depth are governed by the repeat (the sett) of the tartan (roughly, each pleat takes up one repeat of the sett). If the sett is big, you have fewer repeats to work with and, hence, fewer (but deeper) pleats). If the sett is small, you have more repeats to work with, hence more (but shallower) pleats.

If you have a smallish amount of tartan, you can get more pleats into a kilt by pleating it to the stripe, because each pleat takes up _exactly_ one sett, whereas, in pleating to the sett, each pleat takes up roughly one sett plus and inch or so. If the sett is really small, you can put a double sett into each pleat, but that cuts the number of pleats in half.

If that's confusing, I'll try explaining it again!!

Barb

[HeathBar]

I think I understand what you were saying. I'm not going to try to pleat to the sett. I'm not sure about the stripe, either. I guess I didn't explain enough. As far as swing, hang, and over all appearence, which would be better. Or is it a matter of preference.
I know its not going to be the same as a traditional 8 yarder, but is there a happy median.

HeathBar

[bubba]

Two choices that would suit me, more shallow pleats or box pleat it.

[Barb T]

Hi Heathbar

As far as swing and hang go, it doesn't matter a bit whether you pleat it to the stripe or to the sett. As far as appearance goes, it makes a huge difference, because kilts pleated to the stripe look very different from ones pleated to the sett. And, if you don't do either one, it will look more like a kilted skirt than a kilt, because kilts are always pleated either to the sett or to the stripe.

Barb

[James]

Ignoring pleating to the sett etc, and purely thinking about the number of pleats:-

For a really super smart kilt the full pleating is desirable. However for day to day use I usually wear either the hillwalker with it's limited number of deep pleats or the 'gentleman's' with it's four very deep pleats.

Obviously in both cases the swing is different, but they are comfortable to wear-and feel and look like a kilt to any but the most overly critical eye.

I have by the way worn both the above variants to highland/clan events where they have been admired-and that is by people who take their kilt wearing seriously, and where to wear a tartan just because one liked the colours would be a serious no no, as would a kilt that covered the knees.

So I would suggest that the number of pleats is less important than things like length, and such accoutrements as the skean dhu--in fact whilst having the 'gentleman's' kilt admired-I've had strife for leaving off the skean dhu.

So reverting to the original question, I'd suggest that the choice can be left to you as to the number and depth of pleats.

James