pleating to the sett & the elements of the sett - Do I have this right?

[jhockin]

once again, thank you Barb , and all others, for all your help and input! this is what I really LOVE about this website!
... back to "the challenge" ... after the trick or treaters! happy All Hallows Eve, to all.

[Pleater]

I have made a reverse Kingussie kilt which is totally mirror imaged - but it is a striped material and not twill woven.

By turning the material over the three parts of the pleat are the same, so if you turn back any pleat the same colour is on the underside and on the back.

As the apron takes up slightly more material than the under apron I can sometimes move the centre seam to the left side of the centre back inverted pleat, so it is hidden.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[jhockin]

You can fudge on where the pleat crease is in an element to keep the pleat width all the same. In an extreme case like Maple Leaf you can even fudge on the total sett if you have to. The finished pleating may not line up perfectly with an un-pleated section of fabric.

The thing you should look out for when picking where the pleat crease will be is to avoid having an element that will disappear when you taper.

OK, so I've marked out the pleats, and (only just) started sewing (the first) pleat. I saw, while marking the pleats, what the Wizard and Barb mean about a challenge. I had to keep adjusting the pleat marks to keep stripes from disappearing, in the fell. It looks like I'll have to keep the tape measure at hand, along with a pad of paper, to keep track of my "fudging", so that I don't end up with the fell too big or too small, or strange angles on one side of a pleat, stripes from disappearing part-way up the fell, stripes centered all the way, (etc., etc.), and still keep the pleats the same ( or, at least almost the same) across the fell.
This is one of those times when it would be so handy to have a couple of extra arms & hands!

[Barb T]

Advice that is not in the book - use lots of pins. That little piece of advice is not in the book, because my co-author is absolutely rabid about not pinning. But I find that, if I pin, I make better pleats and don't wind up taking out half of them. And I can stitch 5-6 pleats an hour even with pinning, so I don't buy Elsie's argument that pinning slows you down.

[jhockin]

Barb (& thanks again) yes, I DO use more pins! I also found some of those 'extra hands", I was wishing for ( we'll haveta see how well it turns out):


the idea occurred to me, and I thought I'd give it a try! Using a 16"diameter embroidery hoop


By the way, Barb, I keep forgetting to ask: why do we wax the thread, for stitching the pleats? The book doesn't say; to reduce snarls?

[jhockin]

well ... using an embroidery hoop was NOT a good idea! Had to ripp out all those stitched (grrrrr!)

[vorpallemur]

Advice that is not in the book - use lots of pins. That little piece of advice is not in the book, because my co-author is absolutely rabid about not pinning. But I find that, if I pin, I make better pleats and don't wind up taking out half of them. And I can stitch 5-6 pleats an hour even with pinning, so I don't buy Elsie's argument that pinning slows you down.

Pins certainly slow me down when sewing anything else. I've not yet done a kilt to the methods in the book, but I'd expect they'd slow me down there, too. I use them when I want to look at how something will look and for hemming and the like, but not during actual sewing.

One thing I'm surprised the book doesn't suggest is using pre-waxed thread. You can get it in a skein, instead a spool. cut it at one end, and you've got a bunch of thread all the same length, of the right length. Saves a heck of lot of time.

[Bugbear]

Hmmm, I can see how pre waxed and cut thread would save time and hastle. I haven't made a kilt, just steeked and removed the extrafabric, canvas and so on, for a Stillwater. I do recall using a lot of time fumbling with thread and wax etc, while trying to hold the kilt and keep the cats away, and trying to remember what I was doing...

Not that I really know anything much about sewing. I'm an imbecile with a needle. :

[Barb T]

You wax thread for two reasons: two keep the thread from snarling, yes, but mostly to keep it from wearing so much. And I don't mention using prewaxed thread because, for stitching the pleats, you need to use matching thread, and it's not easy to get lots of colors of waxed thread at a local store. Here's a web site that does carry it, if you're interested:

http://www.thethreadexchange.com/miv...Fchn5QodA37BLg

Besides, I don't find it a hassle to use a chunk of beeswax.

As far as pins go, I've taught kiltmaking to quite a few people, and, without exception, they can make more perfect pleats if they pin. Doesn't mean you have to pin, but it's what I suggest for beginners. Even if it adds a couple of hours overall to someone's first kiltmaking experience, most people are happier with a job that looks better in the one place that it really shows if you've done a sloppy job.

And I still pin my pleats and don't find it slows me down. I am really really fussy about making pleats perfect, and I find that, if I don't pin, I wind up taking pleats out and restitching them.

[Tartan Hiker]

I quickly found that pinning was a good idea. I always pin one pleat at a time...you lose less blood that way.