Quote Originally Posted by Jock Scot View Post
Great tartan! I am no kilt maker and whilst you do need enough pleats to give the right effect----the "swish and swing"------it does depend on the waist size and size of the sett . I don't think there is necessarily a "correct" number of pleats required, but certainly enough are required. No doubt a kilt maker will give better advice than I. Good luck.
This is close to being correct, but the number of pleats is governed by the size of the sett, the amount of tartan you have, and (as Steve said) the hip measurement (oh - and the style of pleating - you can get more pleats when you pleat to the stripe). For the same amount of tartan, a bigger sett means fewer, wider and deeper pleats. More tartan means more, narrower pleats, although the depth won't be appreciably different. There is no "right number of pleats". I've made kilts with 19-20 pleats that look fine (and my own band kilt has only 21 pleats), and I've made a very few with more than 30 (very big guys). Most of the kilts I've made have had 23-29 pleats not because it is the "right number" but because most setts are 6-9" and most people want an 8-yard kilt.

On the question of pleat width, most 8-yard kilts I make have pleats 3/4" to 1" at the hips. For a big person, more than an inch is fine.

On the question of swing, it's the amount of tartan in the back of a kilt that gives it swing. Pleat width and depth don't matter much - it's the mass.

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