Video showing how to taper the pleats from fell to waist.

**playalad** · 15th August 13, 01:48 AM

I have made myself a box pleat kilt using black denim of a good weight so will hang nice. However I am struggling with the shaping, any advice or links to videos would be great. I have Barbs book on Kiltmaking and the update available online via here but still at a loss so any help would be more than gratefull.
Regards
Adam

**The Wizard of BC** · 15th August 13, 02:20 AM

I don't know of a video on tapering.

Can you give us an idea of what it is you do not understand.
Is it calculating the amount of taper?
How to stitch the pleats themselves?

We would like to help. We would need just a little more to go on.

**Pleater** · 19th August 13, 09:59 AM

I am just doing a box pleated kilt - as I made a plaid to take on holiday and ended up with one box pleated kilt's worth of fabric left over.

although the OP has not provided any further information I think that I need to sort out my own thoughts on this problem.

First, the lower edge of the fell seems to need to be sewn down in order to check that it is in the right place and it fits, so I tacked along the visible fold lines from the lower edge upwards to the edge of the fell, then folded the pleats and tacked them together at what I think is the right level.

In order to taper the pleats I think that I will have to cut the inner folds, or have a central triangle of five layers in an otherwise three layer thick fell.

Although I know the difference in measurement at the waist and hip, I am not sure that the best fit will be got by sewing in a straight taper - I am planning to do the waist line, then use a mirror to see where there are gaps between the edges so as to widen the pleats at those points.

Once I have done one it will be possible to make templates from it to see what the shape needs to be and - hopefully a second one will involve less trial and error.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**playalad** · 19th August 13, 11:19 AM

Hi to Wizard & Pleater, sorry being busy working etc. I am trying to upload a few photos to show where I am with the box pleat kilt so please bare with me. I am also just about to finish my 2nd RevK kilt in plain black with camo inset at center back box pleat. I have not had any trouble in tapering this kilt being knife pleats but with the box pleat I am struggling a we bit.
Adam

**Pleater** · 20th August 13, 12:08 PM

I usually make reverse Kingussie kilts and find them a lot easier than the box pleated one.

The fabric I am using for the box pleated kilt is a soft one, chosen for the plaid rather than any idea of making a kilt from it. This is a good thing as I suspect that a hard woven fabric would not cooperate at all with box pleats unless the back of the pleats was cut out. The seam is longer than the fabric behind it.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**playalad** · 20th August 13, 01:18 PM

Hi, yes I may have to cut out the excess fabric in the back of the pleats as is quite thick. This is the 1st attempt at a revk so not a great problem. It would still be great though if somebody could post a few view somewhere showing in detail how to do it correctly.RegardsAdam

**playalad** · 21st August 13, 07:54 AM

OK I have uploaded some photos of some of my work etc, there are some photos of the black denim right & wrong side of fabic showing the box pleat kilt I am having problems with.

http://s840.photobucket.com/user/bourne2wear/profile/

**playalad** · 24th August 13, 01:40 AM

I have just uploaded a few more pics of my 2nd RevK Kilt to
http://s840.photobucket.com/user/bourne2wear/library/

**gwynng** · 24th August 13, 08:07 AM

I don't know if this will help, but here is a thread to my latest kilt effort, a box pleat. On the second page of the thread there is a pic showing the template I use for pleating. It may help a little.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...at-kilt-80162/