my first box-pleated kilt

**Ronusan** · 10th February 08, 05:48 PM

I took apart my first kilt I made last year that had really shallow knife pleats and managed to do a 4-yard-or-so box pleated kilt. Still having trouble nailing down my measurements right and I still haven't quite mastered tapering but overall I'm pretty happy with how it came out. I had to do a different method of sewing shut the top of the pleats in the back then what I've been doing so I'm still deciding if I like how that part came out. Very much an experiment for me as I didn't have any detailed pleat diagrams or instructions handy! And those are just temporary flashes until I get some backer stuff for stiffening to do the real ones.

I don't know if the tartan is anything specific, it was just a nice heavy wool plaid I picked up on ebay for cheap. No idea what weight.

and the all important pleat shot. I may have over-ironed!

**Arlen** · 10th February 08, 06:58 PM

Oh. That looks fantastic. And I really like that tartan.

I am liking the idea of box-pleated kilts more and more these days.

**ChattanCat** · 10th February 08, 07:24 PM

I agree, fantastic job.

**Alan H** · 10th February 08, 09:48 PM

Nice job....now I gotta ask you why you didn't opt to center the prominent stripe in the middle of each pleat.

Whatever the case, it looks good, and that's a really nice plaid.

**pdcorlis** · 10th February 08, 10:56 PM

Nice looking kilt - the fabric almost looks more like a gamekeeper's tweed than a tartan. Well Done!

**Kid Cossack** · 11th February 08, 06:26 AM

Dang. I quite like that. QUITE!

**McGurk** · 11th February 08, 06:32 AM

Looks good! And those pleats look sharp enough to cut yourself on!

**James MacMillan** · 11th February 08, 06:35 AM

Looks pretty good. Although, I hope it's a trick of the camera, and the selvage isn't that strange shade of blue.

**Ronusan** · 12th February 08, 12:15 PM

Thanks for the compliments! Appreciate the feedback a lot.

The selvedge on this is strange, looks okay in most light but take a flash photo and it glows like neon. It looks like it's the same blue thread from in the pattern but for some reason having it all together like that seems to make it look too powder-blue. I'm probably going to cut it off and just wear it a centimeter lower.

I think the offset (off-sett?) pattern on the pleats came about from where I landed after the apron width and centering the sett on it, and then trying to continue the pattern right from where my double pleat ended AND making my interior normal pleats touch but not overlap! Somehow doing that odd almost-Greek-flag look seemed to be nicest looking compromise to my eye at the time. My other option I felt I had was to do the first real pleat 1/2 or 3/4th the width of all the others and I didn't like the way that looked. It's not quite by-the-book but I think it came out okay...and among the numerous problems I always find with my work afterwards it's low on the list on what I would've done different. ;)

Next up is a kilt for my brother with a sharp looking tartan he found on ebay. Black with white and red lines over it in offset grid. Kind of hoping he goes with knife instead of box, much less complicated for me!

**way2fractious** · 12th February 08, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Ronusan

Next up is a kilt for my brother with a sharp looking tartan he found on ebay. Black with white and red lines over it in offset grid. Kind of hoping he goes with knife instead of box, much less complicated for me!

Is this the tartan? As near as I can tell, it is called Champs check. (French pronunciation - "shomps".) I acquired 5 or 6 yards of this stuff several years ago on ebay. If it is the same fabric, say so and I'll post some observations I made regarding it.

w2f