Barb, as always, you are correct. After reweighing my reaction to the kilt itself, I think I was a little harsh. There might not have been any option beyond pleating to the sett for the amount of cloth available--without making unattractive stripes. When you look at the kilt spread out from apron to apron, the sett does look evenly reproduced--so you can't really fault the pleater. It's just a big sett, and you get what you get. I really do like the kilt for fit and price and purpose. But my next kilt will be a handmade one... the cost is worth it, when you look at the quality.

JDB

PS - Does anyone know know the time difference between handsewing and machinesewing? Barb made a good point that it takes less time to sew by machine, so I'm feeling less guilty about the labor rate.