I'm making my first kilt (using the art of kilt making) and am facing a couple challenges. Hoping this group can help me out. I've gotten all the advice I needed for my previous highland dance mom costume adventures (making 2 aboynes and a jacket for my dancing daughter) from dance.net, but it looks like this is the site for the big challenge - making a kilt.

1. I am using double-width fabric. I tore it (based on measurements) and will hide the join near the centre back...however the second piece (for the right of centre back and under apron) is woven more tightly. The first 2 setts match (up and down), and then between there and the selvedge, the second piece is 1/4 inch shorter (or the matching stripe at the end is 1/4 inch away).

Do I just wet and stretch? Carefully? I don't want to skew it in the wrong area...
I know slightly shorter is great for the underapron, but want the kilt to look correct across the back.

2. Does it matter how I join the apron edge when creating the first pleat (pleating to the sett)? The book explains how to choose the centre back pleat and to work backwards marking pleats from there...but I'm not sure that leaves the most flattering/true to set transition from apron to pleats. Do others pay attention to this? Should I?

Thanks in Advance