I work in inches for the first dividing and sizing and putting in pins and the tacking of the large pleats (I make reverse Kingussie style kilts) which takes the fabric down to about my hip size. I check and press in the outer folds lightly using a cloth wrapped board to do each pleat separately.

Once there is definitely a kilt in front of me I tack the lower edge of the pleats, check the measurements in inches, check the lower edge of the fell and tack just below that and then I change to metric and a micrometer to start the narrowing into the waist. The first bits of sewing using the permanent thread are done.

Up to that point the kilt will lay flat and it is still fairly two dimensional, once the shaping starts it becomes a three dimensional construction.

Anne the Pleater