Pleats: Few and Far Between?

[Whidbey78]

On solid kilts, in my mind, you can get away with a little more pleat reveal. To me, the narrower the apron the wider the pleats can be without looking odd, and the stranger narrow pleats appear. Imagine a UK type kilt with 3/4 inch pleats and an 8 inch apron. It just wouldn't look right at all IMO.

When it comes to pleats on modern kilts, acceptable reveal depends on whet kind of kilt it's trying to be. If it's a very traditional-ish style with wide apron a narrow-ish pleat is fine. If it's a much more modern style wider reveals fit the style. I'm making another kilt soon(I hope) and plan on solid khaki with 1 1/2 reveal and 4 inch depth in a somewhat traditional style--basically I'm copying my USAK Casual, but with deep Rev-K pleating and deeper first pleats. Apron size will be about the same and Rocky's kilt. I think it will look good, but wouldn't feel right about going any narrower, as then I'm trying to mirror traditional kilts too much, and not much wider because then I'm getting too much in the Sportkilt type of look. If I were doing a UK type modern kilt I'd probably run around 2-2 1/4 inches. But that's just what fits my tastes.

Of course, I'm talking about knife pleats and Kingussie. Box pleats are a whole other ball o' wax.

[Bugbear]

On solid kilts, in my mind, you can get away with a little more pleat reveal. To me, the narrower the apron the wider the pleats can be without looking odd, and the stranger narrow pleats appear. Imagine a UK type kilt with 3/4 inch pleats and an 8 inch apron. It just wouldn't look right at all IMO.

When it comes to pleats on modern kilts, acceptable reveal depends on whet kind of kilt it's trying to be. If it's a very traditional-ish style with wide apron a narrow-ish pleat is fine. If it's a much more modern style wider reveals fit the style. I'm making another kilt soon(I hope) and plan on solid khaki with 1 1/2 reveal and 4 inch depth in a somewhat traditional style--basically I'm copying my USAK Casual, but with deep Rev-K pleating and deeper first pleats. Apron size will be about the same and Rocky's kilt. I think it will look good, but wouldn't feel right about going any narrower, as then I'm trying to mirror traditional kilts too much, and not much wider because then I'm getting too much in the Sportkilt type of look. If I were doing a UK type modern kilt I'd probably run around 2-2 1/4 inches. But that's just what fits my tastes.

Of course, I'm talking about knife pleats and Kingussie. Box pleats are a whole other ball o' wax.

That make sense, and with the canvas, I just don't think there is going to be pleat swish like with wool. It's more like Gladiator armor or something.

[piperdbh]

I know this thread is about non-tartan kilts, but the Lady Chrystel made a tartan kilt (black Stewart, I think) with only three very wide box-pleats, and it was really striking. I think the same could be done with non-tartan kilts.

[Whidbey78]

That make sense, and with the canvas, I just don't think there is going to be pleat swish like with wool. It's more like Gladiator armor or something.

I haven't made one out of really heavy material such as cotton duck (Carhartt type stuff) but my poly-co kilts have swish. It's not 16oz wool or even PV caliber swish, but it's there. I keep wanting to make a really heavy canvas kilt, especially since it's about $5 per yard at Wally World, but I wonder if my machine can handle it. I do hems on my wife's jeans with no issues, but that stuff isn't quite as tough as duck. If it came out okay that kilt would last darn near forever though!

I know this thread is about non-tartan kilts, but the Lady Chrystel made a tartan kilt (black Stewart, I think) with only three very wide box-pleats, and it was really striking. I think the same could be done with non-tartan kilts.

This one?
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...hrystel-59804/

I remember that one. I've thought about doing something along those lines for a while. Maybe that's how I'll do that duck kilt I've been meaning to do. At least I'll have less sewing to do through multiple layers of canvas and maybe I'll only break a few needles.

[Alan H]

I have to say that my X-Kilt... camouflage box pleat made out of cotton-polyester, has almost no "swish" at all. The kinguisse knife-pleated digicamo, with 20 pleats swishes a fair bit, but neither rivals a medium-to-heavy-weight wool kilt, knife pleated.

That doesn't mean that I don't love those kilts, there's more to a kilt than "swish" but there you go.