Quote Originally Posted by Steve Ashton View Post
If your waist circumference is 36" - then 36/2=18 - slightly more than half could be 19 front, 17 rear. Or 20 front, 16 rear.

If your hip circumference is 41" - then 41/2= 20.2 - Slightly more than half could be 20 front, 21 rear. Or 19 front, 22 rear.
(Please see page 50 of TAoK)

I would ask how you took the hip circumference measurement? 41" seems a bit small and one place you do not want the kilt to be tight is at the hip line. If you were to err it would be best to err large instead of small.
So, when you take a hip measurement please make sure you pull the tap measure out in front to simulate he aprons falling straight down from your belly.

A Fell Length of 7.5 Seems just a bit short. "By the book" - Fell Length is 1/3 of the Drop (without Rise) So a kilt with a Drop of 23 would have a total length of 25 and a Fell Length of 7.66.
A kilt with a Drop of 24" would have a total length of 25" and a Fell Length of 8".

If you are making a kilt In Accordance With (IAK) "The Art of Kiltmaking" please remember that the book is instructions for a Traditional Style kilt with a Full Waist Height. Or the top strap right up under the ribs at the side. The instructions do not work as well for a kilt with a waist height lower than Full Waist Height.
For example - I am exactly feet tall and my Tewksbury kilt had a Drop of 23" and a total length of 25". (Please see page 46 of TAok)

And when measuring the Sett of a Tartan you measure from the pivot points. So find the pivot points and measure from the left side of a line to the left side of the same line in the next full repeat of the pattern.
I can't see what Tartan is in your Avatar very well. Can you give us the name, weaving mill, and the weight of the fabric?

How many pleats your kilt will have depends on a lot of different factors such as the Sett size, the type of pleat, if folding to reveal to the Sett or to the stripe and how many full repeats of the Tartan pattern you have left over after laying out the aprons. (Remember to account for the apron edge hems, fringe, taper, deep and reverse pleats.)

Thank you for the reply Steve,

I had my wife take my hip measurement around the widest part of my hips with the tape just tight enough that it wouldn't fall with two of her fingers under the tape. With that we measured 41". Again, I had my daughter take that measurement and she came up with the same number. There is a comment on page 52 that says to select a hip split of not more than one inch more in the pleats than the apron unless the person has prominent buttocks, which I do not. And while I do have a bit of a stomach, I can still see my belt buckle with my shirt tucked in. Which is why I was considering that half inch Barbara mentioned in her tips and tricks thread.

I arrived at the fell measurement by measuring from my waist to my hip, which I now realize is not the way the book says to do it. That method must have stuck in my head from Robert MacDonald of West Coast Kilts. I have been following his YouTube channel for some time. So to that end, using a calculator instead of the tape I came up with the same numbers as you mentioned.

As for measuring the set, I was measuring the pivots and I chose several to measure that all verified my numbers. Here is a link to the fabric specifications; https://dcdalgliesh.co.uk/fabric/482313

Thank you again.