Kilting in the Age of Ozempic (or, 5 yd vs. 8 yd)

[Pleater]

So, if one orders an "8 yard kilt," the construction will be different from what's made if one orders a "5 yard" kilt, and the kilt shop will use the appropriate length of fabric needed to use one or the other construction method, varying the amount of cloth based on the anatomic size of the individual, probably billing more for a woolen kilt made for a large individual than for a small individual. The number of pleats will be smaller on a "5 yard" kilt will be smaller and the individual pleats larger, whether the person is big or small. And, for a small person like me, an "8 yard" kilt may not need 8 yards of fabric, and for a large individual, an "8 yard" kilt may require 10 or 11 (and a "5 yard" kilt may consume 8).

From making my own kilts it seems that each one is a combination of luck and judgement.
To get a good placement of the sett on the apron might mean losing almost one sett if the tartan was cut just an inch shorter than the ideal for the waist measurement required, or there could be just enough to make a fringe.
If the kilt is for someone tall it might mean taking the waistband across the weft rather than the warp, to get the full 27 inches if the cloth is woven 54inches wide - modern machines can weave 60 inches, but not all tartan is made on them.

Some tartans have smaller setts than others, some have huge ones - some orders are for pleated to the stripe, and some are for alternating stripes 'ketchup and mustard' means alternating red and yellow, or I have seen alternating pleats with stripes and 'blanks' of the same background colour.

It is often the case that the maker will sit down and ponder after counting the number of setts and checking measurements - maybe two or three options occur. With luck after a few trial foldings and checkings it will become obvious what the best option will be, though sometimes it is the only one which will result in a satisfactory outcome.
My making has been from lengths of fabric I already have, or are already cut, so I would expect that anyone taking an order for a kilt would consider the option of advising the purchase of a shorter length than standard for a kilt made for a smaller waistline in a smaller sett, or even checking with the vendor where the sett will lie if making for a stout gentleman in a tartan with a larger sett and even requesting that the measurement be from a particular part of the sett and accepting any extra cost that might entail.
There are added complications with asymmetric tartans which need to be cut in one piece, and such things as fabric which has white patches which when folded form an X across the pleats.

It might seem complicated, but it keeps the little grey cells active.

Anne the Pleater