X Marks Tartan Material: getting down to brass tacks

**Alan H** · 1st June 05, 01:58 PM

I did some calculations the other night about these. Here they are:

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the X Marks tartan has a 9-inch sett. I double-checked with Matt, and that's close enough as make no difference.

OK, a standard kife pleat kilt has somehwere between 18-36 pleats 'round your bum. I'm going to call it twenty for reasons you'll see, shortly.

I have a 40 inch waist. OK, how much material do I need?

>>>about 26 inches for the front apron...the extra 6 is to allow for fringe and the A-shaping of the apron.
>>>about 20 inches for the inner apron.
>>>about 6 inches for the reverse pleat
>>>about 6 inches for the kick pleat

OK how about all those pleats 'round the back?

If my waist is 40 inches, then the aprons will cover 20 inches of that and the pleats will cover 20 inches. If I pleat to the sett and have 1 inch of each pleat "show" then each pleat, total will take 10 inches..... 9 inches for the sett and one more that "shows.

OK, if 1 inch "shows" then that means I'm talking about 20 pleats 'round me bum.

20 pleats x 10 inches per pleat = 200 inches.

26 + 20 + 6 + 6 + 200 = 258

So I need a bare minmum of 258 inches of tartan to make my kilt. 258 / 36 = 7.166 yards or about 7 and a sixth yard. Call it seven and a third to round it off. 7.33 yards. That's seven yards and one foot of cloth to make my neato X Marks kilt.

OK, the fabric is double width so in fact I need half of that, meaning about 3.66 yards. That's three yards and two feet. Oh, heck, just buy four yards of the stuff and have some left over for some belt loops and maybe a tie.

So for me to buy enought custom weave tartan for a knife-pleated kilt, that will be around $270 for the cloth. If I buy it from the X Marks representative who is hopefully handling the N. Bately stuff for $45 a meter (close enough to a yard) the material will cost me **about** $180 for my knife-pleated kilt. If X Marks goes with the Fraser and Kirkbright material, it will cost me something on the order of $192.

NOTE: none of these include shipping from either the custom weaver or the X Marks saint in Canada who's volunteered to help us out, here. NOTE no. 2. If your waist is bigger than mine, it will cost more. If your waist is smaller than mine, it will cost less. NOTE no. 3 I can't make a "four-yard kilt" out of this stuff unless I pleat it to "nothing" (as M.A.C. Newsome has explained early civilian kilts were often pleated) or get it made into a box-pleated kilt. Well, OK, you could knife-pleat it and only have 6-7 pleats that showed three inches of material, but that's not much like any sort of traditional kilt. OK...that depends on what you want to call "tradition". Anyway, the 9-inch sett requires that the pleats be very deep. The 9-inch sett divides handily into thirds, which is three inches, each.

I'm open to having any of my errors pointed out to me in this scenario, believe me!!! If I goofed, let me know. Incidentally, the "pleat to stripe" pics that I posted the other day aren't very accurate, I'm afraid.

**Alan H** · 5th June 05, 03:48 PM

Hm. No comments after five days.

OK, so I'm going to take this to mean that the decision is in my hands, and that whatever I choose, people will be OK with. You had your chance to comment and ask specific questions of kiltmakers who've seen the material. If you order and then the stuff comes and you don't like the selvedge or something, it's on your head.

I'll let you know what I decide and will pass it by Highlandtide for the OK before proceding.

Alan

**KMacT** · 5th June 05, 04:28 PM

Alan,

Thanks for all your work on this. I'll just pipe in and say that I would go for the Fraser and Kirkbright cloth from British Columbia. The impression I get is that it's the better source with better customer service and better material (albeit a little different than the norm). The other has too many unknowns for me.

Kevin

P.S. I might not actually be purchasing some of this tartan, but I am seriously considering it.

**beerbecue** · 6th June 05, 06:58 AM

Hi Alan,

I will be receiving some 16 oz. 100% wool yardage from Fraser and Kirkbright this week. I noticed you made a comment about selvedge quality....

I would be glad to comment on this material, when it arrives, to give you my impressions, if you would like....

**Doc Hudson** · 6th June 05, 08:07 AM

I've kept quiet because I'm not buying enough to make a kilt. For one meter, I could bite my lip and pay any reasonable price. But I'd just as soon pay less than more.

Either will be fine with me and I don't care about the selvege. In making a vest, it makes no difference.

**Alan H** · 6th June 05, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by Doc Hudson

I've kept quiet because I'm not buying enough to make a kilt. For one meter, I could bite my lip and pay any reasonable price. But I'd just as soon pay less than more.

Either will be fine with me and I don't care about the selvege. In making a vest, it makes no difference.

I hear ya, Doc. I know this. The end price has to be significantly less than the cost of a custom weave or I won't bother. "Significant" means at least $15 a yard less, hopefully more like $20+ a yard less. That will save folks $60 to $70 or even a bit more in the cost of a kilt, which is worth it. If the price of the cloth that is workable for kilts climbs to over $50 a meter, when you can get gorgeous custom stuff for $65, it's not worth anybody's time.

I'm ninety-five percent sure we can pull this off, and we're getting closer.

If it flops then I'll be annoyed since I spent so much of my time, but then I've learned a lot by doing this, which is worth something in and of itself.

**Alan H** · 6th June 05, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by beerbecue

Hi Alan,

I will be receiving some 16 oz. 100% wool yardage from Fraser and Kirkbright this week. I noticed you made a comment about selvedge quality....

I would be glad to comment on this material, when it arrives, to give you my impressions, if you would like....

I would VERY MUCH like to hear that. We'd be buying a custom weave of their 16 ounce.

Colin, are you listening? Comments specifically about the Frasker and Kirkbright fabrics selvedge would be extremely helpful.

**Colin** · 6th June 05, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by Alan H

I would VERY MUCH like to hear that. We'd be buying a custom weave of their 16 ounce.

Colin, are you listening? Comments specifically about the Frasker and Kirkbright fabrics selvedge would be extremely helpful.

Sorry guys, I have been so bogged down with big projects at work and at home that I have not even started my kilt yet. I know which fabric beerbecue is talking about, and given his experience with making his own kilts, you guys would be better to listen to his opinion on the material. I have posted my opinion on the stuff that I have several times in the past in regards to this material.

**Alan H** · 6th June 05, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by Colin

Sorry guys, I have been so bogged down with big projects at work and at home that I have not even started my kilt yet. I know which fabric beerbecue is talking about, and given his experience with making his own kilts, you guys would be better to listen to his opinion on the material. I have posted my opinion on the stuff that I have several times in the past in regards to this material.

LOLOL, I *just* messaged you! Then I come back and you're on it, already.

Pretty funny.

I know you like the cloth itself. One of the issues that some folks have raised is about the selvedge. Any comments about the selvedge, specifically? You've been clear that you like the cloth itself, very much.