Sett vs. Stripe

[Barb T]

So I've been wondering this for awhile. Does one take more fabric than the other to make?

Each pleat in a kilt pleated to the stripe uses exactly one repeat of tartan. Each pleat in a kilt pleated to the sett uses a bit more than one repeat. So 27 pleats take more tartan for a kilt pleated to the sett than to the stripe. It's not a lot more (a couple of repeats). Typically, the same length of tartan pleated to the stripe can give you 2, sometimes 3 more pleats. The two kilts shown in the pics each have 27 pleats, but the kilt pleated to the sett is for a smaller person, so it worked out about the same in terms of overall material used.

And which style, in your opinion, is more difficult to make?

It's infinitely easier for a beginning kiltmaker to lay out a kilt pleated to the stripe. Me, I like the fun of laying out a kilt pleated to the sett, but many people find it difficult the first few times. I think it's trickier to make a kilt pleated to the stripe look absolutely perfect, because any wiggle really shows, as does any pleat that doesn't have the stripe dead center all the way to the top. It takes me a bit more time to sew the pleats when I pleat to the stripe, because I'm really anal about making the pleats perfect.

Cheers!

Barb