Denim Reverse-Kingussie Kilt

[Pleater]

Now there's an idea, Mein, an RK in Bear tartan. Are RKs pleated to the stripe or to the sett?

As the RK is mirror imaged, trying to make one to the set can be anywhere from dead easy almost falls in itself, to totally imposible - it is weird - or maybe my brain just can't cope with it.

I do have mild dyslexia so that might have something to do with it.

I mostly work out my own kilts to a stripe, though the one just under construction is a plaid pattern with three broad stripes which is not reversable. After some fiddling about the result is pleated with a narrow central stripe in the middle of each pleat reveal, with the colours as the sett, so three pleats are narrower than the sett, but echoing the colour sequence.

I find this a really satisfying style, which seems to give a good depth of pleat and also a pleasing result with the colours of what originally looked to be a difficult size of sett.

I always make the pleats an even number in total - you can have whatever number you like in each half, of course, but with the inverted pleat centre back - I usually have 10 or 11 each side, except for the rather memorable 25 - though if something went dreadfully wrong and you had a partly made kilt that was too small, rather than sew the inverted pleat with the two edges being edge to edge, they could be sewn down with a gap of one pleat reveal, and it would (I think) not really be noticable.

I do have to say that I have never regretted making any kilt from 7 or 8 yards, and the lighter the fabric the better it has looked with the longer length.

I have a large pile of fabric waiting to be sewn into kilts now, including a lightweight one which I intend to use folded double, and some blanket weight wool which might be the shortest kilt so far due to that weight. Be aware that buying material to be made into kilts can become rather addictive. After a while anything looks like a possible kilt.

Anne the Pleater

[meinfs]

[ ... ] After a while anything looks like a possible kilt.

25 on each side! wow. I remember you mentioning your 50-pleat kilt (as opposed to the 50-yard kilt LOL.

Yeah - you look at fabrics a different way now, and say, I can make a kilt out of that. (So be very careful!)