Pleat the kilt?

[ChattanCat]

Ok, now for the bad news: Tailored kilts have a hair canvas interfacing that takes the load of the belts and buckles in the kilt. A length of plaid does not have the load carriing capability. I am not sure what cheater pleats are but they sound like loops on the inside of the material. If this is the case, then it might be eas to add some elastic and loops on each pleat to "gather" the pleats and make it easy to done the kilt.

[fluter]

Ok, now for the bad news: Tailored kilts have a hair canvas interfacing that takes the load of the belts and buckles in the kilt. A length of plaid does not have the load carriing capability. I am not sure what cheater pleats are but they sound like loops on the inside of the material. If this is the case, then it might be eas to add some elastic and loops on each pleat to "gather" the pleats and make it easy to done the kilt.

It would be held by the belt. This is just like a belted plaid, but with a single width of tartan to make a "little kilt"/phillabeg. Normally it's folded by hand, just like the BP, and then belted on. You could permanently fold it & stitch it at the belt line, hiding the stitches under the belt.

Cheater pleats description: http://www.kilts-n-stuff.com/Kilts/p...cheater_pleats

What Wallace describes is a more interesting way to do the same thing (more flexibly) similar to some historical kilts that have been written about on Xmarks and http://albanach.org/drawstring.htm

This material has the look of Celtic Croft's homespun (poly/wool 55/45 blend). NewPiper is that what it is?

Why not just get a lot of safety pins, and practice folding it to wear? Then you might know better how you'd like to proceed...

[Pleater]

Hello Tom

I started to make and remake kilts in a simple form when I was losing weight - I have all reverse kingussie pleats now - I like symmetry.

As you have 'only' the 6 yards of fabric - so as not to cut any off to make belt loops but to give some security, I would recomend pleating the fabric and sewing them to a sturdy piece of tape or webbing on the inside, which can be fastened - perhaps through two D rings, at the left hip, entirely out of sight.

If the tape is sewn at the natural waistline with a couple of inches of the fabric left free above it, then a belt around it would hold the apron in place and look like a 'normal' phillabeg, but you would have all the advantages of preformed pleats and the security of a waistband and fastening.

If sewn by hand the tape and pleats could be held by stitches invisible from the outside of the kilt, and done in a colour which would make it easy to see them, cut them out and then the kilt could be made smaller, reattached to the tape and you are good to go again.

As long as you are just sewing the pleats at the waist then there is no need to reinforce the inside of the pleats, nor to cut them or in anyway alter the fabric from what it is at the moment.

Maybe press the folds in very lightly around the lower 2/3rds, spaced to accomodate your behind - I know the measurements but I am talking shape here. A light pressing to put in the narrowing to the waist at the top of the pleats, making them lie a bit flatter, and you should look neat.

If the fabric is all wool you should be able to iron the folds out when the pleating needs remaking, if there is man made fibre it is not so easy - you need to be very careful not to form permanent creases by deforming the man made fibres into a melted weld at that point.

I have remade kilts taking out 12 inches at the waist - in stages, or course, both by making the amount of each pleat showing smaller and by completely remaking all the pleats to show a different pattern.

I would recomend that you have large pleats which lie beneath the apron and under apron, and which unfold when you sit, squat or step up, as these allow the aprons to fall or remain vertical. I make these pleats about twice the depth of the small pleats.

Anne the Pleater

[Malcolm MacWilliam]

Tom....it really is not difficult to hand pleat a wee kilt on the floor (or on the frosty ground...brrrrr!), slip the belt under the top edge of it, lay on back and tighten belt (with sporran, if you have one that hangs on the belt like we wear for 18th century, see my pics under thread Box Pleat Kilt). The belt must be very tight, but it all stays together. Although my avatar is small, I am wearing a belted wee kilt, as we do in almost all our pics on our website: www.muskets-of-the-crown.org. AND, 6 yards is more than enough (by about 25 inches wide). We usually use 4.5 to 5 yards for hand pleated wee kilts (and great kilts).

Malcolm

[NewPiperinNY]

Wow - thank you all... TONS of information ..

I did try pleating the kilt when I first recv'd it.. finding enough room to lay it out is a bear, then it just seems that it was too 'off' to be correct.

What belt is usually used with such a kilt? I think that maybe the one I have is too unwieldy and wide. (3 inches I think) ..

[Malcolm MacWilliam]

I believe my belts are 2 1/2" and it has to have the piece in that goes in the hole to cinch it tight, not a slide. If you lived close or you will be near one of our reenactments I can show you. A little practice and it's very easy. Malcolm

[fluter]

I did try pleating the kilt when I first recv'd it.. finding enough room to lay it out is a bear, then it just seems that it was too 'off' to be correct.

You don't have to lay out 18 feet in a straight line, by the way; you can get by on about your own circumference, say 4 feet plus a foot on each side. Leave the fabric folded; pull one end out about 6 feet; drop back your apron-width (2 feet or so) and start folding. You'll just pull more tartan off the folded pile as you need it. Figure to have another 2 feet left at the end, for your other apron.

Remember that it will be most "historically accurate" if it is not pleated to sett, stripe, or any other recognizable scheme. But you'll end up wanting to find a pattern that looks good to you, and that's OK, too!