8 yards: when, and why?

[MartinGrenoble]

Do you want a Scottish kiltmaker because they're Scottish or because they're more local than Matt or Barb?...

--Chelsea--

No, I'm not looking for a box-pleat kilt.
It is just that I have never seen any such kilts advertized by Scottish kiltmakers/suppliers, and wondered if they were regarded as traditionally Scottish in the homeland.

Thanks for your reply.

Martin

[MacBean]

I have a 4 yrd casual B&S, but was recommended to get an 8 yrd hand-sewn. I hefted an 8 yrd kilt in Inverness earlier this year and found it HEAVY. So what's an innocent to do when buying an heirloom, formal kilt? I want a knife-pleat, not box; I have that much decided. I am not likely to use the kilt often.

[ForresterModern]

I have a 4 yrd casual B&S, but was recommended to get an 8 yrd hand-sewn. I hefted an 8 yrd kilt in Inverness earlier this year and found it HEAVY. So what's an innocent to do when buying an heirloom, formal kilt? I want a knife-pleat, not box; I have that much decided. I am not likely to use the kilt often.

The overall weight of your kilt is dependant on the fabric "weight" (typically listed in ounces per linear yard, such as 16 oz, 13 oz, 10 oz), the actual linear length of fabric used (4 yard vs 6 yard vs 8 yard kilt, or more accurately the part of that length actually used to make your kilt), the length of your kilt (probably the least of the concerns) and to a degree your waist size (as it may determine how much linear length of fabric may be needed---bigger guys need bigger lengths of fabric to get decent pleats). One other factor is the overall construction style, as a classic knife pleat traditional 8 yard kilt will use more supporting material beneath the lining than a typical 4 yard casual kilt, also adding to the weight.

There is no question that a traditional style 8 yard kilt will weigh more and feel heavier than a casual 4 or 5 yard kilt in the same wieght fabric. But the difference in the swing factor is also pretty substantial.

My "6 yard" B&S casual (actually only used 4 yards of material to make it) has less body above the fell overall than any of my 8 yard tanks, although it was built to the same length, so it just has less supporting material at the top compared to all the tanks beside having less yardage. One reason I don't like it as well, as it does not feel as substantial around my waist and less supportive overall. One man's opinion.

jeff

[OC Richard]

As far as kiltmakers doing box pleats, here's an old thread on that topic. The prices etc are probably out of date.

http://forums.bobdunsire.com/forums/...ad.php?t=82437

I ended up going with Wanda McSwain, who was delightful to deal with.

[OC Richard]

As to my original question as to why the military kept increasing the amount of yardage in their kilts, I've found the answer, and it's so obvious that I feel stupid not to have figured it out.

I just bought The Art Of Kiltmaking by Tewksbury and Stuehmeyer and they point out that as the size of the sett increases, the depth of the pleats increases. Thus more fabric is consumed by the same number of pleats, and the kiltmaker has to use fewer pleats unless the yardage is increased.

The sett-size of military kilts was rather small during the Napoleonic period but increased as the 19th century progressed. So to maintain a certain number of pleats the yardage had to go up.

That's only half of the mystery however, because the number of pleats also increased. One can clearly see that mid-19th century military kilts had fewer pleats than WWI military kilts. So at the same time that the sett size was increasing, so was the number of pleats, leading to a doubling of yardage from the beginning of the 19th century to the end of it.

[Tattoo Bradley]

No, I'm not looking for a box-pleat kilt.
It is just that I have never seen any such kilts advertized by Scottish kiltmakers/suppliers, and wondered if they were regarded as traditionally Scottish in the homeland.

Thanks for your reply.

Martin

Here you go. Very informative.

http://kilts.albanach.org/yardage.html