4yd Box Pleated Kilt -- to the sett

[dfmacliam]

Beautiful kilts Matt! Thanks for sharing these examples of pleating to the sett.

[OC Richard]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, de gustibus non est disputandum, whatever floats your boat, etc, but that photo of the two kilts, one to the sett and one to the line, reminds me why I like kilts pleated to the line so much more than kilts pleated to the sett.

I suppose part of it is my appreciation for the idea "form follows function". The back of the kilt isn't flat cloth, so what is gained by attempting to make it look like flat cloth?

To my eye most tartans look better pleated to the line. BUT there are a couple exceptions I've seen:

1) the effectiveness of some tartans depends on all the colours being seen

2) the rear of a kilt made from a perfectly fine tartan can look ugly if the wrong portion of the sett has been chosen for replication across the pleats.

Here's what I mean:



It may not show that well in this photo, but this tartan has a lovely strong blue and a sort of mustard yellow. When these kilts are seen from the front the entire sett is seen and all is well. But they chose to have the mustard yellow across the back of the kilt, and the general consensis around here is that these kilts are ugly. Why? because pipe bands, when competing, stand in a circle with their backs to the audience and all people see are mustardy kilts. (The backs of these kilts look more mustardy in person than appears in this photo.)
To me this kilt is one of those rare beasts which would be much better served pleated to the sett.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Here is the Matheson kilt I mentioned previously. As I said, the sett is extremely large on this one, and the waist is very small, both facts you can see by looking at the front of this kilt.


Here is the back, showing the "pleating to no pattern" arrangement I was forced by necessity to adopt.


My client for the above kilt was actually extremely happy with the result, as was I. It looked very traditional and quite handsome on him.

More recently I did a kilt for Woodsheal that was pleated to no pattern. This was a Harris Tweed kilt, Grant tartan (or Drummond). He wanted this one made for reenacting purposes, and so had some specific requests. He wanted a more narrow apron, no tapering, and the pleats only sewn down a few inches. The kilt is only lightly pressed. And he requested pleating to no pattern.

Here is the front:


Here is the back, showing the softly pressed pleats and the "no pattern" arrangement.

[piperdbh]

Matt,
Do you have any pleat shots of my MacDougall? It might offer a little more insight into pleating a very wide sett.

[davidlpope]

In the meantime here are a few other kilts I have pleated to the sett.

Matt,

Thanks for posting these pics. I love looking through all the different tartans and pleating decisions. Do you have all of the kilts you've made photographed this way? If so, what an archive!

David

[WClarkB]

I had a thread a few weeks ago regarding box pleats and pleating to the sett for a regimental weight Black watch (i.e. sett is over 10 inches). I was (gratefully) deluged with responses and thus bolstered and working on the canvas of my own 4 yd box pleat which is pleated (as per barb and mac advised ) to the 3/4 sett (why does that make me think I ought to do a polka).

Film at 11


april fool



I will send pics

[BoldHighlander]

I will send pics

Can't wait to see them!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Matt,

Thanks for posting these pics. I love looking through all the different tartans and pleating decisions. Do you have all of the kilts you've made photographed this way? If so, what an archive!

David

Most of them, yes. I generally try to snap a front and back shot before I pack them up to ship out, just for my own archives. And yes, it's a lot of pictures. :-)