Pleated to ...

**Whidbey78** · 23rd April 10, 03:33 PM

More detailed pics would be nice to determine if theres enough material here.
The last time my money to expense ratio was like this was college. I am planning on doing a couple of kilts--a box pleat and then a knife pleat--in solid color PV and if I am happy with it then tartan.
Considering a guy can get a decent to good PV kilt for less than buying the materials at retail markup this might be better as a source of material for other things like a sporran, or a mini-fly, or about 50 sets of flashes.
Of course I've made mini-flies out of sashes which are usually fairly cheap. I just iron in the pleats and stitch them down by hand where they're concealed, fringe the edges and wear it. I really don't see how some places charge an arm and a leg for them. A kilt I can see charging that much for. a mini-fly or fly plaid shouldn't cost as much as the kilt it goes with.

**Riverkilt** · 23rd April 10, 10:20 PM

Looks very much like the cheap $100 Asian made kilts you see heaped on middleman vendor tables at highland games. Curious it just happens to be 24" long...

At least the pleating is a bit better than my Macdonald tartan "pleated to the gather" SportKilt.

May have just been carelessly tossed down for the photo. Could maybe straighten out - but without a photo of it straightened out no way to be sure. That says a LOT about the seller.

**Brian K** · 24th April 10, 05:05 AM

Originally Posted by Riverkilt

May have just been carelessly tossed down for the photo. Could maybe straighten out - but without a photo of it straightened out no way to be sure. That says a LOT about the seller.

I was wondering the same thing, Ron. It looks to me almost as though the seller thought the pleats should be spread out for proper display. Perhaps it would look altogether different if displayed the way X Marks members do in their "Hey! Look what I just got!" posts.

Regards,

Brian

**RockyR** · 24th April 10, 05:10 AM

To my eyes, the material looks good and the kilt looks like a 'mass produced 5 Yard Casual Scottish kilt'. Remember, just because it CAME from Scotland doesn't mean it's high quality. There are individuals in Scotland as well who just 'kick them out' to make money and don't value the quality of the garment as much as they should.

**xman** · 24th April 10, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by Brian K

Perhaps it would look altogether different if displayed the way X Marks members do ...

Not a chance. Look at how the fell is sewn. Follow the face of the jumbled pleats down. There is no rhyme or reason to the pattern. I'll bet this kilt was sewn to a designated pleat depth with no regard to the sett and that's why it looks as it does.

Rocky,

I assume your 5 yard kilts are finished with canvas linings and the like. What limitations do you find in working with the lower yardage, but creating a more traditional looking garment? Can and 6-9" sett be pleated either to sett or stripe for example? Is the last, reversed pleat not possible? ...

**Pleater** · 24th April 10, 01:46 PM

It might just be my eyes - but - it looks as though the edges of the pleats, which should be along the straight grain - are not, so the effect is of the pattern going off one way and the pleats the other.

If the pleats are cut out at the back then there is no hope as the holes will be slanting, so even if the pleats are taken apart pressed flat and reformed, you could have holes where you need fabric.

I think that some things are beyond recovery - and that is one of them.

It might be possible to make it better, by doing several times more work to make something which is still bad than it would have required to make something decent.

I have sometimes worked all night to make alterations, repairs or to create a garment from scratch, and come the dawn there was something wonderful - straw into gold as you might say, but some things are just not possible no matter how much fairy dust is scattered.......

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**Hothir Ethelnor** · 24th April 10, 03:37 PM

I haven't heard anything back from the seller. So I guess I won't be buying.

**RockyR** · 24th April 10, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by xman

What limitations do you find in working with the lower yardage, but creating a more traditional looking garment? Can and 6-9" sett be pleated either to sett or stripe for example? Is the last, reversed pleat not possible? ...

The limitations are on the pleating... Without trying to sound 'snotty', you have to at least have an 'artistic eye' to pleat a kilt to a DIFFERENT pattern than the stripe or sett. You're making up your OWN pattern (as the kiltmaker), but it should still look 'respectable' when finished.

Case in point... I wear my Cameron of Erracht 5 Yarder on a regular basis. It's pleated to a Pattern, but not the sett. It still looks nice, even though it's not truly to the sett. You can tell the front and the back are different if you look close:

When someone orders one of our 5 yarders, we DO NOT give the option of stripe or sett as we're limited by the size of the individual and the length of cloth as to how we can pleat it. On the VERY RARE instance when someone demands it be pleated to stripe, we explain that the pleats may be 1.5" wide in order to pleat it to the stripe (and there may only be 12 pleats vs. 20) and make them sign off on it before starting.

We always give a kilt a reverse pleat at the last pleat whether it's Semi Traditional, 5 yard or 8 yard. Casuals we do not for different reasons (how it's constructed, so it doesn't need it).

**xman** · 24th April 10, 05:24 PM

That explains a lot Rocky. Anyone should be pleased to wear that Cameron. The failure then of the eBay seller is a failure of vision pure and simple. If I were not a passive man I'd say they deserve their own tawse. Luckily they'll get what they truly deserve anyhow and that of eating the cost of the mess they've, quite literally made.