Kilt Pleating
How Kilts are Pleated - What is a pleat, and what kind of pleats are used in kilts
Pleating to the Sett - Them most common method of pleating a kilt
Pleating to the Stripe - Also known as military pleating
Box Pleating - A rarer, specialised type of military pleating
How Kilts Are Pleated
The most common type of pleating used in kilts is the knife pleat. Knife pleats are created by folding the fabric back on itself over and over again.
When pleating a kilt, you usually make the pleat edge about 1" away from the previous one (as shown in the image below). The kilt maker can control how deep the pleat is, so can choose which part of the tartan pattern will be shown in the 1" segment. Generally kilt makers use one of two pleating methods to create a kilt.
Pleating to the Sett
Pleating to the sett is the most common type of pleating which results in the kilt looking the same at the front and the back. A full sett of the tartan is folded into each pleat so that the tartan pattern appears to be continuous across all the pleats (shown in images below).
Pleating to the Stripe
Pleating to the stripe is also known as military pleating as it is commonly used by military bands. This is where a vertical stripe in the tartan is selected and placed in the middle of each pleat. The result is that horizontal or vertical bands are shown at the sides and rear of the kilt which look different to the tartan at the front. When you select this type of pleating, you will need to select the stripe to pleat to.
Box pleating
Box pleating is a rarer type of pleating, sometimes used by the military regiments. Box pleats are a double pleat having two upper folds facing in opposite directions and two under folds pressed toward each other. There are a number of methods that can be used to make a box pleated kilt, the most common is a knife pleat, folded back on itself (as shown in the image below). Generally box pleated kilts are pleated to the stripe.
