Great Kilt Assistance

**RadioKen** · 25th March 08, 04:24 AM

Hi, everyone!

Okay, I bought about 3 yards of material (according to the X-kilt measurements I took I'm only 31" around). Solid color (dark maroon - think Texas A&M, only a little darker), around 60" wide, straight weave. It may be a wool blend, it may be PV, I'm not sure. The giant fabric store outlet where I got it had no idea, since it was a remnant in the clearance room (but it was in the high-end remnant section, so I'm hopeful).

Now, I want to put some loops in this material to run a drawstring through so that I don't have to go through the entire rigamarole of laying the material out on the ground in order to put it on. Since this is a solid color and not a tartan, at what intervals should I put the drawstring loops? Should those loops start from one edge of the material and go all the way to the other edge, or is it usual for there to be a smooth, unfolded apron on the front of the great kilt?

Also, and this may seem rudimentary, once those loops are on and the drawstring is in, how does one put it on? And what do I do with all that excess material (both string and fabric) that will be hanging down around my ankles?

Thanks in advance!
~Ken

**sharpdressedscot** · 25th March 08, 05:31 AM

They have "tutorials" on how to put it on, the great kilt that is. I don't know anything of the drawstring, maybe someone here knows. Ted?? Didn't you have one put in?

**Brian F** · 25th March 08, 05:50 AM

I'd help with this, but you said it was A&M colors...I...I just can't do it...

HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!!

But ok, seriously. What I did with my drawstring belted plaid (DBP from here out) is to figure out the size of my under and over aprons, then figure out how much fabric then lies in between. For my 5 yard DPB, I have 25" aprons, thus leaving me with a substantial amount of leftovers.

Regardless, figure out how often you want a drawstring loop (I think I did ever 3 repeats of the sett, but you don't have a sett, and that was a rather small sett anyhow). Then make those number of loops (I sewed a long strip of fabric three-fold, and cut it to length), triple stitch them to the WRONG SIDE of your fabric (if there is one), and then run your drawstring through.

It's not really all that hard, but I remember it seemed like it was when I did mine. Hope this helps!!

~Yeti

**escherblacksmith** · 25th March 08, 06:36 AM

3 yards? not a lot of swing there . . .

Personally, I'd say just pleat it and belt it on, leisurely my great kilt takes 20min (8yds). If nothing else, playing with it that way will give you a good idea of where to sew/baste/loop.

I should add an answer to your other question, the excess material on above your belt when you are done can be arranged in a number of pleasing ways.

some ways
oddly formatted, but very useful

For me, it is greatly dependent on temperature, bustle when it is warm, full cloak when it is cooler/cold, tuck under my bonnet when it is raining.

**Nick the DSM** · 25th March 08, 07:26 AM

well he is a 31 so he doesnt need a lot of material.

Paging Ted!!

**escherblacksmith** · 25th March 08, 02:12 PM

so for kicks . . . 31", so, figure 18" aprons (assuming the pleats will only go across the back), so 36" total for both aprons (lots of overlay), leaving 2yds at 13" of space, leaving room for 4-5" pleats . . .

dang. did I do that right? 31" . . . I don't think I remember 31".

**beloitpiper** · 25th March 08, 02:25 PM

So wait, are you making a great kilt or an x-kilt? 3 yards doesnt seem like enough material...

**Bugbear** · 25th March 08, 02:38 PM

Don't worry about it.

**RadioKen** · 26th March 08, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by Yeti

...What I did with my drawstring belted plaid (DBP from here out) is to figure out the size of my under and over aprons, then figure out how much fabric then lies in between. For my 5 yard DPB, I have 25" aprons, thus leaving me with a substantial amount of leftovers.

Regardless, figure out how often you want a drawstring loop (I think I did ever 3 repeats of the sett, but you don't have a sett, and that was a rather small sett anyhow). Then make those number of loops (I sewed a long strip of fabric three-fold, and cut it to length), triple stitch them to the WRONG SIDE of your fabric (if there is one), and then run your drawstring through.

It's not really all that hard, but I remember it seemed like it was when I did mine. Hope this helps!!

~Yeti

Great! That helps me get started in the right direction. I think that my aprons will be somewhere between 14 and 16 inches wide. That will cover me satisfactorily from the points of both hips across the front. I'm guessing, too, by picturing this in my mind's eye, that the material will end up gathering like a curtain rather than folding into neat pleats, is that right? And that the depth of each gather will be half the distance between each drawstring loop; is that also right?

Now that I think about it more closely, it SHOULD lay into folds, not gathers, since they will be flattened between the belt and my body, but they still won't be neat pleats, but rather as if you took a gathered curtain and mooshed it flat on the floor. Is that about right? Sorry about these questions and if I'm making this harder than it really is, but I'm trying to get this envisioned properly before I set to work so that I have a (fairly) clear idea of what I'm trying to end up with.

~Ken

By the way, when I get this thing finished, will I be eligible to join the Maroon Kilt Club?