Experimenting with a demin kilt. Help keep me motivated!

[JDaugherty]

Welp. finally starting on a project i've put off for too long. I'm going to attempt to turn 4 pairs of old jeans into 1 acceptable Kilt. I'm not sure it'll come out great, or even acceptable; but I'll be damned if I'm not gonna give it the ol' college try. I've scoured the web, and a few posts here in xmarks, and I think I can manage to make it at least an acceptable casual/everyday wear one. two pairs of the jeans are the same shade, the other two are almost the same shad as each other, but far lighter than the first two. So i'll have to use a few tricks and a bucket of creativity but I've got some ideas and it might..MIGHT jsut turn out interesting, origional and wearable. I'm posting on here cause 1.) I have trouble staying motivated, but if people are expecting updates, it helps me stay on track and 2.) in case i hit a snag and need advice; or if anyone has done this and has any random tidbits of advice.
I'll try to remember to add pictures whenever I reach various stages. So here's the first picture:

I'm starting by removing pockets/belt loops, etc to leave nothing but denim material. These are the foru pairs of jeans (and my dog Misty who wants to "help").
IMAG0224.jpg

So..here it goes. wish me luck *turns on music to jam to for what will probably be all night long stitch-removal*

[Hawk]

Good luck....give it a solid, good try.......(hearing cheering in background)

Hawk

[ratspike]

I can't imagine 4 pairs of jeans getting you enough usable fabric for a kilt unless they're pretty big jeans. IIRC Paul Henry did a kilt like this but I don't know if it ever got finished. You might check his Facebook page or blog for photos.

[JDaugherty]

hey thanks guys. i'll check out paul's and see if he ever finished it. I know i ran across it somewhere.

Also- LOL posted on fb about starting this project and IMMEDIATELY get told 'you can't make a kilt out of denim, that's just a skirt" XD people i swear.

[Theyoungkiltman]

I would use about 42 in waist jeans or as close to that as you can get. Unless you do about 1/4 pleats I can't see a satisfying kilt coming from 4 pairs. Good luck!

[Pleater]

I wonder if using the denim to make the outside of the pleats and the apron would result in something more flexible - the swish of the pleats being such a basic thing with kilts.

It would also take much less denim.

If you take a length of fabric to form the inner fold of the pleats below the fell - either something blue or black - or a bright pattern, then cut strips, sew them together to form the fell and the apron and then add the pleated fabric either in strips or top stitch the denim down onto it. Make the deep under apron pleats full length, waist to hem for free movement and make the under apron too.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[JDaugherty]

I wonder if using the denim to make the outside of the pleats and the apron would result in something more flexible - the swish of the pleats being such a basic thing with kilts.

It would also take much less denim.

If you take a length of fabric to form the inner fold of the pleats below the fell - either something blue or black - or a bright pattern, then cut strips, sew them together to form the fell and the apron and then add the pleated fabric either in strips or top stitch the denim down onto it. Make the deep under apron pleats full length, waist to hem for free movement and make the under apron too.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

Actually, this is what I was hoping to do...my only problem is I'm having trouble wrapping my head around how to make the pleats out of two seperate materials. I'm more of a visual person and can't seem to find anywhere online that'll show an example of how they'd be stitched together. :/

[sydnie7]

Actually, this is what I was hoping to do...my only problem is I'm having trouble wrapping my head around how to make the pleats out of two seperate materials. I'm more of a visual person and can't seem to find anywhere online that'll show an example of how they'd be stitched together. :/

Have you made a kilt before? You might want to start with an XKilt, which is well suited to this fabric and the two-fabric adaptation. There's a sticky thread at the top of this DIY forum with links to the instructions and LOTS of photos to help you visualize the process.

[JDaugherty]

Now that i've had a bit of coffee, my brain is starting to wrap itself around your suggestions, Pleater. I think I'm gonna dig my way through mom's storage closet and see what excess material she has and just sew the denim strips onto different material. Origionaly, i was going to do alternating strips of the main denim and one of the lighter denims; but I like the idea of a different mat/color all together.

I haven't made a kilt before, this will be my first attempt (I figure if i can do one out of recycled material at least once, i'll have no trouble doing one out of good material the right way? It makes sense if you're in my head haha) I have been using the xkilt pdf as a guide though, jotting down notes of things that might help me, making little changes i think ill need to adjust for the project.

[Pleater]

Ok - well unfolded in imagination before you, you have the backings strip. You lay the strips of denim onto the backing strip with a small hem already folded under and sew through both layers from the base of the fell to the lower edge.

Now visualise folding the backing material out of sight so bringing the strips of denim together at the top. Perhaps you might use half inch tape to sew through and join together the top of the kilt where it is shaped to narrow it into the waist. The same tape can be sewn horizontally along the top of the backing strip to cover the raw edges.

You now sew onto the edges of the pleats - from waist to lower edge pieces of backing material to form the under apron pleat and under apron on the right side and the under apron pleat on the left, then the denim apron.

If your backing material is not very heavy you could use it doubled, so the lower edge will not require finishing.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: