Just in time for Tartan Day

**Whidbey78** · 5th April 11, 07:57 PM

This morning I finished up a spacial project: My Son's first kilt.

The material is nothing special. It's just some MacWalmart tartan that was about four dollars per yard. I was disappointed to check the fabric stores around St. Paddy's Day and found nothing I could use. I was really hoping for something like the half-size Black Watch cotton blend that seems to always be available. I guess JoAnne's and Hanckock think nobody wants that in spring.

Anyhow, this fabric is what was available. The color was my wife's choice. They had it in red, yellow, blue or white with black. I think it's a little too bright but what the heck...this was a learning experience. Fitting a kilt to my backside is actually easier than fitting one for his little butt. The diaper proved to be a hurdle. I finally tapered about two inches in the fell and then put in elastic to take up the rest. His waist size changes about one and a half inches throughout the day. When your waist is the size of my neck that's a lot.

There is about one and a half inches of A-line in the apron.

19 pleats. Because of the layout of the design I could only pleat to the black stripe or use the white stripe on the edge of the pleat. I preferred the black stripe, but my wife won that round.

A little adjustment is still needed on the last couple of pleats, but that's no big deal--just a little pressing.

When he stands up everything just falls into place.

Just like his Mom...he thinks he can dance(Dad admits he can't).

Thanks Dad!!

Tomorrow I'm making a belt and adding a few belt-loops. It closes with velcro and he can remove it a little too easily. Then goes the diaper. The joys of being 15 months old.

Now I just need some hose for him and we're set for Saturday's staff banquet at my wife's school.

**azwildcat96** · 5th April 11, 08:02 PM

That is AWESOME!!!

**McElmurry** · 5th April 11, 08:02 PM

WOW! Impressive work, the pleats look great. Your spoiling him from the git go.

**MacMillans son** · 5th April 11, 08:04 PM

Congratulations, that's fantastic!

**WVHighlander** · 5th April 11, 09:05 PM

That really is fantastic!!

**Cygnus** · 5th April 11, 09:22 PM

What a superb job! He looks quite pleased with it.

I've been wanting to do something similar for my son, but except for a single class ages ago, I have very little sewing experience.

Did you use a particular pattern or follow a tutorial? If I had a pattern or something similar, there's a woman in my neighborhood that teaches sewing classes and I'm sure she could help me tackle it. So, I'd appreciate any resources you'd recommend.

Again, you've done a fantastic job!

**WVHighlander** · 5th April 11, 09:25 PM

Great question...I would be interested in knowing as well. I am thinking about tackling this and trying to make one for myself...

**Whidbey78** · 5th April 11, 11:43 PM

Originally Posted by McElmurry

WOW! Impressive work, the pleats look great. Your spoiling him from the git go.

Thanks all! I wasn't really happy with the "Baby Kilts" I saw. The tartans were usually full-size which just doesn't usually lend itself to something this small and most had five to seven pleats that splayed all over. It's only 4 inches from waist to fell and nine inches overall which is the sett size on some tartans! I really wanted him to have something that looked more like what I wear...and it had to look like a kilt, not like a girl's skirt that closes from the opposite side.

I did contact Rocky about making a kilt for Miles, but the whole thought got put on the back burner until very recently. I didn't want to pester him with a last minute rush order for a nine or ten inch strip of tartan two and a half yards long. Yeah, it's THAT much material. By the time I located material I had about a week to knock it out an hour or two per night.

Originally Posted by Cygnus

I've been wanting to do something similar for my son, but except for a single class ages ago, I have very little sewing experience.

Did you use a particular pattern or follow a tutorial? If I had a pattern or something similar, there's a woman in my neighborhood that teaches sewing classes and I'm sure she could help me tackle it. So, I'd appreciate any resources you'd recommend.

Originally Posted by WVHighlander

Great question...I would be interested in knowing as well. I am thinking about tackling this and trying to make one for myself...

No pattern exactly. It's the same process as making an adult kilt, but with a few things I had to add. I read The Art of Kiltmaking, researched the process on the forum, made a few X-Kilts and two Reverse Kingussie kilts for myself starting about a year ago.

When I went to tackle this one I just applied the same ideas with a few twists such as stitching in the pleats and the elastic at the waist--it was the only way I could get over the top of the diaper somewhat smoothly. Tapering out two inches over 19 pleats with each only four inches long was pushing the limit--I had to go from 21" at the fell to 16 1/2-17" at the waist with room to for him to expand and contract between...um...diaper fillings.

The outer apron was the hard part. If you look closely at the pics you can see that the outer apron is on top of the waistband. Basically there are two outer and one under apron. The outer-outer apron is attached to the inner-outer apron at the inner fold of the first pleat. Both are doubled up at the right side and hang freely. The left half of the under apron is two layers thick. The corners of all three aprons are four layers thick from hemming, folding, etc. So there is a lot of weight at the edges and the hem, which helps keep it hanging about as well as nine inches of medium weight cotton can hang. Hopefully a few pics will help this make sense.

Here you can see how the waistband goes over the under apron but under the outer-outer apron. If I hadn't made it it would have confused me to look at the pics!

Here's how the outer-outer apron attaches to the inner-outer apron. I didn't like how the apron hung so I squared off the end and made a new outer apron on top of it. It worked in my favor I think as the added weight of two outer aprons gets it to drop when he squats down and any mussing of the inner apron and inner-outer apron gets covered by the outer-outer apron. A good thing since toddlers aren't too mindful of what their clothes are doing. Basically, I automated the same process I sometimes go through when I get out of a chair or out of the car. The misalignment of the pattern was a needed evil since I had to taper it back to take up the excess after A-lining it.

The back of the outer-outer apron and the inside of the pleat:

The inner and outer outer aprons.

I'm sure that's still clear as mud. Since finishing it I've decided to make another, hopefully in something more visually appealing(or more like what Dad would wear). I would have taken pics while making it but I didn't expect much interest. When I start a new one I promise I'll post pics of it in-work and document the whole thing.

Overall it wasn't really that difficult, but I had to come up with solutions to a few issues that I haven't dealt with before since adult dimensions are a little easier to work with and I haven't had to contend with the bulk added by wearing diapers for 32 years...and hopefully won't for another fifty.

Just for grins, here were my other two pleating options. I liked the first one, the second one would cause a seizure if you looked at it too long. The wife liked the one I used. When I make the next one there will be no discussion with the wife!!

Hopefully the little guy's next kilt is even better.
Thanks again for the compliments!!