Newly finished comtemporary

**kilted firefighter** · 3rd October 15, 04:45 PM

Deleting post

**Mike in Dayton** · 3rd October 15, 05:45 PM

It looks good. This is the first time I have seen that type of construction. I have made a few hand sewn traditional kilts

Mike

**jthk** · 3rd October 15, 05:51 PM

Fair play to you for making your own kilt!

**Dughlas mor** · 3rd October 15, 06:14 PM

Very interesting kilt, and a good looking outfit.

**Tarheel** · 3rd October 15, 07:30 PM

Good to see the "flash" of the pleats are tartan. You've rounded out the outfit nicely.

**ratspike** · 4th October 15, 06:14 AM

I think you look very sharp, and I'm stoked that you're stoked on making kilts. Be careful though, you may end up with a closet full of these things before you realize it.

RE darts rather than tapering the waist, IIRC there's a brief note in The Art of Kiltmaking about this, and you do not want to dart. Maybe @Barb T or @Steve Ashton can chime in with specifics.

**Barb T** · 4th October 15, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by ratspike

RE darts rather than tapering the waist, IIRC there's a brief note in The Art of Kiltmaking about this, and you do not want to dart. Maybe @Barb T or @Steve Ashton can chime in with specifics.

KF's darts are different than the darts that I argue against in The Art of Kiltmaking. He's using them in the place of stitched pleats tapered in the fell. So, the point that applies is what to do from the waist to the top of the kilt (presuming that KF's kilt will have a rise). In order to have the kilt fit properly with a rise, the darts in the fell need to taper from the bottom of the fell to the level of the waist and then flare just a bit above the level of the waist to the top of the kilt. Otherwise, the back of the kilt will be smallest at the top edge, causing it to sag when worn.

**kilted firefighter** · 5th October 15, 07:03 AM

Thanks for the replies ratspike and Barb T. Barb is correct i did not dart pleats but an otherwise flat panel of fabric. I have the advantage and disadvantage of having no previous experience with this type of garment, so I just did what I thought would work. It hangs really well to the contours of my waist. To

**Barb T** · 5th October 15, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by kilted firefighter

Thanks for the replies ratspike and Barb T. Barb is correct i did not dart pleats but an otherwise flat panel of fabric. I have the advantage and disadvantage of having no previous experience with this type of garment, so I just did what I thought would work. It hangs really well to the contours of my waist. To

So I totally misunderstood what you are doing. I thought you were putting darts into the panel that you are using above the pleats. I'm not sure, though, how a completely flat panel with no darts would actually fit so well.

**The Wizard of BC** · 5th October 15, 08:03 AM

If I read this correctly this kilt utilizes a yolk in the back just like what is used on a pair of jeans.

This is exactly how Terry Vargas made his "Bear Kilts". So of you may not know about Terry. He was the first person to use Marton Mills P/V for kilts. He is the forerunner of what today we think of as the Casual Style kilt.

I'm not exactly sure of the date when Terry started making kilts but they were before USA Kilts, before Freedom Kilts, and possibly before SportKilts.

Terry took his idea from blue jeans. He created a yolk to which he attached his pleats. A totally revolutionary idea at the time as no one had ever done anything like what Terry achieved. Totally new and revolutionary. Terry goes down in history as one of the very first, if not the first, to break the mold of the Traditional kilt leading the way to a lot of those of us who came afterwards.