X-Kilt & Waistcoat Advice

[huntley]

Hello everyone-
I recently acquired my first kilt (a semi-trad. from USAK) and while I love it, I've decided I need something a bit more heavy duty for training dogs in. I came across a deal on a Singer Tradition for $44 factory sealed and took it as a sign that I needed to make my own kilt!
So- here we go!

I've bought 6 yards of this 10 oz. Poly Cotton canvas in the hopes that I will have enough fabric for an X-Kilt, waistcoat, and maybe a flat cap. I went with this because the x-kilt instruction recommend a poly cotton twill or a canvas. I have hopes that the poly cotton canvas will give me the best of both worlds in terms of wrinkling and durability.
http://www.bigduckcanvas.com/10-oz-c...nvas-charcoal/

Since my Singer is a lightweight beginners model I'm very concerned that she won't be able to make it through the canvas, but I have already gotten some denim needles to try and help. I'd like to do the RevK version but, since I'm new to sewing and already concerned about the fabric thickness, I'm thinking I'll stick with the box pleats.
Last night I made a pair of flannel PJ's just to get a little sewing under my belt before this undertaking!

Right now I'm just looking for input on the choices I've made so far, although I'm sure I'll have more technical questions once I get started...

Also, I'm a fairly portly guy with a 41" waist at the navel and 44" at the rump- I'm wondering if the narrow apron would look better than the wide, or vice versa...
I will be making a custom treat pouch sporran for it as well.

Wish me luck!

[ratspike]

Your machine will do okay for most of the kilt with fabric that heavy. Where you're likely to run into a bit of hassle is sewing on the belt loops, waistband, and your straps or velcro. The problem isn't necessarily getting the needle through the fabric. It's getting all that stuff under the presser foot, and then getting the machine to feed it smoothly and stitch it all together without skipping stitches. Inexpensive plastic sewing machines are pretty crap even on a good day so take it slow, use the handwheel over the difficult parts, and you should come out the other end with your sanity intact.

If you have a Joann Fabrics store near you I'd check out their Target poly/cotton fabric for your first kilt. IIRC it's about 6oz fabric, super easy to sew, and it makes a totally respectable kilt. It's always either on sale or you can use a coupon so it tends to be really inexpensive, sometimes a bit over 4 bucks a yard.

My personal favorite fabric for a kilt that's going to get worked hard is the poly/cotton twill from Carr Textile/sellfabric.com. It's super baller. 8 bucks a yard, fantastically durable, soft and comfortable, and has very respectable swish for a non-wool fabric. It's very nice to sew and has nothing but advantages over canvas. You might also keep an eye out for nylon/cotton ripstop. Usually these fabrics are camouflage but you can occasionally get solid colors as well. It makes a great warm weather work kilt.

[huntley]

Thanks bob!
I will definitely look into that twill- do you think this poly cotton canvas will do the job for the first one? The fabric just came in today and I'm eager to get started. The website says its softer than typical cotton canvas.
Thanks again!

[ratspike]

Forgot to add...

As far as a wide vs narrow apron, that's a personal choice. I have 15 or so kilts in my closet with aprons ranging from about 19" to 10". Remember, these fabrics are stiffer than wool and don't hang and move with your body the same way. For working at the dog shelter I prefer a kilt with a narrower apron and wider pleats, because it's less fabric to deal with when I'm crawling around with the dogs or cleaning out crates. The apron width becomes pretty important if you're going to add cargo pockets, as it affects the location of the pocket on the right side. I find that a width of about 1/3 of the waist measurement is a pretty happy medium, narrow enough to keep the pockets accessible but wide enough to not look like a Utilikilt.

[Tarheel]

ratspike is right about taking your time with the extra thick areas to sew. The "demin needles" will help because of the more ridged metal and larger eye hole, but may seem awkward due to the feed space between the foot and the plate.
Heed his advice on the apron width also and I think all will feel right to you.

[ratspike]

I'm currently at about 39" waist and 44" hips. I have a beater Multicam kilt with removable pockets that has a 16" apron. With the right side pocket right at the apron edge it sits a little further to the rear than I'd prefer. I like my cargo pockets to sit pretty much straight down the side of my leg like on a pair of regular cargo or tactical pants. I make my pockets fairly big, with a large pleat on one side to allow for some expansion, so if I have to reach too far behind it just feels awkward. Several of my other kilts have 13"-14" aprons and allow me to locate the pocket in a much more accessible spot.

I was reluctant to go really narrow with my aprons because it felt too much like a Utilikilt ripoff, even though I personally like the way it looks. I finally decided to give it a shot and for a working kilt, I super dig it. It's really convenient to have the option of cargo pockets that sit more to the front when I've got to carry around poop bags, treats, or meds and want them easily accessible. At any given time I may also have a squirt bottle, pepper spray, a loop lead, or a walkie talkie attached to me as well. An extra narrow apron allows for me to arrange my pockets in whatever way I need to so that my stuff is where I want it to be.

[ratspike]

Thanks bob!
I will definitely look into that twill- do you think this poly cotton canvas will do the job for the first one? The fabric just came in today and I'm eager to get started. The website says its softer than typical cotton canvas.
Thanks again!

Oh, yeah, I'm sure the fabric will be just fine for a kilt. It should be smooth sailing for probably 90% of the sewing as well. Like I mentioned, it's likely the bits that I mentioned that will be rough going. I sew with industrial machines now but I made a lot of kilts on home machines prior to that. When I'd hit a spot that was just too thick for the machine to really handle, turning the handwheel manually usually did the trick. Going with box pleats will help for sure. If you want to do knife pleats, going with wider pleats that aren't super deep will minimize the amount of overlapping fabric. My kilts end up with pleats that are around 1.75"-2" wide and 3" deep, so really not a ton of fabric to sew through. Knocking the pleat depth down to 2.5" will give you a little less fabric to sew though, but you'll still have a respectable amount of pleatage swinging 'round your backside.

[Lady Grey]

You will be fine just make sure your chalk marks are straight.
Personally I prefer a wider apron than the X Kilt instructions suggest.
If you want belt loops - assuming you wear a belt- take them to a shoe- repair shop and ask them to attach them for you. If you don't wear a belt, don't bother.
It's far easier to spend a few dollars at the shop than the swearing and broken needles that will result if you try and do it yourself.
(Somewhere in the archives is a post about making a 'hopper' that helps with sewing thick fabric weights)
Remember pictures & have fun!

[huntley]

Thank you so much for all the tips and information. In your opinion, is a RevK version beginner friendly enough for a first kilt/second sewing project? I really prefer the look, but if it's significantly more difficult I may be better off sticking with the box pleats.

[MNlad]

It's been a while since I've tackled an X-kilt, but I did not find the RevK that much more difficult—just read the instructions carefully. Personally, I like the look of the X-kilt with a wider apron.

As for sewing the thicker layers, it's the transition from a couple layers of fabric to several layers that will cause the most headaches. You may even find you have to put some additional pressure on the foot to keep from skipping a stitch or two as you make that jump. It's one disadvantage of working with a lighter machine.