How to adjust the apron for 12-pack abs?

[Friday]

Over the years I have tried my hand at making some PV casual kilts. I have read the threads on kilt making and Barbara Tewksbury & Elsie Stuemyers book The Art of Kiltmaking. Most of these directions work on the basis of a person with 6-pack abs. There have been some excellent discussion on how these directions should be adapted for the person of substance. In may case substance means fat. As a visual learner I work better with pictures than words.

I think I have worked out in my mind how the measurements for 6-pack abs differ from those of 12-pack abs. I will start with a visual of my understanding of difference then ask a question about the shaping of the apron.

To start we have two gentlemen getting ready to order tanks and are preparing measurements to their kilt makers. We have Joe 6-pack (envision Matt Newsome kilted, said in envy) and since I have not posted a picture lately think of Matt holding a pumpkin in front.



Joe takes his measurements at the kilt waist and the kilt hips (fell line).

The difference between the waist measurement and hips determines the amount of taper needed in the pleats. The waist line (red) has been superimposed on the waist line and the difference shown in gold.



Now for Sam’s measurements.

Sam takes his measurements at the kilt waist and the kilt hips (fell line).



The difference between the waist measurement and hips determines the amount of taper needed in the pleats. The waist line (red) has been superimposed on the waist line and the difference shown in gold.

This implies there is negative taper in Sam’s kilt.

Lets take a second and rethink the kilt from the beginning. Isn’t a kilt a cylinder of cloth wrapped around the body, from waist to the knees. This cylinder is then shaped by tapering the back of the cylinder from the fell line to the hips. Using this idea lets re-look at Sam’s kilt and his measurements.


The waist is measured in the same way and at the same spot. The difference is in the hip measurement and how to compensated for the 12-pack cantilevered navel line.



I take a piece of light cardboard (poster board) wrap it around my 12-packs, make sure it is hanging straight and then measure my hips. This will allow the front apron to hang straight and not pucker.

This method works for me and my apron hangs very straight. But, my question is on shaping the apron.

On page 49 of The Art of Kiltmaking there is a picture of the apron. The top of the apron is 2 inches smaller the at the fell line.



This is to adjust for the shape of Joe 6-packs waist versus his hips. How ever for me, thanks to love handles, I do not have an hour glass figure from the front or back view.

Should I add taper to the top of the apron and taper the pleats less? How should I handle this?

I have been having a problem with the graphic interface and will work on cleaning this up in the morning.

[Taj]

I couldn't begin to answer, but great job on asking. I don't know that I will ever attempt making a kilt. I will read the answer though.

[Spartan Tartan]

I couldn't begin to answer, but great job on asking. I don't know that I will ever attempt making a kilt. I will read the answer though.

Ummmm....yes, exactly. I am convinced that I will never endeavor to make a kilt. I am still trying to work up the nerve to make my own hose--or find the time to actually learn, either way...great question. I look forward to the responses.

[Friday]

I couldn't begin to answer, but great job on asking. I don't know that I will ever attempt making a kilt. I will read the answer though.

Ummmm....yes, exactly. I am convinced that I will never endeavor to make a kilt. I am still trying to work up the nerve to make my own hose--or find the time to actually learn, either way...great question. I look forward to the responses.

Taj and Spartan Tartan making a kilt is not that hard. The general direction for an X-Kilt are simple for a solid color cloth. Try it and you will be hooked.

Spartan Tartan if you can knit, purl, increase and decrease you can knit kilt hose. Add a few cables and impress your friends and fellow kilties. My thought would to used sport or even worsted weight yarn for the first few. "Sock" weight yarn just has toooooooo many stitches for my size 13 (US) feet, 18 inch calves and long legs. Don't let anyone tell you that knitting socks is hard there are knitters here and on knitting forums that will help you ever stitch along the way.

As for time I take my knitting with me and can often be found knitting, kilted at Wal-Mart waiting for my wife. I have never figured out how "I'm just going in for one item" can always take over an hour.

[unixken]

Having likewise long ago upgraded from a 6 pack to a pony keg, I understand the dilemma, and would love to read the answer. Great job "illustrating" the point.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Let me just say first that I am happy that you think I have 6 pack abs. Most people wouldn't notice, as I have lately been keeping my 6-pack protected in a large styrofoam cooler -- just to keep 'em cool, you know. :-) I also think it's funny you named your 12-pack guy Sam, as that's my brother's name, and he's thinner than I am.

As to the issue at hand, I think you are overthinking this somewhat. One thing you are missing is that cloth is more flexible and drapes entirely different than cardboard or posterboard.

When making a kilt for someone whose waist is larger than their hips, there is no "negative taper." You essentially ignore the hip measurement in that case, and more or less carry the waist measurement down. So, for instance, if a person's waist is 47" and their hips only 44", then I use the 47" measurement on their hip, as well.

And actually, I still make the hips a bit larger. I still add the 2" increase to the apron, to maintain the proper apron shape, but then in the pleats, I just make them the same measurements at waist and hip. So there is no taper at all in the pleats.

This has always worked well for me, though I suppose I may have to adjust my method somewhat if I had a client who had a "bubble butt" (where your seat comes out quite a bit from the small of your back). Most men I find don't have that much junk in their trunk (if I may), and so it's not an issue.

In fact the issue I have to deal with most in men of substance is the exact opposite. All of the extra girth is in the front, in their stomach, and their rear ends are rather non-existent by comparison. I drew some lines on your graphic to illustrate what I mean.


You can see in 6-pack man that the median line down the center of his profile essentially bisects the kilt. You want the pleats to start and end at this line, meaning in this case about half the kilt will be pleats, and half apron. Now, in Mr. 12-pack, if we draw a bisecting line down the same place in his body, he has much more of his kilt in the front than in the back. This means if we want the pleats to begin at this mid-point, we actually should make the apron larger than the pleated portion of the kilt. And so often when making kilts for men of substance, I will make the aprons larger than the pleats to maintain this balanced look when the kilt is being worn.

[Friday]

Let me just say first that I am happy that you think I have 6 pack abs. Most people wouldn't notice, as I have lately been keeping my 6-pack protected in a large styrofoam cooler -- just to keep 'em cool, you know. :-) I also think it's funny you named your 12-pack guy Sam, as that's my brother's name, and he's thinner than I am.

Matt from all your pictures at most I could see a 8-pack, where as I seem closer to a kegger, and not that this would ever have been said before, "Mommy, Sammy made me do it."

You can see in 6-pack man that the median line down the center of his profile essentially bisects the kilt. You want the pleats to start and end at this line, meaning in this case about half the kilt will be pleats, and half apron. Now, in Mr. 12-pack, if we draw a bisecting line down the same place in his body, he has much more of his kilt in the front than in the back. This means if we want the pleats to begin at this mid-point, we actually should make the apron larger than the pleated portion of the kilt. And so often when making kilts for men of substance, I will make the aprons larger than the pleats to maintain this balanced look when the kilt is being worn.

To use a reference point, knowing that it is not extremely accurate, the pleat and apron should meet about at a line roughly where the hang straight down from the shoulders. Or about at the point of the hip bone.

I recently got some PV for a dollar a yard at Wal-Mart. This is reminiscent of the Cunningham tartan (the world prettiest tartan ). I am going to turn this into a kilt, I'll apply your suggestions, now the problem is which style of box pleats. Back to reread Military Box-Pleats: some questions for the rabble.

[sydnie7]

Another tactic that I've used relates to that vertical line that Matt added to your drawings. If we pretend that the fellow is wearing p@nts, that would be where the side seams sit. So I measure my victims "half waist" and "half hips" -- that is, measuring from side seam to side seam around the back, then around the front of waist. Similarly I measure around the back of the hips. Adding the "front half waist" to the "back half hips" gives me my final hip measurement, plus a little for give/ease as Matt mentions.

The apron shaping question is a great one and I'll be following the discussion!

[Friday]

sydnie7 that is/was my intent with the poster board, bring the front half waist down to the half hips measurement. Since I am measuring myself, this is easy. However, Matt probably does not see most of his customers in person. Hands on measurements are hard to do over the internet. as with many things "there are many ways to skin a cat."

It is just that cats don't like any of them.

[Jon Lilley]

Sorry I'm late to this 'party' everyone. I went to 'kilt camp' (Troy, NY) again this summer and we talked about this very problem at length, because I have almost the same issue. Matt's suggestion of using the waist measurement all the way down is correct. It's the way it's done. It's also a lot easier when you start sewing pleats, too.

The trick to wearing the kilt is to have it up where it's supposed to be (at the navel or there abouts) AND to hitch your sporran chains up over the top buckles adjusting so it hangs right over your 'nose'. Doing this, the chain won't hang down around your '12 pack' accentuating them and causing the aprons to raise and turn into curtains. You won't need to revert to sporran hangers either.

Hope this helps,

Jon