3 to 4 yard "recycled" box-pleated kilt

[slohairt]

Greetings, fellow kiltmakers!

I have been making various styles of kilts for some time now and thought I would share with you all something I have had success with.
I frequent thrift shops and the like and buy women's kilted skirts. I look for a number of things:
1) that the fabric is a medium to heavy worsted wool.
2) the size is large.
3) the length is 27" or greater.
4) and that it costs very little!

I then dismantle the skirt and reduce to its pure unadultered state as a bolt of tartan fabric. What remains is usually a 3 to 4 yard piece of fabric. I then make a box pleated kilt with several large pleats (to the stripe, of course). Occasionally I am able to reuse the straps and buckles if they are large (i.e. manly) enough. Also, if there is enough remaining fabric I make garter flashes.
In all, this process is time consuming but well worth the effort as I am often able to create a lovely Scottish worsted wool kilt for about $5-$15! Its a great way to recycle old tartan.

I hope this information is useful to everybody and that they try it.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Welcome slohairt! That is a good idea, but I think that I would have problems finding a woman's skirt large enough to go around my girth (41" waist, 46" hips).

[auld argonian]

Welcome slohairt! That is a good idea, but I think that I would have problems finding a woman's skirt large enough to go around my girth (41" waist, 46" hips).

...you should hit the stores on the South Side of Chicago!

Best

AA

[way2fractious]

Greetings, fellow kiltmakers!

I frequent thrift shops and the like and buy women's kilted skirts. I then dismantle the skirt and reduce to its pure unadultered state as ... tartan fabric. What remains is usually a 3 to 4 yard piece of fabric.

Welcome to the asylum, slohairt, from another thrift store junkie.

The difficulty I encounter in California is that the women's skirts are too lightweight and never big enough around to produce sufficient length. Finding two matching ones is impossible. However, they have provided me hours of practice pulling out the stitches without injuring the wool fabric.

[slohairt]

I live in the Great White North known as Canada so most tartan skirts are of the medium to heavy variety. Another good place for kilts are Army surplus stores. I don't know if many American military institutions wear kilts but many do in Canada (us still having the U.K. connection I guess).

[way2fractious]

Another good place for kilts are Army surplus stores. I don't know if many American military institutions wear kilts but many do in Canada (us still having the U.K. connection I guess).

Army surplus stores here DO NOT carry kilts. I am truly interested in acquiring a military box pleat kilt (not the standard knife pleat) - any condition, any tartan, any size, preferably cheap - for study of its construction. If you were to spot one and pick it up for me, I'd be much obliged. I can be reached by private message.

[Pleater]

I don't have to do this now I have shrunk to a 38 inch waist from a 50 inch equator, but I have used a toning plain fabric for the under apron and associated large pleats so as to get enough fabric for the small pleats and apron.

I did consider making the apron pleats on both sides from the toning fabric, so it looked more deliberate design rather than desperation, but have never got around to making that particular kilt.

[Colin]

I live in the Great White North known as Canada so most tartan skirts are of the medium to heavy variety. Another good place for kilts are Army surplus stores. I don't know if many American military institutions wear kilts but many do in Canada (us still having the U.K. connection I guess).

We also have and have always had kilted regiments. I do not believe (correct me if I am wrong here) that the US has any kilted regiments. Were their kilted regiments in the US in the past?

The thrift store idea sounds like a decent one if you know your way around a sewing machine. I would think it would be hard to find actually tartans though. Have you had any difficulty with that?

[bubba]

Were their kilted regiments in the US in the past?

I think there were 1 or 2 at the beginning of the Civil War but the kilts didn't survive the battlefield. I don't think there were any after that.

[Freelander Sporrano]

I think there were 1 or 2 at the beginning of the Civil War but the kilts didn't survive the battlefield. I don't think there were any after that.

Where's Todd when you need him ?