Okay, years ago I completely hand-sewed my own traditional tartan kilt. I decided a while back that I wanted to start wearing kilts more so I decided to try hand sewing a non-traditional kilt similar to a Utilikilt. I gave up after a couple nights of messing around and decided I'd rather spend the money to buy Utilikilts rather than sew my own. It seems that now I've come back around to wanting to sew a kilt again. I own four UKs and wear them every day (haven't worn pants in about a year and a half). By far my favorites are my two Workman's kilts but there are things about their design that I find aggravating, not the least of which is the rolling pleats and the bizarre convoluted and probably unneccessary pleated under apron. I don't know what that's all about but it never seems to lay right. Anyway, I'd like to try sewing a tartan kilt with a narrower front apron and side cargo pockets and a normal flat under apron. However, I DON'T want to hand sew an entire kilt again. Also, I don't own a sewing machine so I'm wondering - is there a sewing machine that can bought for $150 or less that isn't a toy or a piece of junk? I suppose I could go up to about $200 but at that point it becomes more a question of how likely am I to sew more than one kilt and whether I'd be better off trying to find someone who sells something like what I want to create. So, my first question is about sewing machines. My second question is about tartan kilts and non-traditional design. Has anyone made a non-traditional kilt in tartan material with cargo pockets, etc.? Was it knife-pleated, box pleated? Could it be machine washed and hung to dry without having to have it's pleats basted or ironed afterwards? Finally, I guess a third question - I really prefer a knife edge pleat because it looks more traditional and nicer to me however my experience with UKs shows that a typical knife pleat tends to roll and looks ugly the more you wear the kilt. Currently having only four kilts I like to get maximum mileage out each one before I retire it to the wash - so I may alternate them but for the most part they get worn for upwards or a week or more before they're washed. This isn't such a big deal because I only wear them when I'm not working. Being a zookeeper I have a uniform that I wear during the day - so my kilts don't get much overall daily wear. Thanks for any advice or pointers.
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