Confessions........

[Scratchy's Lass]

The plan is I'll make Jay a 'practice kilt' out of inexpensive plaid whathaveyou, as an experiment, and so that I can learn to hopefully at least do a passable job on REAL tartan.

Between pouring over each and every detail in Barb's book (latest edition) repeatedly, and my first opportunity to actually handle Jay's kilts real 'up close and personal-like' via steam-pressing to touch up the pleats, I gotta tell you - I am finding the aspect of getting everything just right really scary, really intimidating.

Probably my first venture into the risk of doing serious damage will be when I put a hem in his philabeg. *sigh*

Is there a syndrome along the lines of, "FOP"? (Fear of Pleating)
m

[Ancienne Alliance]

We wish you the best of lucks !

Robert and Lady Chrystel

[auld argonian]

Yes, it is rather intimidating to even start laying out the material and reading The Art of Kiltmaking might actually make it more scary than it might be if you had not read the book. And I don't say that to, in any way, criticize Madame Tewksbury's book...it is so comprehensive and so detailed that it may make the novice think "what am I getting into here?"

While I haven't had a whole lot of time to actually start working with some fabric, though, I have read the book and it is very well thought out and clear and has to be the best guide through the Tartan Jungle that anyone is likely to ever need. I suggest that the analogy that might give you some reassurance is the old "it's like eating a whale...at first it looks impossible but then you realize that you have to eat it just like you'd eat anything else: one bite at a time" thing.

You're smart to start with some "training" fabric. Many of us get the heebie-jeebies on any project because we are afraid that we are going to fail...don't feel that way. Go for it. What's the worst that can happen?

I once watched a cooking show about baking bread. The host said that she knew that a lot of people had difficulty doing this well and always complained that the bread didn't rise correctly and they were just frustrated and were going to quit. She then pointed out that she knew a lot of people who took up golf only to decide that they weren't very good at it and droppped it. They would spend thousands of dollars on clothes, shoes, clubs, golf balls, lessons and greens fees and then pitch it in because they felt that they weren't good enough. What did it cost to keep working at baking a good loaf of bread? Couple of bucks for flour, yeast, eggs and milk? Her point being that there were an awful lot of people out there spending an awful of more money on other things and that baking was pretty inexpensive by comparison. I would suggest the same about kiltmaking and the goal of actually making something functional is good for your head and spirit.

Onward! Don't forget that we're all pullin' for ya!

Best

AA

[Pleater]

Take your iron and maybe an old sheet, tear a strip off the edge of the cloth and then just iron in some pleats - just by eye, line up the pleats along the ironing board and iron them down.

TAAH DAAAH!!

The straighter on the line of the grain you can make the pleat then the neater it will look, but you can just flatten it out again, lots of steam and ironing, and put them in again.

Try lots of small pleats, then fewer larger pleats, box pleats even.

Now all you need to do is practise sewing the pleats into the fabric. If one comes out wrong, you just take out the stitches and redo it. The trick is not to make the sewing really permanent until you can lift up the kilt and see how the pleats look. I used to leave several inches of thread rather than knot the start of a sewm, and then it was easier to remove. If it was good then I'd go back and secure it.

[Finn]

With the obvious love involved, you'll do very well!

[ThreadBbdr]

Also don't forget that everything is totally able to be undone and started over until you get to the cutouts. By that point, the lion's share of the work that will show is done.

When I teach knitting or needlework, one of the things I tell beginners is that almost EVERYthing is fixable or reversible.

Don't be intimidated and just work through the process one step at a time.

Good luck!

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

I still haven't "gotten around to" making my first "real" kilt. I say it's because I haven't the time, or we can't afford the tartan at this moment, but the reality is, I have a serious case of FOP. Do you think maybe there's a support group for that? Or perhaps a drug to help me work through this problem?

Now Panache is threatening me with swatches of Ancient MacNichol tartan. AAAAAUGH!!!

Be well,

[sydnie7]

I can't say the one kilt I've made is a "real kilt" but my man's worn it twice now to clan dinners and not been laughed/tossed from the room I found the absolute hardest thing was the first step of actually CUTTING that gorgeous fabric to length. Fortunately I was working at my sister's house (more space, fewer cats) and she just picked up the shears and whacked into it. Once that first cut was made, it was all downhill. I did pin the pleats over and over and over. . . but I was working with less fabric than optimum, only about 3.25 yards of double-wide. More good fortune that the fellow is tall and lanky!

Now that I know how to attach, here's the pic I have available (will post more in my own thread when I can).

Best of luck to you!


P.S. Yes, I know now that his flashes are too far to the side -- the things you learn here (that your sister "the expert" doesn't know LOL)!

[Panache]

...Now Panache is threatening me with swatches of Ancient MacNichol tartan. AAAAAUGH!!!

Darling, I just ordered the swatch from Matt...

Cheers

Jamie

[Friday]

Have you considered making an X-Marks kilt out of wrinkle resistant material? You could learn all the techniques with out worrying about tartan alinement. Once the basis techniques are learned you could go to an inexpensive plaid and add that to your knowledge.