First XKilt is complete and in the washing machine...

[TheKiltedCoder]

Well, my first XKilt is in the washing machine now, having all of the chalk removed. It's a black light cotton/poly twill.

All said and done, it took me about 2 weeks start to finish, of which there were about 3 really heavy nights.

This was the first time I'd ever done more than sew a button on a shirt, and my Grandma's 1950's Singer 500 (designed to survive the nuclear holocaust and global Commie domination) was pressed into service. It only does straight and zigzag stitches, but it performed far better than it's operator did.

All said and told, I'm pretty pleased with the results. It's not a kilt I'd wear on a night about town, but certainly will be okay around the house. Now that I've seen them up close and personal, I love the box pleat look more and more.

The only problem I had was in doing the A-shaping on the front apron. I had no problem doing the shaping itself, but couldn't figure out for the life of me how to tack the front apron to the first pleat so that everything hung correctly. I got it pretty close, but ended out tearing a small hole with my seam ripper in the pleat underneath the front apron trying to redo it. So, I just kind of had to leave it, with the result being that the front apron is a little "funny" on the wearer's left.

If anyone wants pics, I'll be happy to post them tomorrow once the kilt comes out of the dryer and I am a bit more coherent than I am now. I do have some stuff going on tomorrow evening, so it may not be until late tomorrow (or maybe even Saturday morning) before I get them up.

I cannot say enough good things about Alan and the directions he put together. Even the constant reminders to stop and think about what I was doing were very helpful.

For those that are considering trying one of these, it's about at the skill level of a level 3 model kit (enough to make you grit your teeth at times, but nice enough that it looks snazzy when done.)

And I really feel like there are some parallels with Jedi here. A Jedi makes his own lightsabre. Period. Granted, I have 4 store-bought kilts, but I think this needs to be a rite of passage.

Next up: I've got some modifications I'd like to do to the plans (I'm thinking about adding leather straps instead of the velcro closure, and I'm thinking seriously about doing a double box pleat instead of a single. And hand sewing it. This one will take a while. Maybe something in a dark forest green wool serge. Almost like the fabric that US Army Class A uniforms are made of, except more green than olive.

Well, off to bed. Thanks and a wOOt out to Alan for everything!

[Alan H]

Thank you kindly, and looking forward to the pictures!

[Splash_4]

If anyone wants pics, I'll be happy to post them tomorrow once the kilt comes out of the dryer and I am a bit more coherent than I am now.

Are you kidding? On this board a kilt does not exist without pictorial proof! Bring them on.

[12stones]

Congrats on the accomplishment. I can't wait to see the pics.

[Wolfgore]

Yeah, get those pics up here.

And congratulations on your first.
It gets addictive now, so can't wait to see the others too.

[DTrain]

YOu know, Ive been wanting to try it--but a little intimidated by the great results often seen here. I, too, haven't sewed anything on but a button, so the task seems a little daunting. Would love to see the results. Thanks for the info regarding level of difficulty and time spent.

[TheKiltedCoder]

YOu know, Ive been wanting to try it--but a little intimidated by the great results often seen here. I, too, haven't sewed anything on but a button, so the task seems a little daunting. Would love to see the results. Thanks for the info regarding level of difficulty and time spent.

Well, to be honest, I don't think my results will hold up well against what I've seen here before, but that was primarily due to my inexperience. With the rate of improvement that I saw in my capabilities, my 2nd effort will most definitely be able to hold its own with some of the kilts seen here. And I expect that yours will, as well.

One other thing of note: It is always a good idea to sit down and read instructions for a project like this from start to finish before you start. In this instance, though, if you haven't sewn an XKilt before, you'll find that there are parts of the instructions that don't make a lot of sense before you actually get to the step being described. You need to sit down with the kilt in one hand and the instructions in the other in order to understand some of the steps.

[Alan H]

Well, to be honest, I don't think my results will hold up well against what I've seen here before, but that was primarily due to my inexperience. With the rate of improvement that I saw in my capabilities, my 2nd effort will most definitely be able to hold its own with some of the kilts seen here. And I expect that yours will, as well.

One other thing of note: It is always a good idea to sit down and read instructions for a project like this from start to finish before you start. In this instance, though, if you haven't sewn an XKilt before, you'll find that there are parts of the instructions that don't make a lot of sense before you actually get to the step being described. You need to sit down with the kilt in one hand and the instructions in the other in order to understand some of the steps.

What HE said!

DTrain, in fact your first X-Kilt might only be suitable for changing motor oil and painting the house. But he's right, your second one will almost certainly be *very* acceptable. I'd say that a full third of the X-Kilts made around here were done by guys who have nevr used a sewing machine before.

If you have a friend or girlfriend or spouse who's done some sewing and can help you get started, then you absolutely can make one of these things.

[TheKiltedCoder]

Okay, all, we'll see if we can make this work.



Second Pic:



Third Pic:



And last



Like I said, the top apron has a bit of a mind of its own, but it's at least wearable around the house. I may even wear it on our upcoming vacation to Oregon.

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

Woo hoo! Looks great! Especially for a first sewing project-you should have seen my first sewing project!

Be well,