plotting the next kilt

[vorpallemur]

I let slip in another thread that I'm planning my next kilt design. Since it doesn't have much to do with what the thread is supposed to be about, I've started a new one. This kilt is a few things down my sewing pile, and several things down my "round tuit" pile. So it'll be a while before I actually do much more than sketch.

Oh! Interesting - it has a yoke at the top rather than shaped fell - normal for women's pleated garments - it saves a lot of fiddling about, time, exasperation and fabric too.

I might try that with some nice but narrow fabric - but I'd do the yoke double, to enclose the top edge completely.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

I'm working on a pattern to do this for my next kilt. (I'm drafting an actual pattern for this one. Doubled, with a split at the center back back (so the yoke is four pieces), continuing around and tapering to the just-forward-of-the-side side seams, where the front pocket openings will be. I'm rather unlikely to work in lightweight nylon, though!

How wide would this yoke be?

My plan is for it to be about four inches at the center back, tapering to about one inch at the side-seam. (Which, for slash pockets to work properly, actually needs to be a bit forward of the sides. ) That, plus the waistband, and having the kilt at the low waist (where most modern dressy pants sit, higher than Levi's, below the true waist), means that much of the tapering that needs to happen from the hips to the waist band is in yoke, and not the pleats. That's a bit easier to make (requires more pattern drafting than tapered kilt, but less work in building), and can save a bunch of fabric, depending.

I've got this piece of green-black denim fabric that's just perfect for a fall kilt, which is part of my thinking for this.

It's really green in that picture (it's on top of my black Utilikilt(TM) mocker). It's a dark green warp, with black weft. I thought it was black when I bought it, and when I looked at it in daylight, I saw it was green. It was silly cheap, though, so it's okay (it was on sale, and it's flawed, so it was discounted further (the flaw is a stain that rinsed out on the part I checked)). There's not quite enough with the flaws to do a kilt to the pattern of the duck kilt I did a while ago. (which I really like, though it's bit heavy. Might like it better when it cools down.) So, if the yoke saves a bit of fabric, I'll still get a kilt out of it.

[Bugbear]

Oh, Ok. That makes sense. From Pleater's post I kept seeing in my mind a mid to high rise kilt with a yoke covering the whole fell area . Kind of like a six to eight inch wide yoke all the way around...
and I went screaming into the darkness!

But what you described doesn't sound bad.

[Heming]

lol, you know you have an unusual idea when it makes people scream!

I think you might be on to something very cool and worth copying if this works. What style of pleating do you intend to use? Will you sew down the pleats from the bottom of the yoke to the bottom of the fell?

[vorpallemur]

lol, you know you have an unusual idea when it makes people scream!

I normally only have that effect on women....

I think you might be on to something very cool and worth copying if this works. What style of pleating do you intend to use? Will you sew down the pleats from the bottom of the yoke to the bottom of the fell?

I've become convinced that reverse-kinguisse is the most practical way of pleating. That's particularly true where you're not doing the traditional use one-length-of-fabric method. I also think it looks good, which is a bonus.

I haven't decided about sewing the pleats down. I think not, at least initially. (They can be sewn down later, if I change my mind.) Better swish...

[Bugbear]

Actually, it was the thought of having a six to eight inch wide yoke across the whole pleated section of the kilt that sent me screaming into the darkness. That isn't what was being planned, so I'm glad I asked.

[Pleater]

Cutting the yoke on the bias will allow for even more shaping, as it will stretch if draped or pressed over a ham. It would be difficult to anticipate the amont of shaping that would be attained as it would vary with the fabric, but it might be an interesting experiment.

I think that with a triangular lower edge the reverse Kingussie style would be rather apt.

I rather like the colour of the green/black denim - it is rather classy, and looks more 'up market' than black.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[vorpallemur]

I did some work drafting this yesterday. working with pleats is a pain. I've done enough of the draft to figure out it's a workable idea, though.