I received my copy of 'The Art of Kiltmaking' and finally had a chance to read through much of it. I was hoping it would help with the repair of our well-worn marching band kilts, but (as I suspected might be the case) the instructions when stitching pleats can't be used on a finished kilt. Not without deconstructing far too much than is practical. So... The first couple kilts I repaired, I worked from hip to waist to repair the opened pleat. However, I couldn't use a straight up-and-down technique with the needle without going through all layers and the linings. This meant either taking larger stitches or catching only one or two threads, and it was nearly impossible to keep the stitches invisible. I ended up using an unorthodox method to fix one kilt, and could use some input on the technique. The stitches are invisible, but I'm not sure how secure they are for keeping the pleat in place.

Working from waist to hip (and starting the thread inside the open section of pleat so it was hidden), I came up through the bottom layer (the pleats are facing me as I work) exactly where the pleat will lay, then into the top layer (the pleat) where it's folded. I hope this makes sense so far. Instead of making the stitch along the fold, because you then can't get the needle at the right angle when sewing through the bottom layers again and the stitch ends up being to shallow or too long, I took the stitch at a 45 degree angle from the front/fold of the pleat about 1/16" inside the pleat. Then, folding the top edge of the pleat back a little, the needle goes down into the bottom layer - matching where it just exited the top, and comes out diagonally again, exactly where the pleat lays when finished. I can try to get a picture later, as I'm not sure how easy this is to follow.

As to thread... our kilts are from two different makers/companies. Both use a thread to stitch the pleats that is thicker than the typical polyester threads I use for general sewing. Is there a reason for this? When hand-sewing any part of a wedding dress that will have significant tension, I use a waxed silamide thread. If I am able to source that type of thread in colors other than ivory or white, would it be suitable for kilts? It's much stronger than the poly thread and is similar to what is used by furriers, but not as heavy.