Boy, you guys know what buttons to press to get a topic rolling. Nothing kills time at the keyboard like asking somebody about their hobbies.

To continue the thread about ladies wear from the general forum- here's my original submission, an 18 ounce full length skirt for my wife, and a few details about the idea.

The belt came from my half of the closet. The wool from a clearance lot at a chain store. I counted 22 pleats in all. This one's for our cold MN winters, and weight a total of 5 pounds. It used 5 yards of the 18 ounce cloth at 35" wide, and it took 5 hours to make in our shop. (90 minutes of that was spent picking the weave apart at the fringe) There's a single 1 1/8" buckle for the hip, and belt loops for a 3" belt. The inner apron, like that of my kilts, is held in place with a simple piece of nylon webbing and a small platic sliding buckle. Oddly enough, the extra 24" at 5 yards in length just seems to reach the tops of my knees. <score!>

Here's a detail photo of the apron, belt loops, the fringe, and the ad-hoc 3" belt.

In comparison, here's my Weathered Mackenzie in 13 ounce wool. I chose the 5/8" buckles to fit on my bony little hips, and to coordinate with the belt and sporran that I wear in the field. Both skirt and kilt have fully lined aprons that balance the heft of the pleats and fight our bitter winds far better than single layers of cloth. The kilt took 10 hours on a table top in my dad's dining room, using an anemic iron and a woefully underpowered Singer home sewing machine. (it was vacation, so I was under enjoying several fine beverages at the time. Doubtless that slowed my progress too) They're both 95% machine stitched, with only 6" of top stitching showing on the skirt, and small tacks showing on the kilt atop the belt loops.

The fabric of the kilt held it's press very well. The skirt has been pressed several times with poor results. I love the black fabric, but it's a bit too stout for my tastes. I'm eager to make a few more items for Beth, as my wardrobe is outpacing hers. Has anyone got ideas for ladies wear? The internet is full of identical styles. I'm eager to try something original for Beth.

Cheers.

Kevin.