Ladies' skirt in the XMarks tartan

**sydnie7** · 5th October 11, 11:57 AM

First: Major props to Dixiecat and paulhenry for contributions to the "flattering kilts for ladies?" thread, and to MeghanWalker for getting me going again with her "floor length womens kilts" thread!

Just in time for this weekend's Seaside Games in Ventura, here is my ankle-boot-length skirt in XMarks PV. I'll have photos of it in action next week, for now it hangs on the door:

I used a very simple 4-gore (that is, 4-piece) pattern with adjustments that I'll explain as we go.

The fabric was prewashed and carefully folded straight. Panels were laid out with the side seams following the straight grain, using the selvedge as seam allowance. Here I've added to the width of the panel to allow for pleats, which are not included in the original pattern.

I also had to add 4 inches to the hem for the length I wanted. After cutting, I chalked reference marks on the wrong side of each panel (here, CF for center front).

After cutting the front panel pattern piece, I laid it on top of the next section of uncut fabric and aligned the tartan elements along the selvedge. This showed me where to place the rear panel pattern piece (so front and back would match up at side seams). Here I've used a pin to mark the extra 4 inches at hem.

Pinned and sewed seams. Note that my pins go through "intersections" in the tartan, so I can align the top and bottom pieces.

Side seam alignment is not great (the lower panel will always move as you machine stitch), but as we say in my family "they'll never see it from a galloping horse!"

Center front (or maybe back) seam sewn.

Throw a 7-inch zipper in one side seam and it's on to the waistband. There is no matching a straight grain waistband to a somewhat bias-cut skirt, and in my case it will never be worn with a tucked-in blouse. If I were making this for someone who would leave the waistband visible, I would likely center a major element (such as the two vertical white lines) at the center front.

I divided the waistband into fourths and here I've pinned one panel to 1/4 of the waistband. You can see the excess fabric which will be formed into pleats.

[more]

**sydnie7** · 5th October 11, 11:58 AM

Each panel will have two pleats, not spaced evenly but slightly closer to the center seam. That is, to make the math simple, if the waistband segment were 10 inches it would be 3 inches from center seam to first pleat, 3 inches to second pleat, then 4 inches to side seam. Each pleat faces the center seam; here's one segment with zipper at left and a center seam at right.

Finished sewing the waistband on and here you can see pleats facing the center seam.

The rest of it is just simple skirt construction -- finishing the waistband, adding a hook-and-eye, hemming. I was going to leave the pleats unpressed but with a sweater pulled down over the waistband it just looked like a gathered skirt. So I put it on the ironing board and eyeballed each pleat -- they are about 1/2 inch deep at the waistband and I decided to make them 2 inches deep at hem. They are pretty well aligned, for example the front center pleats L and R are not quite mirror images but good enough for the galloping horse crowd.

This skirt will get re-built in a few months before its next outing. For one thing, the waistband is already about 1.5 inches too big and "taken in" with the hook and eye at one side. It should be even bigger by the next time I need to wear this -- either at Christmas or next March -- so I didn't trim the waistband seam allowance, hand-stitched it inside, and it will be an easy matter to remove it, deepen the pleats, and restitch. At that point I will likely edge-stitch the pleats so I can have it drycleaned and pressed without basting.

I'll add photos from the Games next week, but I had time to get this put together now and thought I'd get it started. Thanks again to those who shared ideas and got this project onto the front burner again!

**theborderer** · 5th October 11, 12:24 PM

Sydnie, that is just one fantastic piece of sewing. Love it. A good way to get a Lady into Tartan.

**Silent Raven** · 5th October 11, 12:40 PM

very cool cant wait to see the pics of if being worn, looks great!

**piperdbh** · 5th October 11, 01:54 PM

I like your alignment on the front and back panels, especially the white Xs. When are you going to model it for us?

**sydnie7** · 5th October 11, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by piperdbh

I like your alignment on the front and back panels, especially the white Xs. When are you going to model it for us?

Thanks, it immediately struck me as a trifle Masonic! But that's OK, my maternal grandfather was an active Mason and past master (if I have the term right) of the lodge in Bell CA.

The skirt will debut Friday night at the Seaside Games dinner and I also plan to wear it "dressed down" Saturday at the Games. Photos to follow!

**Meggers** · 5th October 11, 05:18 PM

How cute is that!!!!!!! Sydnie, that looks wonderful!!

my turn, my turn

Around how much did it cost you for the xmarks tartan? How many yards did you get?

**sydnie7** · 5th October 11, 06:25 PM

Thank you!

I bought a bunch of this XMarks PV from Steve Ashton, the forum owner/Freedom Kilts owner, a while back. I think he keeps it in stock and lists it here in an area called XMarks Store or something (look on the home page list of main forum titles).

How much you need depends on your height -- as you can see, I got each panel from a width of fabric, so double your measure from waist to hem, add 1/2 yard for matching the tartan, and that should be pretty close. You can cut the waistband either with or across the grain, so you should be able to get it from the excess (i.e. don't need any extra length).

**Meggers** · 5th October 11, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by sydnie7

Thank you!

I bought a bunch of this XMarks PV from Steve Ashton, the forum owner/Freedom Kilts owner, a while back. I think he keeps it in stock and lists it here in an area called XMarks Store or something (look on the home page list of main forum titles).

How much you need depends on your height -- as you can see, I got each panel from a width of fabric, so double your measure from waist to hem, add 1/2 yard for matching the tartan, and that should be pretty close. You can cut the waistband either with or across the grain, so you should be able to get it from the excess (i.e. don't need any extra length).

Thank you so much for the info! I might be sending you a PM if I need any other specifications

That is an awesome skirt. I think it's amazing.

**sydnie7** · 6th October 11, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by sydnie7

How much you need depends on your height -- as you can see, I got each panel from a width of fabric, so double your measure from waist to hem, add 1/2 yard for matching the tartan, and that should be pretty close. You can cut the waistband either with or across the grain, so you should be able to get it from the excess (i.e. don't need any extra length).

It occurred to me later that, if you really wanted to minimize the amount of fabric used -- and are perhaps a bit slimmer than I -- you could play with pattern placement in relation to tartan and do it with less yardage. Would have to be a symmetrical tartan (as the vast majority are) but by putting the pieces top-to-top, with one side seam NOT on the selvedge but rather near the fold, you might be able to cut it from a shorter piece. But how much shorter I don't know and would only go this route if you are trying to squeeze it out of an existing length or the fabric is so dear it's worth fiddling.