At it, again...

[Alan H]

When you break up the labour like this, kiltmaking doesn't seem too rough... this is an interesting thread.

making a kilt is a fair bit of work, but if you just break it down into little steps...

Everything you do is one more step towards completion, right? If you keep working (keep walking) you WILL get there, in time.

[Alan H]

Small point of clarification... we no longer allow any kilts to go out with a frayed selvedge. They're either properly hemmed (blind hem so no stitches show) or have a tuck selvedge edge. No more fringed selvedges on finished kilts.

This is a big change, and a good one, I think.

I have to admit that I wish that my sewing machine had a respectable blind stitch setting.

This particular kilt is primarily for throwing, and VERY secondarily for hitting the pub in, so I just tucked the "ragged" selvedge under about 3/8 of an inch and stitched it down. Nobody will care, on the field and nobody will even notice from more than 8 feet away.

I figure Mike will wear his lovely Scottish wool Golden Holyrood "8-yard" kilt for anything where he has to look respectable.

[Oddern]

The kilt looks nice Alan. From the pics it looks almost like you have stapled the pleats together?? Do you sew through all the layers of fabric? doesn't it make the fell a bit bulky?
I'm just curious because this method seems easier then what I'm used to do.

[Alan H]

The kilt looks nice Alan. From the pics it looks almost like you have stapled the pleats together?? Do you sew through all the layers of fabric? doesn't it make the fell a bit bulky?
I'm just curious because this method seems easier then what I'm used to do.

No staples. I have big pins that are made with a "T" shape bent into them. They're easier to deal with that regular pins, but bulky, so I use them to hold the kilt together while I'm figuring out the pleats. When it comes time to sew a pleat, the big T pins get pulled and replaced with "regular" pins.

Barbs book says to not use pins. Well, maybe Barb can hand hold a whole pleat but I can't. This goes double if I'm machine-sewing a pleat. It's VERY easy for the feed dogs on a machine to pull one side of the fabric faster than the other, and that results in misalignment of the stripes. Pins help hold everything in place.

You asked if I sewed through all the layers of fabric, and wouldn't that make the fell a bit bulky?

Answer is...yes I do, and yes it would, if I were using 7-9 yards of 13 or 16 ounce wool fabric. So in fact, when I make a kilt like that, I DON"T top-stitch it. I build those the traditional way, hand-sewing the pleats and then cutting out the excess material in the fell.

However, this is a 6-yard, polyester-viscose kilt, and that is *much* less bulky. Top-stitching a kilt like this generates very roughly about as much bulk as a 16 ounce kilt done the traditional way. To my mind, this is entirely acceptable.

I'm actually pretty keen on "6 yard kilts" in general. To my eyes, five-yard knife-pleat kilts just look a little bit skimpy unless the sett is pretty small, like 4.5 inches. VERY VERY generally, assuming about a 6-7-inch sett, a five yard kilt will have about 15-18 pleats. Add in another yard of fabric, all of which goes into pleats, and now you get very roughly 6 more pleats or 20-24. That looks a lot better to me, and it doesn't add that much more expense.

Seriously, for all-around "stuff", a 6-yard, polyester-viscose kilt is THE kilt to have until you get to the point where you're really dressing it up for formal gigs. It looks traditional enough to "fit the mold" and nobody but a real kilt hound will know the difference. Yet, it doesn't have the weight and expense of the 7-9 yard wool job. This is just my opinion, of course. for the Caledonian Society Spring Ball, and for meeting the Duchess and so on....get out the wool. But for knocking around town, or hitting the pub after the Games....

6-yard PV, all the way.

AND...if you happen to want to purchase a well-made 6-yard polyester-viscose kilt, I HIGHLY recommend the USA Kilts semi-traditional model.

Highly recommended.

[Oddern]

Thanks for the info Alan . I use pins to hold the pleats in place too. I also sewing left handed, so I have to do the pleats a little diferent than in Barbs book.
Skål!

[fluter]

Barbs book says to not use pins. Well, maybe Barb can hand hold a whole pleat but I can't... Pins help hold everything in place.

Just for the record, the book says that because Elsie says that, and I suspect she would not let Barb write anything else. The book is in part a record of the way Elsie learned the trade as an apprentice.

Since she's been doing it for several decades, Elsie can most assuredly sew a pleat with one pin (she does allow one, you know). You might see others with less experience (raises hand) using many more pins.

[Alan H]

I couldn't sleep friday night so I got up and sewed a mess of pleats. Only 5 left to go.

[GoodGirlGonePlaid]

I couldn't sleep friday night so I got up and sewed a mess of pleats. Only 5 left to go.

That sounds like a good Monday morning project. Finish up and post pics !
Because I bet you have more projects on the horizon.

[Alan H]

MORE projects???

Finished up the pleats last night, though I might go back and re-do one of them. I steam-ironed the fell, it looks pretty good. Then I got the load-bearing waistband strap in, and the liners.. I belted it on, today, and it looks really good. It might be an inch small, but then I had it sitting at my navel. I bet if I hoist it up another inch, it will be just about spot-on....Hmmm. Well, an inch isn't the end of the world, whatever the case.

I'm wishing I was keeping this one, so that's a good indication.

Next up, the tartan waistband, and then the straps and buckles and the sporran loops and then she's ready to ship to N.C.

I just messaged Mindy to see if the leftover strip is going to be wide enough for a little girls skirt for their daughter, Bella. Bella is two, not sure if 10 inches is long enough for a skirt/kilt for her, but it would be cool to have Bella and Mike wearing the same tartan!

[Alan H]

Tartan waistband in, buckles in.

Just straps, sporran loops and ironing, now!