black denim kilt underway

[usonian]

I got impatient waiting for my tartan swatches to arrive, and decided to have a go at making a trad kilt (working from The Art of Kiltmaking) from a less expensive and more readily available material in the meantime. If I produce something wearable, it may be a nice hiking kilt if nothing else.

I picked up 4 yards of double-width, 10 oz black 100% cotton denim from Jo-Ann (always poke around online for coupons; you can usually find one for 40 or 50% off!) and dove in. Other discussions mention cotton twill as a desirable material, but this denim was heavier than the cotton twill that they had, and has a nice twill line itself. I don't know if denim weight is measured with the same criteria as wool tartan weight (not having swatches yet, I have no means of comparison!) but it seems pretty heavy and looks like it will hang well and hold the pleats nicely.

Tonight I finished sewing down pleat number 10, and it's starting to look like a kilt:



Some observations:

• The denim has a very well-defined "wrong" side, and the twill line on the right side of the fabric goes in the wrong direction when going by the notes in the book. Not worth stressing over when using a non-trad material to begin with!
• I started using multiple pins per pleat, which works well - but it apparently causes the fabric to draw in a bit; I'm running a little bit short at both the waist and bottom of the fell because I measured carefully before pinning but not after. Time to make the pleats a tiny bit wider to compensate.
• I suspect that it would actually be easier to use tartan for a first kiltmaking effort versus a solid color. without any vertical or horizontal stripes to eyeball or measure against, it's hard to get a sense of how accurate you're actually being. The upshot is that the solid color will hide a multitude of sins.

13 pleats to go!

[flyrod6057]

Looks good so far. I imagine you're going to have a nice looking kilt there in a bit...

Keep us updated!

[Mipi]

It looks tidy. When I'm hunting denim, I always find only stretchy fabric and I don't think it's got for kilt. I believe, you'll have to saw the edge of the pleats. Cotton (denim) will wrinkle a lot and pleats will loose the shape very fast (IMHO).

I'm looking forward to see the and product (in action of course).

[Alan H]

It looks tidy. When I'm hunting denim, I always find only stretchy fabric and I don't think it's got for kilt. I believe, you'll have to saw the edge of the pleats. Cotton (denim) will wrinkle a lot and pleats will loose the shape very fast (IMHO).

I'm looking forward to see the and product (in action of course).

This.... but what the heck, carry on. Everything you learn will pay off when it comes to the tartan kilt.

[usonian]

Interesting - this fabric is not stretchy at all; it feels just like duck/canvas in that respect. We'll see! And thanks Alan - this one is definitely mostly about going through the process; the second one will hopefully be that much better as a result.

[Whidbey78]

It looks pretty good so far! I'm looking forward to seeing your final product. I've read mixed opinions about pleating denim--some say it holds a pleat well, others say it won't. I suppose it's really about how you press it. Haven't had any personal experience with the material, but haven't had good luck with duck. I generally stitch the outside fold of my pleats, which is perfectly fine for my non-trad kilts, and wound up doing that with the inner folds as well. After washing it tried to go from kilt to tu-tu. It didn't just not hold the pleat, it completely rejected it and tried to straighten out! After I ran a few stitches it became a heck of a work and camping kilt...might be bulletproof too.

I did find a khaki(ish) bull denim at the fabric store on Saturday that would have been nice to try. I forgot my coupons, and was really there for a new presser foot, and was supposed to be Christmas shopping anyhow, so I decided to wait. Plus, I have four-yard chunks of fabric all over the place (one in the waher right now) for projects I haven't gotten to. The wife would have been displeased with the purchase, especially since one should never pay full price at JoAnne or Hancock!

[usonian]

I wouldn't expect it to hold its pleats very well if run through the washing machine. I did prewash the fabric, but I'd be leery of putting it through the dryer.

Maybe I'll resort to the same "put it in the freezer" and "spritz it with everclear" techniques used by folks who buy those $200 unwashable jeans!

[Whidbey78]

I'm not sure I would want to have to wait for my clothes to defrost or smell like a drunk half the day.

Laying it out flat when drying it might help though. I hang my kilts with non-stitched pleats and hang weighted clothespins on the corners of my pleats. It works pretty well to maintain good pleats, but it's no replacement for pressing if they aren't so good. It doesn't work as well in a breeze as it does on a calm day either.

[Aspiringloser]

You are right about making a solid color kilt being harder the first time around. The upside is you can make the pleats any width and number of them that you'd like. The lines in the tartan do make it easier to line things up. My advice to you as a new DIYer myself is to not have high expectations. If it comes out wearable, great, if not try to learn from your mistakes. It's better to make mistakes on denim than wool tartan, unless you just have money to burn. Keep at it. Welcome to the madness, it's all downhill from here.

[usonian]

Thanks, Aspiringloser. I always try to walk the fine line between "Prepared for failure" and "Prepared to be pleasantly surprised" when doing something for the first time. So far so good, I think. I've been e-mailing with Marton Mills, next step will be some PV tartan.