question regarding my first xkilt

**plaid preacher** · 23rd October 12, 08:23 AM

Greetings Lads and Lassies,

So while I wait for my first "real" kilt to come along, I thought to myself: well, maybe I could make an xkilt. Problem! I went into the local fabric shop today and they really didn't have any poly/cotton twill I could see making a kilt in. Sorry, but a baby blue kilt seems just to wrong! But they did have a nice tan in a poly/cotton poplin. IS this a reasonable alternative?

I would usually ask my wife a question like this, but she is starting to roll her eyes when I start talking kilts, so I thought it probably best to throw this one out to the rabble.

Thanks for any help you can offer

Robert

**sydnie7** · 23rd October 12, 08:59 AM

The fabric weight is more important here than weaving style (which is what "twill" describes). XKilts can be made from nearly any fabric of decent weight -- denim, canvas, heck even upholstery material -- but if it's too light weight, your pleats will tend to pouf rather than hang straight. If you think that fabric would make a good pair of casual p@nts, then it would probably work for an XKilt.

**plaid preacher** · 23rd October 12, 10:56 AM

Hi Sydnie, and thanks. Yeah, one thing I forgot to mention is that it is heavy weight poplin, and I could indeed see it used in a pair of trous.

Robert

**Alan H** · 23rd October 12, 01:47 PM

No law says that the fabric has to be twill weave...poplin should be fine, like sydnie7 says, if it's got some heft to it.

**plaid preacher** · 25th October 12, 10:36 AM

Thank you Sydnie and Alan. Now I guess I have a shopping trip to the fabric store ahead of me.

Alan, one further question; I note that your instructions say that if the waist measurement is larger than the hips there is a challenge. I'm not a big guy by mine two measurements are rather close. Any things I should be aware of?

**sydnie7** · 25th October 12, 12:42 PM

That waist/hip question has been discussed several times. Not sure of the best search term to find those older threads, tho. Here's a short version of what I do:

Measure both your hips and your waist "halves" -- that is, from side seam to side seam if you were wearing a pair of p@nts.

Use your waist measurement as is.

Create a hip measurement by adding your "back hip half" to your "front waist half." This allows for whatever combination of glutes/belly you might have and will give you a front apron that falls straight down from your belly rather than pulling in toward your hips.

Other people use other methods to make up this measurement but "halves" is what works for me, hope it's clear and works for you!

**Pinkrose** · 25th October 12, 09:05 PM

Here is Friday's Picture Question Thread.

**plaid preacher** · 7th November 12, 01:53 PM

Well, I've picked up the fabric and prewashed. (I can't believe how hard it was to find a nice shade of khaki in cotton/twill). Took some measurements last night and if I use Alan's plan to measure at the navel for my waist, then my waist is 38 and my hips are 40 - basically, I'm a column!

Can anyone tell me is 2 inches of taper sufficient? In the plans Alan says most men have 8" of taper. Or should I do as Sydne suggests and make my hips equal to the back of my backside and the front of my frontside?

Thanks again for your guidance. I may get out my wife's sewing machine this weekend. I think she is looking forward to this ... and standing there laughing at me.

**sydnie7** · 7th November 12, 02:35 PM

I'd compare your basic measurements with the "backside/frontside" calculation and use whichever is larger.

**Alan H** · 7th November 12, 09:16 PM

Turn sideways and look at yourself in the mirror with your underwear on, or buck naked. Is there a significant slope from the small of your back, right about at navel level, out to the biggest part of your butt? No look at your frontside....still from the side. Is there flare or "revrse flare" from your navel down to uuper thigh? Reverse flare means that your gut sticks out.

Now turn face-on to the mirror and decide if there's any flare from navel level out to butt level. If there is flare and or slope, then you're not built like a column, but rather more like a column with a major disjoint in the middle! If there's significant flare, and esp. if there's flare in the back and reverse flare in the front, then use sydnie7's "halvsies" approach...which is what I'll be doing when making a skirt in January. If in fact there is very little "upper butt slope" and "butt flare" then you're built like a column, so sew accordingly.

Also, this kilt is made out of cloth, not sheet metal. It has some give to it, eh? So an inch of extra cloth is not gonna kill you.