My first kilt begins!

**Tarheel** · 20th December 16, 04:45 AM

David is correct and I thank him for pointing me to the light. I did not look at the larger photo in Michael's 2nd post. Carry on and may the project go with no major hitches.

**Michael A** · 20th December 16, 04:57 PM

I'm thinking I need to smooth out these lines a little when I get home today.

**Michael A** · 21st December 16, 05:43 AM

This is an experimental stripe pleat (with no measurements of pleat count, depth etc) just to see which stripe pattern works best. It's a regular repeat of the same distance for each pleat, so I think it might work in principle as it obscures most of the very loud red, which will flash when it swings. This is not where and how I am starting the pleats, it's just an experiment of the pattern.

**Barb T** · 24th December 16, 05:08 PM

How big across is the green block?

**Michael A** · 24th December 16, 05:44 PM

Not sure what you mean by how big, that is, in which dimension, but I am happy to obscure all the bright crimson at the back, which will flash as I walk. The pleats are 13mm at the waist and 16mm at the fell.
This is how I am spending much of the sober portion of Christmas Day:

Merry Christmas to you all too!

**Barb T** · 24th December 16, 06:19 PM

You must have a lot of pleats!

**Michael A** · 24th December 16, 06:27 PM

Thirty-two!

**Barb T** · 24th December 16, 06:46 PM

That's a lot...!

**Michael A** · 24th December 16, 07:00 PM

Yeah I know, but I spent so much money paying retail for 8 yards of fabric, I wanted to use it all. It's 13Oz HoE, so it seems to fold nicely enough. If and when it all goes pear-shaped, you'll be the first to know!

**Michael A** · 24th December 16, 11:33 PM

So now after 3 pleats I have an awful feeling I have to unpick and start again. I measured out exactly the pleat size at the waist (13mm) and fell (16mm), but half way up the third pleat I realised the fabric had been wandering a bit. I unpicked and re-sewed that one, but now looking at the apron sewn down to the first pleat, it looks like I have not noticed such a wander beforehand, having moved as far as 4mm in the middle.

Would you start again completely? Do you pin between these two points? How do you know you are tapering enough between fell and waist, and that being he case, how to avoid pinching like on the third pleat?

Waist:

Fell:

Mid-way between waist and fell: