Pressing and/or basting pleats before stitching

[Barb T]

Well said!!!!

[The Wizard of BC]

It may seem strange or odd to those who do not know Barb and I. It may sound like we are always at each other's throats or that we are arguing over "the proper" way to make a kilt.

I can assure everyone that Barb and I are very good friends. We may approach things from different angles, but there is one thing that binds us together and is the reason we get together each year and hold our annual Kilt Kamp kiltmkaing course.

For me the reason is summed up in a little sign that hangs in my shop.

[Adrian]

Nothing wrong with healthy discussion and different viewpoints on the route to that beautiful kilt.... like the quote.

Hope one of these days you add a Scottish maker (and their kiltmaking method) to your kilt camp...perhaps even have a kilt camp in Scotland in a year or 2 ???

[Steve Ashton]

Well, quite frankly about three years ago I approached one school and was severely reproached. They actually voiced the concept that as we are not Scottish, or based in Scotland, that we were not 'real' kiltmakers and had no business teaching others.

It was quite clear that they were not interested in the kilt itself, but were concerned with the certification, the funding, and the newly proposed labeling.

[Barb T]

In response to both of Steve's posts above:

Steve's right! It sometimes does sound like we're at loggerheads, but we are really very, very good friends, and we completely respect each other's methods. We commonly post different approaches (along with the reasons) because we think it's really important that people understand that there's more than one way to make an outstanding kilt. Sometimes the differences are because I make only trad kilts, and sometimes the differences are because we've evolved equally good but different ways of doing things. This forum is also great for "daylighting" what many people would like to keep as guild secrets.

I agree with Steve's second post above as well. Thinking that neither of us can make first class kilts or legitimately teach kiltmaking because we don't live in Scotland is nonsense.

[Grizzled Ian]

I chose to press my pleats before stitching. I also work very accurately. I mark all my pleats at once. I use a mechanical pencil with a 5mm chalk. I then press each pleat keeping the chalk line exactly on the edge of the pleat. Then I measure and re-measure everything. I work to a shop tolerance of one twill line or 1/32".

Each pleat is marked and then pressed, one at a time. Please note the thin chalk lines.

The entire kilt is then folded on the creases and basted.
A running total of the width of the entire pleated section is adhered to.

When the entire pleated section is basted you can lay a flat strip of the fabric on top of the pleats and everything aligns perfectly.

Steve, I know that a lot of kilts that you make are machine-stitched, but if I recall correctly, you also do some hand stitching, right? So, just to clarify for members, do you use the method described above of pressing and basting before you stitch for both hand-sewn and machine-stitched kilts?

[The Wizard of BC]

Thanks for asking that Ian.
To clarify - Yes, I hand stitch some kilts and machine stitch others. It depends on what the customer prefers.

But regardless of the method I use for stitching, how I make the kilt is almost exactly the same. Only the waistband and a few details like putting the pockets in will change.

I still layout, mark and press the pleats before sewing. At the point in this picture I can choose to hand stitch the pleats or machine stitch the pleats.