Hi Jimmy

Can't wait to hear about any methods thatyou're able to share!

Yeh, Jimmy - you're absolutely right. There is a big distinction between kilts that _look_ like kilts and ones that have all the careful interior construction and thorough methods that make them kilts that not only look good and tight and hang right but that will last forever. I was very lucky to learn from Elsie Stuehmeyer, someone who cares passionately about traditional methods and craftsmanship.

Here are some things that I was taught that help make pleats that match perfectly, don't wander around, and hang straight (even when you have ghastly kilt measurements like my own - 26" waist and 42" hips - ugh...not exactly built to wear a kilt like all you nice straight guys are...). I hope the rest of you will share your tricks and tips!!

Here's what Elsie taught me:
-If you stitch each pleat before folding the next one, rather than pinning or pinning and basting them all and then trying to stitch them, it's easier to control each pleat and hold it tight. And you don't have lots of fabric to bunch up in your left hand.
-Careful measuring and lots of tension on the pleat while you sew really helps. One way of doing this is crossing right leg over left, laying the pleat across your knee, stuffing remaining tartan under your right leg and clamping it there. That allows you to pull the top of the pleat to the left while you stitch. Really helps keep the pleat width constant and the stripes straight.
-If you match the stripes exactly when you're stitching a pleat, and then take a stitch, the pleat closest to you tends to pull to the right, giving you a stair step. Really maddening. To keep the stripes matching, it helps to offset each tartan stripe on the pleat closest to you a _little_ to the left, and then use a _slight_ backstitch when you stitch the edge of the pleat. That pulls the pleat closest to you to the right a little. With practice, it's not hard to get the right amount to make the stripe match.

Well, that's what I learned. What do the rest of you do?? I'm dying to hear new tricks!

Once I post this reply, I'll go put a couple of pics in my gallery that show a few kilt backs that illustrate what I mean. I'm up for any critiques!!

Cheers!

Barb