Pleating

[Barb T]

What is OFTEN missed, is the method that it takes to insure that the pleats hang STRAIGHT and even. There's a third step in pleating that is often bypassed in kiltmaking... and it's essential for a quality hang and flow. That's a MAJOR difference in a "traditional" with the authentic craftsmanship, and a "formal" that has the basic looks without the sewing and pleating methods. As we've seen, there are a LOAD of "formal" kiltmakers around... and this is an easy designation between the two.

In a thread on kilt bottoms, Jimmy wrote the above. I'm _dying_ to know what you learned, Jimmy!! Would you be willing to share some details?? You also said that there's a lot more to making a kilt fit than just taking waist and hip measurements. Do you have time to share some secrets and bons mots on that as well??

I've started a new thread on this - hope it's OK!

Cheers,

Barb

[Graham]

Hello barb, not sure if i have welcomed you here, nice to have another lass here!

[Jimmy Carbomb]

You bet ya Barb! The education that I'm going through has enlightened me to a LOAD of kiltmaking methods that I never even dreamed of. The time and effort that it takes to properly make a kilt fit is so much more than I imagined.

The hardest time that I had was making kilts maintain the pattern, while properly fitting hips that were either non-existant... or VERY large. The difference in the two was enough to give me a headache! If the taper "pulls" at the top were not done properly, then the pleats would wander in-an-out... especially on larger hips. If it wasn't for the instruction from the Master Kiltmakers, I think I would have hemmoraged! Thankfully, their YEARS of actually making kilts has saved me years of torture.

The difference in the designation between "Traditional" and "Formal" is a simple designation. "Traditional" is what we get from the educated, certified and talented kiltmakers. Hamish can attest to the quality, education and talent of these folks since he's privvy to their ears. "Formal" is what we get when a kilt is made to look like a traditional without the materials, education, talent, or time. Those are not XMarks designations... but ones that came from Lyon.

IF you browse through a load of pictures on sites, you'll see how some pleats will wander around like a fish out of water. Others, like the Cape Breton BearKilt in my gallery, are tight, smooth, and straight. Honestly, the thing looks like it's solid material in the back since the pleats are SO tight. Hopefully Bear can chime-in on HIS OWN designing, and how he's able to do this! In fact, BOTH of my BearKilts are tighter than a Scottsman on his last nickle.

There will be a few methods that I'm not going to post (and I'll let you know) as they're propietary to the company that's educating me. That's an agreement that I have with them to keep my education costs down. I intend to use them in late 2005. For now, the major beefs that customers have against some kilt makers is their inability to make the aprons NOT curl at the tips, make the pleats hang straight, make the tartan patterns line-up, all while making the kilts actually fit the waist and hips. No names.

[Barb T]

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

[bubba]

I have a cheat I use. As I form pleats I use Stitch Witchery to hold them in place. I just put a piece of it cut so it's a hair shorter than the section of pleat that I'll be stitching down. Also, anyone that sews much has at least one dead iron laying around. Instead of clappers and stuff I put a dead iron on top of a ziplock bag of ice. After I press a pleat I take that COLD iron and press again with that.

[Mychael Sporrano]

Hello barb, not sure if i have welcomed you here, nice to have another lass here!

I agree! Glad to see that you are making yourself at home here on Xmarks. I really like the Antarctic tartan in your gallery.

Mychael

[Barb T]

Hi Graham

The Antarctica tartan is really gorgeouos, and it has a companion, the Arctic tartan, which is more dark blue and less white. My daughter dances and pipes in her Antarctica kilt (and she's been to Antarctica, which is why she likes it so much!!), and her best friend dances in the Arctic tartan, both pleated to the stripe. They look really great together. Some time when they're both home together, I'll get a pic of the two kilts and post it.

If you're interested in either tartan, it was designed by Ros Jones on the Isle of Mull, and she sells it from Mull at http://www.celtictartans.com/our_own_tartans.htm
The web site describes what all the colors mean. She's also designed an Isle of Mull tartan based on the geology of Mull - really neat tartan in unusual colors. The picture on her web site doesn't do the colors justice - the green is really much more a mossy green than the web site shows (at least on my monitor). All of her tartans are woven by D.C. Dalgliesh, and they're a very nice light-medium weight tartan (about 12 oz) and come double width. No kilting selvedge, I'm afraid, but it's light enough that a hem is invisible.

Sale of the Antarctica tartan helps raise funds for the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Cheers!

Barb

[Barb T]

Oops - sorry Mychael!! I addressed the previous reply to Graham instead of you. I'll get to know all you guys eventually.

Barb

[macwilkin]

Barb,

I like the Twa Polar tartans as well, especially the causes that they support! Polar exploration is one of my areas of interest, so I would love to have at least a scarf in both to wear.

BTW, did you know that Scotland had a polar explorer:

http://sites.scran.ac.uk/voyage_of_t...tia/index.html

http://www.rscdsvancouver.org/hero.html

Bruce brought two pipers along with him, and there is a famous picture of a piper playing on the ice whilst "serenading" a penguin -- the penguin was not impressed! :mrgreen:

Cheers,

T.

[Barb T]

Hi Cajunscot

Ros sells as short or long a length as you'd like, and, because it's double-width, you wouldn't need much for a scarf.

I have seen the "penguin serenade" - and, you're right, the penguin looks completely unimpressed! But on the other hand, the penguin wasn't vamoosing as fast as my cat does when she hears the click-click of my pipe case opening!

My daughter took her chanter but left her pipes home when she went to Antarctica (which she regrets). She did get to play the South Georgia Whaling Song on her chanter on South Georgia Island, though, which was fun.

Barb