Canvas Kilt, ACK!!!!

[Canuck]

Are you tapering the pleats at the top re: waist?
The front of the apron should be at least 20" at the waist if not 21" and the back should be 19" with the pleats. Given you are working with 18 pleats The pleat taper in the back should be about 1 inch and 1.22" the width of the pleat at the hip. What is the length of your kilt? If you are sewing down the pleats 6" is the length 18"? you need to stitch it down about a 3rd of the overall length.
Sometimes if you prewash the fabric before you start you will have an easier time constructing the garment. It will soften up with time.
Are you top stitching the edge of the pleat?
Did you kick out the bottom of the over apron on the left side, to prevent curl? this would make the bottom of the apron about 23.5" with a double pleat depth.
Anyway check your instructions again and math, work it out on paper with a line drawing and you will get the picture.
Cheers
Robert

[Alan H]

Are you tapering the pleats at the top re: waist?
The front of the apron should be at least 20" at the waist if not 21" and the back should be 19" with the pleats. Given you are working with 18 pleats The pleat taper in the back should be about 1 inch and 1.22" the width of the pleat at the hip. What is the length of your kilt? If you are sewing down the pleats 6" is the length 18"? you need to stitch it down about a 3rd of the overall length.
Sometimes if you prewash the fabric before you start you will have an easier time constructing the garment. It will soften up with time.
Are you top stitching the edge of the pleat?
Did you kick out the bottom of the over apron on the left side, to prevent curl? this would make the bottom of the apron about 23.5" with a double pleat depth.
Anyway check your instructions again and math, work it out on paper with a line drawing and you will get the picture.
Cheers
Robert

Robert, I have no instructions! I'm looking at the kilts I've got, and improvising! I figure I'll learn as I go, and the material cost me all of $18, so I don't care if I mess it up.

I'm tapering pleats at the "turn", meaning the sides of the kilt at my hips, but not tapering anything along the back. I could tuck in a few of those pleats, though, pretty easily...just rip out a few stitches and re-stitch...

OK, my apron is a bit narrow at the top compared to your suggestions and so the pleats will wrap around a bit more. That might account for two more pleats, I suppose. In fact, I think that is the answer, because I did a last minute adjustment, based on what I saw in Rocky's philabeg, without adjusting the bck of the kilt. MmmmHmmm. And this material is a LOT heavier than the philabeg. I think that'll be two pleats worth, right there.

Didn't know I needed to stitch down the pleats about a third of their length. My kilt is 24 inches overall, maybe closer to 25, so my six inches is more like 1/4 rather than 1/3rd.

I have NOT stitched the top edge of the pleat, simply because I haven't gotten to it, yet, and also I'm not sure if my machine will be able to handle the thickness. I will try, though. I really hope it will, because if it won't, I'll have "floppy pleats" on the inside.

Yes, I widened the bottom of the over-apron the extra amount. The curl I'm seeing I think is from having stitched in the inner pleat fold in not quite the right place. I'll probably need to rip it out and re-iron.

Thanks for the insights, Canuck!!!

when it's all done I'll take pics and let you all see my first experiment.