Starting on my first kilt

**Schultz** · 3rd January 06, 11:33 AM

A few months ago I bought Barb's book with the intention that one day, when funds became more available, I'd buy some PV and make my own kilt because I've always enjoyed making my own things, at least once.

This past weekend I was at the Pa. Fabric Outlet outside of Baltimore and found a bolt of 16 oz. wool Stuart of Bule tartan for $9.98/yd. I could NOT pass this up so I bought 5 yards of it, even though it didn't have a decent kilting selvedge, as the picture below shows:

It goes from a twill weave to a plain weave right at the end, then frays off.

Now Barb's book has instructions for putting a hem in a kilt, but would a hem with a 16oz. cloth look clunky? Would it be better to get someone (ie. local seamstress) to serge the ends (if that's possible)? Would serging even be possible/worth it?

**Southern Breeze** · 3rd January 06, 12:18 PM

Hemming isn't necessary. What you do is use leave the selvedged edge and take material from the top. Look on page 53 of the book,the section on marking the length.

**haukehaien** · 3rd January 06, 01:09 PM

I think the OP's point is that the fabric doesn't have a selvedge edge.

You could try making a selvedge; run a line of stitches along just inside the plain weave, then cut that part off. I have no idea how well that would work on this fabric, but I've seen it done before.

**mddock58** · 3rd January 06, 01:15 PM

You can Zig-zag or serge the edge to prevent the fraying, but you need to pay attention to the tension. Also you want to find a thread that will not show terribly.

That should be enough, and then if you choose to hem, you can still do it as well.

**Alan H** · 3rd January 06, 01:57 PM

16 ounce polyester-viscose? Are you SURE it's that heavy?

Personally, I'd just hem it. Do it by hand of course, so that you can hide the stitches.

**Schultz** · 3rd January 06, 02:09 PM

16 ounce polyester-viscose? Are you SURE it's that heavy?

Oops, guess I wasn't clear in my origina post. This isn't PV, but actual 16 oz. wool.

**Barb T** · 3rd January 06, 03:43 PM

Hi guys

You _don't_ want to serge the edge, because the bottom edge of the kilt will look really odd, particularly if you do all of the rest of the trad kiltmaking. I wouldn't hesitate at all to put a hem in this tartan. All of our band kilts are 16 oz tartan, and, while the adults have kilts w/o hems, all of the kids have hems in their kilts so that we can let them down. Pressed well, you can't really tell. The real key is a good iron, a wet press cloth, and lots of elbow grease to get a good press. No problem, though!!

Barb

**Schultz** · 4th January 06, 07:00 AM

Okay, hemming it is, then. Thanks, Barb!

**Pleater** · 7th January 06, 02:27 PM

A hem might be a help to keeping the pleats, and as a guide for future pressings.

The hem is (obviously) on the outside of the fold as you look at the kilt from the inside. This is the inner, hidden fold of the underpleat.

If you sew through the fabric of the hem at exactly the point where it should fold it will give you a permanent guide for basting, pressing etc. but there will be nothing visible from the outside. Don't sew right to the edge or a little 'pinch' will be visible, you only need two or three running stitches, and they don't even have to be pulled all that tight.

Only mark the normal not the larger pleats.

Pleater

**Schultz** · 9th January 06, 07:59 AM

The work has begun! I spent Saturday doing the measuring, ripping and marking and basted the apron edges and did my first pleat last night. Everything looks good at the present. We'll see how things turn out after I've done a few pleats. I'm supposed to be getting together with some friends to do some gaming tonight but the wife has the car for massage therapy class. If no one can give me a ride to and from my friend's house, I'll have four uninterrupted hours to work on my kilt.