Starting on my first kilt

[Schultz]

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

[Pleater]

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]

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.

[Schultz]

Update:

I have just a 6 more pleats out of 35 (whew!) to do before i finish off the backside.

At what point in construction should I hem this sucker? Should I do it after completing the basic construction (reverse pleat/underapron) or wait until the very end?

How deep of a hem should I use, too?

[Barb T]

It's easiest if you hem it right now, once the join is done, because you can baste the pleats together once it's hemmed, and the whole thing becomes a lot more manageable.

The depth of the hem is already set by the fact that you've done the pleats (i.e., once you've committed to pleating, there's only one place you can put the hem and still have the kilt the right length. And, you don't cut anything off the bottom before hemming - you just turn it up _once_ (i.e., you don't turn the edge over before hemming on the back side like you'd do with the hem of a skirt).

Barb

[Alan H]

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.

Ahhh, the voyage continues! :-)

Keep us updated.

[Schultz]

Okay, thanks Barb! I'll hem it all up once I finish the last three pleats.

[Schultz]

Since Alan posted an update for his kilt, I thought I'd post mine.

I spent most of the day yesterday working on it, and managed to finish the aprons, sew in the canvas, and begin working on the waistband. I think my wife is more interested in seeing it finished than I am if that's possible.

But nothing was more satisfying that cutting out the pleats and steeking it, which I did last week. I felt incredibly accomplished after doing that and the rest of this has definitely seemed easier.

I told my mother that I was almost finished with it and she looked confused. "But you don't have a sewing machine," she said. She looked both surprised and incredibly proud when I told her I was sewing it all by hand. I can't wait to show it to her. Hopefully it will be finished by this weekend, and you can be sure that pics will follow!

[Barb T]

Ooh - can't wait to see pictures! You should be justifiably proud!!

Barb

[pdcorlis]

I admire the skill and courage of all our kilt makers! I also have to give a big tip of the hat to Barb T - without her book I wonder how many well made kilts would be cranked out by our XMarks brothers and sisters.