A couple Box-pleated questions...

[chasem]

I've read all of this with great interest. Please give us some more details on the kilt you're making. Is it all hand sewn, what weight is the tartan, Any hints for the rest of us based on your experience. I look towards seeing the fruits of your labor. O'Neille

Alright. The kilt will be all hand sewn, in MacFarland modern, 13oz material. I'm working with 3 1/2 yards, as I had trimmed it down to that for a 7 yard knife pleat, but decided to go with a box pleat instead. I may drop that extra half a yard or so back in to the other piece for another box pleat kilt, I just didn't feel like doing all that join-stitching on this one. But this one's going to turn out fine, 7 pleats rather than 9 pleats.

I've used Barb's book as a basic guideline, and kept in mind some of what Matt has said to go to box pleats rather than knife. I found it very helpful - not having ever worked with box pleats - to take the waistband strip and pleat that out as though it were the kilt material. That was less to work with, and made it much easier to visualize how I would need to do the pleats.

Essentially I've done the pleating the same as I would a knife-pleated kilt, the exception being that I did not fold the next pleat before stitching the current one. Didn't want to overlap that material underneath and mess up the box pleat aspect.

In doing the box pleats, however, I found it much easier to pin the entire pleat in place before sewing, due to the amount of taper from waist to hips being much more comparative to a 7-8 yard knife pleat kilt. (There's much more taper per pleat with 7 pleats than there is with 25+ )

That's where it stands at the moment though, 6 pleats sewn, one more to go. And so far I've pretty much just followed Barb's book.

I'll write about the rest when I finish it

[chasem]

Okay, so I've run into another question.

What is the easiest method of basting the pleats for pressing? That's where I'm at, and I feel like what I'm doing is too cumbersome, there must be an easier way.

I've basted the pleats above the fell with straight stitching to hold the box pleats in place, and I'm now looking at basting everything below the fell.

So I'm pinning the visible portion of the pleats at the right length, then trying to get them centered. Once I've got them centered, I baste. I don't think I'm describing it well enough, because it doesn't sound as difficult as it seems to be.

Is it really as tedious as I'm making it?

[Heath]

okay, so i'm kinda new here. what book is this you're talking about, and how can i get one?

[efer]

Heath,

the book that they are refering to is Barb T's book about "the Art of Kiltmaking"
check out the link
http://www.celticdragonpress.com/

Cheers,

[Heath]

Heath,

the book that they are refering to is Barb T's book about "the Art of Kiltmaking"
check out the link
http://www.celticdragonpress.com/

Cheers,

excellent!!! thank you very much!!!!!