First attempt...

[turpin]

As for the thimble, my wife grabbed her athletic tape (that's what you get when your wife does judo, runs 1/2 marathons and goes to the gym everyday) and taped up my finger. That's been working quite well.

Check out this thread on a comfortable thimble.

[Barb T]

Sounds like you're doing really well so far! I'm glad to see that Turpin mentioned the thimble thread - it's a really easy thimble to make and very comfortable to use.

B

[beerbecue]

I usually end up using a band-aid and tape for a thimble......

[Kilted Taper]

Just a quick update...I now have 12 pleats done and need to join the two pieces together. I thought getting the pleats started was confusing...I've read over the join directions several times and I'm still unsure what I'm doing. Maybe if I read while I'm trying to do it it will make sense, instead of trying to visualize in my head. Here are a couple a pics:

Full shot:


Pleats:





I had to hold it up against me last night, just to see it and I'm slightly scared it's about 1/2" - 1" too long. Held it up against my X-Marks and it confirmed it was longer. Not sure I want to go back now and make that adjustment.

[chasem]

Just a quick update...I now have 12 pleats done and need to join the two pieces together. I thought getting the pleats started was confusing...I've read over the join directions several times and I'm still unsure what I'm doing. Maybe if I read while I'm trying to do it it will make sense, instead of trying to visualize in my head.

I had a hard time wrapping my mind around that too. However, I eventually figured it out. My first one had a terrible join, as I just sewed the two ends together due to not having wrapped my mind around the concept. My second one had a proper join, and it's not too hard once you realize what's going on.

Initially, though, you just sew the next pleat as though it were part of the same piece of material. Just line it up and sew, the same as you have the rest of the pleats. You'll come back later to stitch the excess fabric of the join together.

[Kilted Taper]

So...if I understand you right...Just go ahead on with the second piece of tartan and join after I've finished all the pleats?

[chasem]

So...if I understand you right...Just go ahead on with the second piece of tartan and join after I've finished all the pleats?

yep, pull the tartan out and simply line up the next pleat as you have done all the others. You'll have two loose ends of tartan on the inside until you do the join later. Just be absolutely sure that you have at least one sett repeat in there, so that after you stitch the join the pleat will be the same size (or very close to the same size) on the inside of the kilt.

[turpin]

I had to hold it up against me last night, just to see it and I'm slightly scared it's about 1/2" - 1" too long. Held it up against my X-Marks and it confirmed it was longer. Not sure I want to go back now and make that adjustment.

if you haven't yet constructed the waist, can't you cut length from the top without removing pleats?