Mactrailerpark Lawnmowing Kilt version 0.1 alpha

[Perldog007]

Conventional wisdom dictates that one learns from one's mistakes. This kilt newbie should be a kilt making genius by that logic after my first foray.

I started out buying a Utilikilt, but those folk have strange notions regarding the shape of the full figured man. Once you get past a certain waist size (and I have far exceeded that mark) you don't get a kilt. You get a garment that looks like a frilled butt tube . They assume that a man with a large waist has no hips.

So your large size Utilikilt will look like a big 'ol fat 'ol upside down retractable feather duster if you do not conform to their idea of a hipless big lad. The phone rep told me to get one 8 inches too big in the waist and have it darted at a local tailor. hmmmm......

Phone calls to Canada are free with Comcast digital voice and the order we placed with Steve at FK is worth every penny.

But what about yard work and such. I doubt that my FK will be worn for that, at least not at first.

A copy of Barb's book is on the Horizon. What about instant gratification? What about here and now?

This is my first effort at sewing beyond four hems and four seams. I completed that task with a 50% accuracy ratio. Now fueled up and pumped up by my almost success this dog began to ponder the possibilities.

One result of the aforementioned nearly successful sewing evolution was three yards of digital camo lightweight cloth. Too light for a kilt, but what about a practice run? A trial kilt?

So I started out to make a "mock up". Knowing nothing of kilt making or sewing it ended up being more of a "#@$* up". The resulting garment will serve for yard work and such about the compound.

I didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn Express before trying this, but did talk to Steve @ FreedomKilts for a couple of minutes whilst placing an order.

The goal was to learn how to operate the sewing machine and see if I could learn anything about assembling a modern kilt on my own. ( now we can even change a busted needle without bothering the Mrs.)



So without further ado - I give you the proud digital camo tartan and clockwise ( yeah I know, that is one of the lessons learned) pleats of clan MacTrailerPark.

http://www.doublebad.net/Mactrailer.jpg

and the obligatory money shot - hope you like 'em big.....

http://www.doublebad.net/pleats.jpg


Know that I have been doing forums since the Bulletin Boards and enjoy getting flamed as much or more than the next kilted man. But anything constructive in nature would be even better. Version 0.9 beta coming soon....

We are thinking deeper pleats, 2/3 pleats instead of 1/2 pleat and 1/2 apron and anything else the rabble can suggest that resonates.

Thanks for Reading :-} Doug
_____________________________

NO TRESPASSING - Clan Mactrailerpark

[Dreadbelly]

Really, you didn't do that bad.

For your next effort, I'd make the box pleats a little wider, with the pleat depth a little deeper. I think I'd also drop the fell a bit. The belt loops look really good and everything seems to hang in the right place. Hard to see much about the apron because of your pose but it hangs well.

[Perldog007]

Thank you for that input. I am going out in the morning and getting 6 yards of stouter woodland camo. I was thinking about depth...

The pleats on 0.1 are shallow, I only had so much ( 3 yards hemmed) to cover a 59.5 inch seat but still I had some cloth left over, so I could have gone a little deeper.

Besides getting the pleats going the right way this time I was thinking about making them four inches deep with a one inch reveal. Does anybody know what kind of "pleat metrics" make a good effect on a large man?

[Dreadbelly]

Box pleats tend to hang evenly over a large frame. Knife pleats do to if you make them very, very deep. Six to eight inches with an inch of reveal. You can do it with less, but the pleats will tend to pucker out, curl, or, depending on your hips and body angles, if hang off of a 'corner' of your hip bone and hang open, rather than laying flat. You either balance everything out, or you give gravity enough material to grab ahold of and work with.

On a bigger fella, give your self a higher rise and a longer fell. This will help.

[Tartan Hiker]

What Dread said, and I, too, would suggest box pleats. Less material taken up in the pleats makes for a lighter and cooler kilt, too. Box pleats are easy with Alan H's manual.
You're too modest. After the buildup you gave I was expecting a pleated disaster, but your kilt doesn't look bad at all. Who cares which direction the pleats fold? And getting into a car seat is much easier with them pleated as you did.

[Monkey@Arms]

That's much better than anything I could ever do! Might be the camera angle, but if it were me, I'd make the next one a little shorter.

Best regards,

Jake

[David Dalglish]

I thought for a first attempt it looks good

[beowulf67]

I think it looks pretty good. I'll let the others that actually know how to sew give advice on what to improve.

[Perldog007]

Many Grats for the input. My local discount rack is out of that heavier woodland camo, so version 0.2 will be in 6 color desert. I will be aiming higher with this lightweight kilt, it will be designed with work in mind.

Work in this case, that which puts beans and oatmeal on the table, is of the warehouse variety. Mine colleagues have already suffered the Seattle fringed fanny tube (AKA size 52 Utilikilt).

I wore the lawnmower kilt to work yesterday and it was well received. A young man who works in a family drapery business next door said it was pretty decent for a first sewed garment. His Dad gave me a surprisingly heartfelt wolf whistle ( the bonny lasses can't be far off now!) .

Our resident answer to Chuck Norris is an old Warrior named George. George was entirely amused with the lawnmower kilt. Upon leaving George informed me that he was locking the front door so nobody would "sneak up on " me
"and steal your skirt". The Chief Export of George is Pain.

The business on the other side of us provides services to citizens diagnosed with mild to moderate mental retardation. Their warehouse guy often comes over to chat. He is mildly touched.

He spoke to me for about ten minutes yesterday on his daily visit, and made no mention of my attire. Just before he hit the door my counterpart stopped and said "Oh by the way, I like that skirt, it's nice". We had a talk about naming conventions for Scottish men's wear and John thinks the kilt is cool.

One of our technicians has expressed an interest in me making one for him.

I am pretty happy with the lawnmower kilt. If a better job had been done on the cargo pocket, it might be worn everywhere. But the pocket does hold two half liters of water and keeps them from flapping into me when I walk behind the mower.

Stand by for Macwarehouse kilt. I will be posting pics of construction as it goes.....

[solstice]

Not too bad man. Not too bad at all. Your first foray into kilt making turned out a LOT better than mine did... That poor thing that I was working on... well we don't consider it polite to talk about the deceased here. No matter. Keep up the good work.