Sewn-in box pleats

[The Wizard of BC]

Ah, I assumed you were a kiltmaker.

Steeking is Gaelic for "to stitch". It referrs to a line of stitches which hold the pleats in alignment. In a Traditional Kilt the pleats are cut away in the Fell and need something to hold them in place. The Steeking is done from the inside and is not seen. In a Contemporary, machine sewn Kilt the steeking will show up as a line of stitches at the bottom of the Fell.

Without a Steeking line the pleats will wander and splay due to their own weight. Especially when using light weight Cottons.

Skip the Steeking at your peril.

[BarefootScott]

Ah, I assumed you were a kiltmaker.

Nope, just amateur DIYer here.

In a Contemporary, machine sewn Kilt the steeking will show up as a line of stitches at the bottom of the Fell.

This would be a line of stitches horizontally across the pleats? Because I used 13oz. cotton on my last three kilts (all knife pleated), I didn't cut the pleats out above the fell, as is usually done with heavier fabrics. The pleats provided stiffness to the waist that (as I understand) is usually added back in later with some sort of strip in the belt area (?).

[The Wizard of BC]

Without going into a full kiltmaking lesson and giving away all our secrets, yes, Steeking in a Contemporary Style Kilt shows up as a horizontal line of stitching at the hip line.

Other than proper apron taper, the Steeking line is the single most important thing a kiltmaker needs to insure he never skips.

13 oz. Cotton is exactly the same weight as 13 oz. Wool. Which is considered Mid weight Kilt fabric. The Fell will get thick and "Pillow-Butt" without removing the excess fabric.

The strip I think you are referring to is the hair canvas used in Traditional Kilts. Yes, it is a strengthening to keep the stress away from the taper stitches.
The best analogy I can give is, - you wear the reinforcement, the kilt floats over that without pulling. Just as a proper jacket which has interfacing. It is the interfacing which is sized to you and what you wear, the outer fabric of the jacket floats over that and will not pucker or pull.

In a kilt the hair canvas is built in and is continuous and connected to the straps and buckles. This is where all the stress is taken up. The Tartan fabric and pleats simply hang from this internal belt.

[BarefootScott]

Without going into a full kiltmaking lesson and giving away all our secrets. . .

Thanks for all your help so far, and don't worry: I won't bug with any more questions.

I think what I need to do is find some tailoring resources and "move up to the next level" because a lot of your terminology and concepts are already over my head. What you say makes perfect sense, but I had no idea that jackets (and kilts) "hang" from the liner, as you described.
Thanks again for your help, and I guess I'll do some research before getting into kilt #5.

[The Wizard of BC]

There is no better resource than "The Art of Kiltmaking" by our own Barb Tewksbury. The book is available from Barb direct at celticdragonpress.com
Matt at the Scottish Tartans Museum carries copies, as do Rocky at USA Kilts and I.
Your local library may have a copy but I strongly recommend you buy your own copy as you will mark the margins, dog-ear the pages, and need to refer to it every five minutes.

If you do no other thing, get a copy of "The Bible".

[BarefootScott]

There is no better resource than "The Art of Kiltmaking" by our own Barb Tewksbury. . .
If you do no other thing, get a copy of "The Bible".

Will do!

Thanks much,
Joshua