Stabilizer for a StillWater

**Carolina Kiltman** · 30th July 08, 06:26 PM

Good job! One problem that many have is assuming that the kilt is a simple garment. It is most assuredly NOT. That is one reason that the traditional, largely hand made "tank" is so expensive. Whilst the fabric is not cheap, it is the skill and hand labour that you are paying for. Now, I suggest that you may want to try doing one from scratch yourself. You seem to have the skills to do it. Just remember, up to a point, one can substitute time and patience for experience. Good Luck

**Bugbear** · 31st July 08, 06:42 AM

Sorry, I have decided to remove the information from this post.

**ChattanCat** · 10th August 08, 05:33 AM

Scotty,
A long lasting kilt must have a member carrying the load. The stitches in the pleats need to be relieved of stress. The best way to do this is by adding a layer between the tartan material and the lining. The stabilizer should run from the edge of the under apron to the edge of the over apron. It doesn't need to be the same piece of canvas, I use three pieces and sew them into the tartan material. One piece for each of the aprons, about 1" less height of the pleat cutouts. If the pleats aren't cutout then 2" less than the fell (about 5-6 inches). The canvas for the pleats will be 1" more than the apron canvas. I have seen less, sometimes only an inch or two, but I don't trust it and it is a way to reduce the cost of a kilt.

The canvas on the aprons is put on with the aprons flat and sewn to the tartan material. The pleats may have a taper from the bottom of the fell to the top of the kilt. If this is the case, then you will have to add some folds in the canvas to have it follow the top of the kilt.

**Bugbear** · 10th August 08, 06:27 AM

Sorry, I have decided to remove the information from this post.

**Rex_Tremende** · 10th August 08, 06:41 AM

Originally Posted by Ted Crocker

I'm going to go ahead and post the rest of the links to threads I have been reading to understand the construction of kilts.

[...]

Hopefully these will be useful to anyone else who comes across this thread. I will keep organizing them and probably add more as I read and search.

And I'm just adding them as I find them, or as they float up to the surface...

Wow, you've been busy! Your index could be a sticky post, I think.

Regards,
Rex.

**Bugbear** · 10th August 08, 06:56 AM

Originally Posted by Rex_Tremende

Wow, you've been busy! Your index could be a sticky post, I think.

Regards,
Rex.

Rex

When I see a thread with information that helps me understand something, I make a url link to it. They only work if they are posted, though. For a long time I had a bunch of them in a PM to myself, but I might as well put them in a thread. I just happen to have another to add.

In other news, I found a pair of nice brown, lace-up, dress shoes yesterday to add to this dayware outfit. They go well with the bunny sporran and match the belt i use with the outfit.

I just want things to look nice...

**Bugbear** · 10th August 08, 08:31 AM

Sorry, I have decided to remove the information from this post.

**ChattanCat** · 10th August 08, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by Ted Crocker

scottography, ChattanCat is a kilt maker, and I am not.

If your kilt is like mine, the straps are almost at the top of the kilt. Without a stabilizer, the thick waistband at the very top carries a little of the tension, but the fell stitching carries the rest.

I attached the stabilizer directly to the leather of the straps because they have a tab on the backe end that was accessable on the inside of the kilt. Because the straps and buckles are so close to the waistband, the stabilizer is right aginst the bottom, inside edge of the waistband all the way around.

On my kilt there is no fabric cut away, and it has a bulkyness of fabric at the top. As far as I can tell, this bulkyness and the stabilizer being directly against the waistband is the only reason it worked for me. My conclusion is that because of the taper all the way to the top of the kilt, the top two or three inches of the kilt need to be unstitched and re stitched without a taper for the best results. I am not able to do that on my own.
It sounds like ChattanCat is saying make a stabilizer that is a bit wider than the one I used, and attach it directly to the waistband, as well as, the straps and buckles. That way the outside of the kilt still hangs from the waistband, but the stabilizer carries the buckle/strap tension. I don't know... On mine, I attached the stabilizer only to the waistband going across the aprons so I would not have to put stitches through the outside of the fabric possiblly showing, and it seemed to work.

I really can't say if it would work for someone elses kilt. I think it has been established, though, that the kilt falls apart over time without at least a stabilizer. I think a lot about looking into having a kiltmaker do some work on the kilt.

THE most important thing is to have the canvas carry the load from belt to belt. If you have accomplished that, then your kilt will last a lot longer than without.