Discourse on inexpensive kilt material

[bawright]

had good luck with a all cotton fabric from hobbylobby and also with a heavy denim tho not bull denim. the cotton denim takes rinkels and let'as um go over night...tho you got to sew down the pleats.

[Barb T]

then my balloon burst when I saw that the sett size was 3 inches...too small for a kilt.

This isn't necessarily a disaster. You can always double the sett and make one pleat every two setts.

The other thing to think about is this. Because this is Black Watch, it's easy to get the sett size wrong because it's an ABAC tartan. Are you sure the sett is really 3"? Could it be 3" between the black stripes in the green? If it's the latter, then the sett is really 6". Would be worth checking.

[Pleater]

Amongst my kilts in progress I have started one using material that I considered too light, so I have used it double and after ironing the two layered piece, it does seem to hold together - and make a much better weight of fabric for a kilt.

I have so much photography to do, not just kilts but for an article on knitting machine carriage disassembly and cleaning - which I have yet to write - but I will get around to everything eventually - I hope.

Using folded over material creates a lower edge which does not require hemming!!

Anne the Pleater

[Alan H]

This isn't necessarily a disaster. You can always double the sett and make one pleat every two setts.

The other thing to think about is this. Because this is Black Watch, it's easy to get the sett size wrong because it's an ABAC tartan. Are you sure the sett is really 3"? Could it be 3" between the black stripes in the green? If it's the latter, then the sett is really 6". Would be worth checking.

I figured that the guys at F & K would *know*, you know, but you're right, it can't hurt to ask. I need to make a kilt for my cousin and I really don't want to use this super-lghtweight stuff again. He'd be happy wearing Black Watch, but I can guess that he'd feel funny wearing the Lindsay tartan, since we're in no way connected to the Lindsays.

[Smayniac]

I figured that the guys at F & K would *know*, you know, but you're right, it can't hurt to ask. I need to make a kilt for my cousin and I really don't want to use this super-lghtweight stuff again. He'd be happy wearing Black Watch, but I can guess that he'd feel funny wearing the Lindsay tartan, since we're in no way connected to the Lindsays.

I had the same thought as Barb here, but didn't get back to my computer until today to throw it back in. If the F&K Black Watch were really a 3" sett, it would be about right to make a kilt for your classic GI Joe I'd think.

Bob

[sydnie7]

This isn't necessarily a disaster. You can always double the sett and make one pleat every two setts.

That's what I did with the BW variant I had, with 4" sett:


So it got pleated to every other stripe:


Worked out really well, especially considering the lighter weight of fabric used:


Sorry you missed seeing it at Ventura!