Saffron double-box kilt

**Tetley** · 12th December 08, 08:47 AM

I think I have already mentioned that I am making a saffron double-box kilt, so the addendum to The Art of Kiltmaking covering the construction of a box kilt came at exactly the right time for me.

Having carefully read and understood the instructions I set about tackling the kilt which, I have to say, I have been putting off for some weeks as I did not quite know how to do it.

However, it soon became obvious that although the laying out and stitching of the pleats is the same, except that you need 5 times the pleat width for each pleat and double-box, the construction of the double-boxes from the loop of material was somewhat more difficult.

Once again I put my engineering knowledge to the task and came up with a double-box template.

Here, for your edification, is a photo of the completed template.

It consists of three parts, two identical lengths of stiff card the width of the box and the length of the kilt a and a folding part where the centre section is identical to the other two bits and the folding arms are made from a fourth length cut in half lengthways. Here is a photo of the folding part.

I used parcel tape to hold the part together but left enough gap so that when the arms are folded in there is a small gap between the arm and the centre section.

So, how does it work. I have stitched a correctly sized loop in a piece of the saffron cloth to show you.

One of the plain lengths is inserted into the top of the loop and centred.

The folding part is placed over the cloth and the arms folded in trapping the cloth between the two parts of the template.

Finally, the remaining plain length is inserted in the bottom of the loop of cloth and the whole thing squashed together.

The template is then withdrawn from the cloth an inch or so at a time and the box pleated pinned or basted to hold its shape.

Perfect double-boxes for those of us whole do not have the skill or the experience of Lady Chrystal or the other superb kilt makers on the forum.

Mark