machine vs hand sewn

[Pleater]

When I am making my kilts I press the folds in first, before the sewing - if Barb is destroying ironing boards by pressing after the sewing - and going through layers - that makes things clearer.

It is quite a long process as I iron the length, then press in the outer folds, making each one individually, then slowly build up the pleats and press them in from hip to hem, one at a time, then the edges of the aprons. That way I am working with the iron on just one fold isolated from the rest, and when I come to the sewing the fabric is already close to kilt shaped.

Using a sewing machine is a skill, and the quality of garment produced depends partly on the skill, but also the time and effort the maker can put into the work.

A well made machine sewn kilt could outshine a badly done hand sewn one anyday.

Anne the Pleater

[Bugbear]

I just don't see that there is any way I would ever be able to make a kilt. I do like understanding how they are made, though.

Hopefully, knowing how the traditional and good contemporary kilts are made, I will know exactly what to ask or look for in a kilt maker. I've been slowly saving up a stack of money to get a kilt in my tartan, and I have plenty of time to learn.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Anne's point about skill is an important one. There are good and bad hand sewers. There are good and bad machine sewers. My wife sews a lot of her clothing, and when she has anything that needs hand stitching, she brings it to me, because my hand stitching is superior to hers (something about hours and hours spent sewing pleats...). However, she greatly outshines me on the machine. Ask me to sew anything other than a simple straight running stitch on the machine and I'll mess it up (and even then, it won't be the best running stitch you've ever seen).

But, assuming the maker of the hand-sewn kilt and the machine-sewn kilt are equally skilled, here are some average differences you are likely to notice:

1. The hand stitching in the pleats will be nearly invisble. This is perhaps the primary "trademark" of the hand stitched kilt that most kilt wearers will look for.
2. Machine sewn kilts tend to be top-stitched, meaning the stitching will be visible in the pleats. To a lot of kilt wearers, this is the sign of a lower-grade kilt, which is why most machine stitched kilts you see will be marketed as a "casual kilt."
3. The machine stitching is actually a stronger stitch. Believe me, I know. I've had to rip apart both hand stitched and machine stitched kilts for reconstruction or alteration, and it's a bear to take out machine stitching. (But reference what Steve posted about the interfacing in most quality hand sewn kilts).
4. Machine stitching is faster and more economical, therefore your machine stitched kilt will likely cost less for the consumer to purchase.
5. Because machine stitching costs less, you are more likely to see it used on kilts that have been designed to cost less -- in other words, there will more likely be other things about that kilt designed with cost-cutting in mind, such as absense of interfacing and lining; it may be sold off-the-peg in standard sizes rather than made-to-measure, etc.

Not all of the above is universally true, keep in mind. For example, the "casual kilts" we sell at the Scottish Tartans Museum are machine stitched, but they are made-to-measure just like our standard kilts, and have a lining, etc.

And the machine-stitched kilts you'll buy from USA Kilts are not top stitched, because Rocky and Kelly have learned a method to sew the pleats that involves stiching the pleats on the inside, making the seam nearly invisible, like on a hand sewn. I'll have to let Rocky go into more detail about that, if he likes.

At the end of the day, though, for a lot of people, the attraction to a hand sewn kilt is just the idea that an individual craftsmen spent hours upon hours of personal time and effort to create the garment for them. The same thing that attracts people to Harris Tweed, woven by hand, not on a mechanized loom. The same thing that attracts people to hand knit kilt hose, rather than machine knit. It's that human element.

[Rex_Tremende]

Actually Rex the tapering of the aprons is one of the first and easiest traits to identify in a well made Kilt.

To be sure, what I meant when I said "well crafted" was "not sloppy." I didn't mean to imply it compared well with my other hand-sewns in the details.

Regards,
Rex.

[Barb T]

Barb used to use a regular ironing board but I believe she has stopped because she would lean so heavily on one to create the pressure that she would bend and destroy an ironing board in the process of making only two or three Kilts.

Yup - I had to buy a heavy duty one.

I don't press the pleats first because it's almost impossible to do the kind of precision pleating that goes with the method of kiltmaking that I learned if you press first. On each pleat, I work to the nearest 1/32 of an inch, and I can only get that by measuring as I stitch. If I pressed first, it would be almost impossible to get the pleats folded in exactly the right place.

It sounds like I'm being unnecessarily anal about it. But, if I'm making a kilt that has 25-27 or so pleats, and I were off by 1/32 of an inch on each one, the kilt would be nearly an inch too big or too small. And, when the pleats also have to taper, _and_ have stripes or color boundaries centered, I can't imagine getting it accurate if I had to press the pleats first.

If I tried to press first, I wouldn't be able to make kilts that are as fitted as these are:

[Howard Clark]

Well for me it is all about the time and care and attention to detail. That's why all the kilts I have ordered have been made to measure and hand sewn. The idea that someone who cares about doing it well made it with care is what it is all about for me. I like hand made things of other kinds as well. I wish I could find someone local to make shirts to measure with the same attention to detail and fit.

All the kilts I have made for myself to work in are machine sewn and top stitched, so that it is all visible. They also lack the hair canvas and some of the details, but they were meant to replace blue jeans in a dirty work environment. They are going to get worn out anyway.

Plus I decided that I was better off just buying them from the expert makers to wear out in public with pride.

[Riverkilt]

Unlikely that you'll see a lable with the name(s) of the folks who sewed up a machine sewn kilt. You will usually see a label sewn inside a hand sewn kilt with the name of the craftsman that sewed it - IF you deal directly with the kiltmaker. Hand sewn kilts ordered through middlemen aren't gonna have such a label.

And, credit to USA Kilts, Rocky and Kelly often include a card that says who machine sewed up the kilt...or they used to...

Ron

[Nick the DSM]

Well, if you want to drop a couple of hundred dollar bills in an envelope and send them to the shop I promise I'll only use them to buy Kilt related things.
Such as Scotch.

hahaha!!

very relevant!

[The Wizard of BC]

Anne,

I'll try to make this sound right.

I too press my Pleats prior to tapering. I also hold myself to the 1 yarn tolerance.

But please note that I say "Press" not "Iron".

When Barb Presses her Pleats it is the pressure she is creating on the fabric not "Trying to go through all those layers" that is important. It doesn't matter how many layers you are working with.

I use about 100 lbs of pressure when I press. Now, I have 3' X5' pressing tables on strong legs and can get right up on them using my weight to provide the pressure.

Barb does the same thing. OK, OK, Barb is a little tiny petite thing and to get 100 lbs of pressure she has to lift her feet completely off the ground and fill her pockets full of rocks. But we do much the same thing.
All that weight was bending the legs of a normal household ironing board.

What I want to stress here is that it is the heat of steam and pressure that sets the pleats, not ironing. So many people don't know the difference. I know you do but I just wanted to emphasis the point.

[Bugbear]

I have a very strong kitchen cart with a stainless steel top and two extendable wings. The middle part, not the wings, is strong enough for me to stand on; I guess I'm about 160 pounds or so... When I press my canvas, man skirt, I put down an ironing pad and do lift off the ground with all my weight on the iron; as well as using a wet press cloth and as much steam as I can get.

I probably don't have to do this, but it's fun.