First post and first kilt

[psyopper]

You need to add some ease to your hip measurement.

What does this mean?

[Aldisimo]

Adding some ease=don't use the actual measurement. Add at least an inch for comfort and movement, maybe even two inches or so.

And from the Heart of Texas!

[BEEDEE]

from coastal North Carolina. And thank you for an interesting first post.

Brian

[Rex_Tremende]

It seems my father passed on his ...umm... best genetics to me. It seems as though my fell line is a touch too tight and measured at just the right spot to "enhance" the appearance. While flattering, it's is also somewhat embarrassing without the absolute best "fortitude".

My question is thus: What ideas do you have that might be relatively easy to adjust this out?

Walk proudly!

Welcome,
Rex.

[psyopper]

Walk proudly!

Welcome,
Rex.

This I like! Simple, effective, and easy problem solving!

[Pleater]

That is a rather fine looking kilt for a first one - you seem to have got everything pretty even and aligned.

I prefer to press all the outer folds on my kilts before I start to sew - I make reverse Kingussie kilts rather than box pleats, but I like to get the creases spot on when I can still isolate them from the rest of the folds and fabric and get a sharp crease.

I think the kilts I have made with pre pressed folds have resulted in neater pleats in the long run.

The problem with the taper continuing down the pleats could be because you sewed only a taper. If you had sewn maybe half an inch to an inch straight below the taper the lower part would fall straight from that.

You would need to be sure that you were sewing the straight part below your widest contour so the kilt was not pulled out of line, but it should turn the / \ of the shaping to the l l of the lower part.

When fitting your kilt you need to add enough extra circumference so that the garment skims the body shape rather than being held close to it. You can then move without the kilt being flexed and the seams put under tension with every step. The difference between the body measurement and the garment measurement is called ease, and the amount of ease required depends mostly on the thickness of the fabric and how flexible it is, and how tightly it is woven - a loose weave might require an extra half inch so there is less tension on it, as if pulled tight the fabric would quickly begin to sag out of shape and look worn.

If you are using a fabric which is fairly soft and revealing you can line the under apron to make it more rigid.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[vorpallemur]

What does this mean?

It means make it bigger than the actual measurement. There are two sorts of ease commonly added (or in some cases, taken out) of clothing. There's wearing ease, which is extra fabric that's added to make wearing the garment comfortable (or even possible, in some cases.). Measure the waist of a pair of pants; you'll find that they're an inch or two larger than the size on the tag. In the case of things that are supposed to be skin tight and are made of stretch fabric (wetsuits, some women's sweaters) wearing ease can be zero or even negative. Design ease is ease added by the garment designer, to make the garment looser, or removed to make it more fitted.

I expect that your kilt's hip line has the exterior measurement that you want for the interior. Remember that the outside is longer than the inside. There are quite a few layers of fabric in even an X kilt, so the inside can be a bit smaller than you thought it was going to be.

[Kiltman]

Congratulations on a job well done. Thanks for the blow by blow too.

[Mael Coluim]

from the Old Dominion State!

Well done!

[Kilted Magyar]

Welcome to the forum. You inspire me to try and tailor a kilt for myself