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: