Question about making an x-kilt.

[sydnie7]

Great progress!

You might want to put a doubled bath towel over the table where you're ironing. At the heat you need for heavy material, you can damage the table. You might not care about that, but the softened-from-heat finish might mark up the outside of your kilt.

I thought you were going to artificially increase the rump measure so your aprons will hang straight? But you are still presenting measurements of 50 rump/51 waist, and calculating your pleats to that.

Here'e another method, at the risk of adding complication and confusing: Wearing p@nts, measure from side-seam to side-seam around the back of your rump. Then measure from side-seam to side-seam around the front of your waist. Add those two numbers, and make that your rump measurement.

Now measure from side-seam to side-seam around the back of your waist. The difference between the two measures in back (rump half to waist half) is how much you'll need to taper the pleats. Put all that taper in the pleats in the rear of the kilt, and don't taper the pleats that are near the apron (first 2 or 3 on either side of apron).

Does that make sense to you? I do hope I am not just making it harder. But if you try to build a kilt with 50 rump / 51 waist, I don't think it's going to turn out well.

[SDMF91]

Great progress!

You might want to put a doubled bath towel over the table where you're ironing. At the heat you need for heavy material, you can damage the table. You might not care about that, but the softened-from-heat finish might mark up the outside of your kilt.

I thought you were going to artificially increase the rump measure so your aprons will hang straight? But you are still presenting measurements of 50 rump/51 waist, and calculating your pleats to that.

Here'e another method, at the risk of adding complication and confusing: Wearing p@nts, measure from side-seam to side-seam around the back of your rump. Then measure from side-seam to side-seam around the front of your waist. Add those two numbers, and make that your rump measurement.

Now measure from side-seam to side-seam around the back of your waist. The difference between the two measures in back (rump half to waist half) is how much you'll need to taper the pleats. Put all that taper in the pleats in the rear of the kilt, and don't taper the pleats that are near the apron (first 2 or 3 on either side of apron).

Does that make sense to you? I do hope I am not just making it harder. But if you try to build a kilt with 50 rump / 51 waist, I don't think it's going to turn out well.

Wait...So should I increase my rump to like 52 or 53? Measuring the pants seam way gives me a smaller rump measurement. I've just remeasured myself, and think I could pull off a 49 waist, and a 50 rump. would this work?
Otherwise, I get 49 waist, and a rump just barely over 49...hmmm.

Also, I messed up on my pictures, here's the correct pic of lil sis helpin me hem.

[SDMF91]

I'm very confused. I'm going with 49 waist/50 rump. It'll work, I measured a few more times, but I'm running into an issue with my pleats. I'm using an 11 inch over apron, and I can't find in the directions how much of an under apron to use, or how far in to measure from the edges to start my pleating diagram. Please help!

[sydnie7]

With a narrow over-apron, you'll want a wider under-apron for modesty. Maybe 16 for the under.

As for the waist/rump issue -- you just need enough material around your hips so that the aprons don't pull in underneath your belly. They need to hang straight down from your navel.

At a certain point, you just need to sew it up and see what happens. It gets so much more clear when you have the results slung round your rump!

[SDMF91]

With a narrow over-apron, you'll want a wider under-apron for modesty. Maybe 16 for the under.

As for the waist/rump issue -- you just need enough material around your hips so that the aprons don't pull in underneath your belly. They need to hang straight down from your navel.

At a certain point, you just need to sew it up and see what happens. It gets so much more clear when you have the results slung round your rump!

K, so from end to end, this should by my waist measurement when I cut off the excess right?

Ninja edit: I think i've figured this out...it's going to be as long as my rump plus the under apron, then taper to my waist. I'll try and take more pics.

[sydnie7]

[snip] it's going to be as long as my rump plus the under apron, then taper to my waist. I'll try and take more pics.

That's right!

[Alan H]

You go, bro!

[SDMF91]

Alright...I've made a mistake...a large one at that...


Somewhere, some cut went wrong. My piece of material is long enough for all the pleats I need, but not the over apron. What's the best way to go about adding onto the material? Just overlap a bit and a straight stitch? I'm worried this will put an unattractive lump somewhere...or do I need to do something different? I was thinking just align another piece, and run a zigzag stich that will overlap both... Or do I need to do something different?

[Pleater]

It is nothing drastic to make a join in the material - I regularly make kilts from DPM - aka camo material, and that has to be cut selvage to selvage for the pattern to be correctly orientated.

I usually make the join one of the folds hidden inside the kilt, place the two pieces right sides together and sew a straight seam.

However, if the join is made in the under apron pleat it is not going to show very much wherever it is placed, as long as you are careful not to press the apron over the seam and make an outline of it. I have a board I press on - it is the piece of stuff that a bold of fabric was wrapped around, and it makes a good flat surface to press onto.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Heming]

Good luck! Making your first kilt can be quite distressing, but you'll love it once you get the kilt done. And it's fun to see the long strip of cloth gradually becoming wearable garment!

Just be careful not to burn your hair on the iron during nap time