machine-stitched versus hand-sewn?

[MrLion]

I was recently told that machine-stitched kilts "are almost indistinguishable from a hand stitched!" by one of our vendors.
What exactly does the difference LOOK like, or feel like, or does it make a difference in how they hold up?
.
Thanks

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I will say it all depends on the kilt. I have seen kilts that I could easily tell from 100 feet away were machine stitched. I've also seen kilts that I'd never guess to be machine stitched unless I was able to get my hands on it and examine it closely. So not all machine stitched kilts are made equal. (Not all hand stitched kilts are made equal, for that matter).

[CDNSushi]

That's an excellent question. I've wondered that myself.

However, given Matt's answer, let me follow up with this counter-question:

Excluding both fringes (pun not intended) of really good and really bad workmanship... Say if you were to obtain an "average" exemplar of both a machine-made and hand-stitched kilt, what sorts of "average" differences would you be able to spot? Feel? Notice? Like/dislike? Be annoyed by? Etc.

[The Wizard of BC]

The thing you must remember about a true 'Tank', or Traditionally made Kilt, is that it is not the stitching of the pleats in the Fell that is the true magic of the Kilt.

Built into the inside of a Traditionally made Kilt are two items that resist the stresses of strapping the Kilt on and wearing it.

The first is the Stabilizer. This is a strip of stretch resistant fabric that is sewn to the inside of the Kilt spanning across the back from one buckle to the other. This Stabilizer takes the stress placed on the Kilt straps which are cinched tight into the wearers natural waist. If you grab the buckles and pull as hard as you want you should never see the stitching stretch. The fabric floats over the top.

The second is a length of 'hair canvas'. This is not regular canvas in the sense of a burlap bag or tent fabric. Hair canvas is a loosely woven fabric that is quite stiff in the vertical direction and less stiff in the horizontal. But Hair Canvas is also very resistant to any stretching.
The Hair Canvas spans the entire length of the Kilt from the straps on one apron all the way across to the strap on the other apron. This will prevent the aprons from developing puckers and show skewing from stress.

These two internal strengtheners and stiffeners form the interfacings of the Kilt and are hidden underneath the liner of the Kilt. In fact, the only reason for the liner is to cover up the internal construction.

If done properly these two strengtheners take all the stress of moving in and wearing the Kilt. The outer fabric that we see as the Tartan, floats over the internal interfacings and insures that no stress is placed on the pleat stitching. You are actually wearing the interfacing. The Tartan fabric is the fancy part floating on the outside.

This is the secret to a well made Kilt. Hand sewn or machine sewn. If the interfacings are done properly the Kilt will not pop stitches and come apart.

Unfortunatly few Kilts today are made like this. In fact, many Kiltmakers today were not taught or learned these secrets and use no interfacings at all.

Machine stitches, on average, are stronger than hand stitches. This is what allows garment makers today to eliminate the interfacings. Look at a pair of blue jeans. All the strength is taken up by the stitching. The fabric will wear out before the stitching comes loose.

But the beauty of a hand stitched Kilt is that the hand stitches can be made totally invisable. In a Kilt crafted by a true master you will not be able to find a single stitch even when you pull and tug on the pleats.

With a machine sewn Kilt, just by the nature of the beast, will always show the line of stitching. Rocky at USA Kilts used to open the pleat he was sewing and would then fold the fabric back over, hiding the stitch line. But this is very time consuming.

One more thing I would like to mention, to look for when you are looking for a new Kilt, is the alignment of the Tartan pattern in the Fell where the pleats are sewn down. The lines of the Tartan pattern should align perfectly. Not even one yarn off alignment. And I mean not only horizontally but vertically too. If a colored stripe meets the edge of a pleat where it is tapered on one pleat, it should also meet the edge in exactly the same vertical plane on every pleat.

Can a machine sewn Kilt be made to rival a Traditionally made one? Well it can come so close that 99% of the people standing 5 ft. away will never notice.

And then there is the steeking line.... but perhaps we should leave that for another time.

[Fit2BKilted]

If done properly these two strengtheners take all the stress of moving in and wearing the Kilt. The outer fabric that we see as the Tartan, floats over the internal interfacings and insures that no stress is placed on the pleat stitching. You are actually wearing the interfacing. The Tartan fabric is the fancy part floating on the outside.

This is the secret to a well made Kilt. Hand sewn or machine sewn. If the interfacings are done properly the Kilt will not pop stitches and come apart.

Unfortunatly few Kilts today are made like this. In fact, many Kiltmakers today were not taught or learned these secrets and use no interfacings at all.

I don't suppose you'd be willing to rat-out those popular makers who are delinquent in using interfacings in the construction of their kilts?

[RockyR]

With a machine sewn Kilt, just by the nature of the beast, will always show the line of stitching. Rocky at USA Kilts used to open the pleat he was sewing and would then fold the fabric back over, hiding the stitch line. But this is very time consuming.

I agree with pretty much all of what was said by Matt and Steve. I would like to make 1 small clarification to the above point...

On our 5 Yard kilts and Semi Trads and casuals, we 'top stitch' the material to save time (and cost to the customer)... as do many 'casual' kilt makers. You can pick a thread color that blends in with the tartan and there are ways to 'camouflage' the stitching by hiding it in a certain color on the tartan.

Our Premier 8 Yard kilts (and MOST companies that make Machine Sewn 8 yarders) are sewn 'inside out' to hide the stitching. If you take the good side of the fabric and put it together facing the good side of the fabric, you can pin the 'future pleat' down the fell and machine sew it on the bad side(s). When you take out the pins and open the fabric up, you don't see any stitching, b/c it's all on the 'bad side'.

There ARE parts of a PROPER machine sewn kilt (as described above) that MUST be hand sewn... the horsehair canvas lining, the liner, etc. It MUST be hand sewn or the stitches will show through the outside.

A PROPER Machine sewn (and part hand sewn) kilt could be put next to a traditional 'tank' and 99.999% of the people wouldn't notice the difference. They're both works of art made for an individual.

As Matt said, I've seen horrible and EXCELLENT examples of Machine Sewn kilts just as I've seen horrible and excellent examples of HAND sewn kilts. It's all in the maker and how well they use their needle and thread.... whether it's powered by electricity or their fingers.

[RockyR]

I don't suppose you'd be willing to rat-out those popular makers who are delinquent in using interfacings in the construction of their kilts?

Some companies use fusable interfacing rather than hand sewing the horsehair canvas lining into the kilt. In fact, 1 MAJOR supplier of CMT (cut, make, trim) kilts in the UK who supplies kilts to several retailers and some of the mills does this. It cuts down on time and is a good way of reinforcing the material. The potential problem is that the fusable lining can, after years of wear and cleaning, come 'un-fused'.

[Heming]

The potential problem is that the fusable lining can, after years of wear and cleaning, come 'un-fused'.

Or, in some cases, after the first time you wore the garment ...

I've made a casual kilt with fusible interfacings, but I very rarely use it because it's not half as comfortable as my properly interfaced kilts (hand stitched hair canvas).

I'm just finishing a 5-yard machine-stitched kilt for my better half, and am in the process of putting in the canvas by hand now. It makes a world of difference.

BTW, I also use a light hair canvas for the stabiliser.

So make sure you ask plenty questions about the invisible parts of your kilt if you want to make sure you get top quality.

[Smayniac]

The potential problem is that the fusable lining can, after years of wear and cleaning, come 'un-fused'.

I used fusable interfacing in one of my Xkilts and find that it catches on the velcro in the wash. It also really didn't solve the weight problem I was having; altogether an unsatisfactory attempt.

Bob

[pastorsteve]

To actually answer your question - not much difference except in price. You were asking about average vs. average and they will be nearly identical to the eye. I have worn my low-cost machine-sewn import with close Scottish freinds who loved the kilt and thought it looked wonderful. I believe that you shouldn't actually see any stitching from 5' or beyond.