Work In Progress - X-Kilt for my little lad

[Pleater]

With some of my 'stuff I had in the cupboard' kilts, when they have been washed and dried I need to iron them first - always on the back and with the iron set at the minimum temperature required to remove the creases. I do use spray starch on some - also on the inside as the starch is white so not good with bright colours or black kilts.
Once the fabric is smooth I then press in the creases I want to have, using the spray feature on my iron and increasing the heat to get lots of steam. To be able to press down hard on individual edges I have a board with a couple of turns of white cotton fabric wrapped around it. It can be slid underneath a pleat and then the imprint of pleats or seams beneath are not pressed into the fabric.

I don't press seams, as some of the thread I have is man made fibre, which can be melted by the high heat. I use mostly cotton, but over the years the polyester has crept in when I needed to match a colour.

I prefer cotton threads, which are weaker than the fabric so that I can rip out seams easily, and if the kilt gets snagged the stitches give not the fabric.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Kronjin]

Thank you for all the replies! Definitely learning quite a few things to incorporate into my next one. Speaking of thread, that actually makes a lot of sense to use cotton thread. I think when I started, I approached this from a very "guy" perspective... bigger is better. And used poly/cotton button weight thread. I've had to rip out 3 seams so far, and it was no easy task. I can see what you mean about a snag ripping the cloth instead of the seam. This stuff is strong!
Also, from the beginning I've been ironing the heck out of this thing and can definitely start to see shiny marks on it already. Hopefully after washing (and pressing properly) it will look correct.
I really like the idea of a thin cloth wrapped board to slip under the pleats.

[Pleater]

I do attach the leather buckle tab and strap using an antique silk button thread, and cut them off when I wash the kilt so as to preserve the finish of the leather.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Kronjin]

nearly done! just putting on belt loops and a button for the under apron. I really want to do snaps instead of velcro for the over apron, but have no clue how... going to do some quick reading, then off to the store to get whatever I need to make it work.

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[Kronjin]

Its done!! I'm sure I'll try modifying it and adding snaps or pockets. But for now.... its wearable!!

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[Tarheel]

As predicted from my first post, your lad likes his kilt. Good job. Now if there was a way to keep him at that age.

[Alan H]

Nice. Don't stress over little stuff. This is an X-Kilt, not a work of art. It won't disappear in a puff of dust if you happen to move an iron over the cloth, etc. etc.

You've learned something valuable, which is that 80% of the cost of a retail-sold kilt is labor. WIN. If you want to put on snaps instead of velcro, then you have the right idea. Stare at it for a while and figure out how to do it. Superb.

[Elf]

Congratulations. Looks great on him. Keep up the good work. Thank you again for the process photos.