I just had a thought about making a kilt

[Howard Clark]

I second Matt's voice on good materials. MY effort are strictly amateur in nature compared to his, or Wally, or Barb, or anyone who had done a lot of kilts. But I have made a living making hand made things for twenty years, and it matters not what you are making. The better the raw materials, the better the end product.

The one really nice tartan kilt I have made is better, because I had some practice by then, but also because the material is much nicer. Since seeing the work of real kilt makers, however, my efforts are limited to work wear kilts, and when I go out in the world I wear one made by someone else.

[Bugbear]

Where is Buckminster Fuller when you need him!!
Is there some kind of reverse Laithwaite pleating effect that can be used on lighter weight fabrics?

Sometimes you just don't have high quality materiels to work with, or the budget to get them. Guess you do the best you can with what you have...

[ardchoille]

Where is Buckminster Fuller when you need him!!
Is there some kind of reverse Laithwaite pleating effect that can be used on lighter weight fabrics?

Sometimes you just don't have high quality materiels to work with, or the budget to get them. Guess you do the best you can with what you have...

I am thinking that rolled box pleats would work nicely in a lighter weight material.

[Howard Clark]

That might in fact work in a lighter weight material.

I was in no way criticizing "making do with what you have".

An old line from the past, which my parents sometimes recited. I use it on my kids sometimes too.

"Use it up and wear it out. Make it do, or do without". This extends to using the resources at hand for whatever the task may be.

My first six or seven kilt efforts were in cotton twill, or e-bay wool plaids that I could afford to use for practicing on.

[Bugbear]

I started a thread on rolled military box pleats for a canvas type material kilt a while back. I was just wanting to know if it was possible, but most of the thread was spent trying to explain
that I couldn't look at the pictures people were posting...

Baby wale corduroy sounds nice. No-wale corduroy like what came up in another thread might be nice too. I've heard the pleats need to be sewn in, though.

Hopefully, someone will come along and squish that idea before I think about it too much...

[Pleater]

I don't want to be disuade anyone from making a kilt, but I would really encourage the purchase of decent material for kilts, and wool rather than man made, simply so that the effort of making a kilt results in something which will last.

Buying a kilt to take apart seems to be rather adding to the work to do, and the kilt might have a join or flaw which was hidden in the original but is going to make your new design impractical, or less than perfect. If the pleats are pressed in it might not be possible to entirely erradicate the folds if the fibres have been melted into creases.

If an actual tartan material is not affordable, rather than sacrifice quality, perhaps an almost tartan, or even a plain fabric would be the better option?

Anne the Pleater

[Carolina Kiltman]

. . . Buying a kilt to take apart seems to be rather adding to the work to do, and the kilt might have a join or flaw which was hidden in the original but is going to make your new design impractical, or less than perfect. If the pleats are pressed in it might not be possible to entirely erradicate the folds if the fibres have been melted into creases.

If an actual tartan material is not affordable, rather than sacrifice quality, perhaps an almost tartan, or even a plain fabric would be the better option?

Anne the Pleater

Good point! I was going to suggest that he order one that was way too big in the waist, so there would be extra material to work with. Hadn't thought about the possibility of a permanent set to the fabric.

One of the local officials at the late Flora MacDonald games had an "almost" tartan, sort of like the "almost Armani suit that Harvey Baines wears on Waiting for God?

[The Wizard of BC]

I mean jeez guys, how cheap are you talking here?

I can order real Marton Mills Polyester/Viscous (Rayon) fabric by the yard and ship it worldwide for $24.00 per yard, double width or $96.00 per Kilt's worth.

Visit Marton Mills website to see which Tartans are available.

http://www.martonmills.com/range/5/list/3

A quick call to the my shop and you have one of the premier Kilt fabrics in a lighter weight. 12oz. per fabric yard. And it's machine washable. Virtually wrinkle free. And a pressed pleat is almost permanent.

[ardchoille]

I mean jeez guys, how cheap are you talking here?

I can order real Marton Mills Polyester/Viscous (Rayon) fabric by the yard and ship it worldwide for $24.00 per yard, double width or $96.00 per Kilt's worth.

Visit Marton Mills website to see which Tartans are available.

http://www.martonmills.com/range/5/list/3

A quick call to the my shop and you have one of the premier Kilt fabrics in a lighter weight. 12oz. per fabric yard. And it's machine washable. Virtually wrinkle free. And a pressed pleat is almost permanent.

Email sent

Oh, they have Scottish National.. that's in wish list too.

[Bugbear]

It seems like they added a few since I last looked... I see they still offer that MacMillan black fashion tartan. That Gray Granite's still there too... Bucky would be proud.