Hemming a kilt....

[csbdr]

csbdr,

I sincerely apologize if I offended or upset you. That is never my intent. I am sorry.

I saw that you had bought the Kilt off ebay in one thread and then in almost the next thread saw you asking for help to alter it.

The price you paid was almost that for which you could have had a custom made Kilt and it seemed to be an impulse buy of something that does not even fit.

Then, without even trying the Kilt on you were asking about hemming. I just thought that you should first wait for the Kilt to arrive and then see if it indeed needed to be hemmed.

When you get the Kilt please post some pictures of you wearing it and we will all help as much as we can. But until we see some pictures we are just guessing. With luck you will find that it fits perfectly.

Again, I am very sorry for sounding flippant.

Hi steve! I really wanted to apologise again. That was totally my bad. I was stressed and not in a great mood. I am usually not one to impulsively throw off posts like that, and I feel really bad about it. Thanks for the return apology, but it wasn't needed. You did nothing wrong and were just trying to help out, not having any idea what I already know or don't know. I'll post some pics when I get it, and look forward to your input. Thanks and sorry again! Chris

[Dixiecat]

Actual picture of the catch stitch.

Terminology for hand stitches really varies. It depends on region, generation and family lore. For the above stitch, some say herringbone, some say catch stitch, some might even say blind-hem (but they'd be wrong). To me herringbone is the embroidery stitch (actually an elongated cross stitch) and the catch stitch is the hemming stitch. They're all the same really, just the use of the stitch is different. I'm just glad Barb used pictures in her book to keep things clear!

Check this link out to see what this person says the stitches are:
http://www.sewing.org/html/el_handstittch.html

[Barb T]

http://www.sewing.org/html/el_handstittch.html

The only difference between this one and the one that I use is that, for the upper stitch, I don't stitch through both thickness of fabric, only through one (i.e., it is over the edge of the folded piece, not *in* the folded piece).

[ChattanCat]

The only difference between this one and the one that I use is that, for the upper stitch, I don't stitch through both thickness of fabric, only through one (i.e., it is over the edge of the folded piece, not *in* the folded piece).

If the herringbone stitch is done correctly, no one will know it is hemmed. I even took a hemmed kilt that was partially completed, no lining, belts, or buckles, and showed it around at a St Andrews meeting. No one even noticed that it was hemmed until I asked if they could tell it was hemmed. It really works well.
Good luck,

[Barb T]

If the herringbone stitch is done correctly, no one will know it is hemmed. I even took a hemmed kilt that was partially completed, no lining, belts, or buckles, and showed it around at a St Andrews meeting. No one even noticed that it was hemmed until I asked if they could tell it was hemmed. It really works well.
Good luck,

True - we have 16 oz band kilts for our younger band members that are hemmed, and you can't tell the difference.

[Dixiecat]

The only difference between this one and the one that I use is that, for the upper stitch, I don't stitch through both thickness of fabric, only through one (i.e., it is over the edge of the folded piece, not *in* the folded piece).

The upper stitch in my picture is not taken through both layers. It's actually in the garment fabric. It looks that way as the fabric is fairly light and that the stitch is taken very close to the upper edge of the hem. Taking the upper stitch through both layers is definitely not catch stitching.

Here's a video showing how to catch stitch:
http://www.monkeysee.com/play/2150-s...e-catch-stitch