Am I on the Right Track for Kiltmaking?

[Alan H]

Couple of things.... I would not worry about making a kilt that fits within a fraction of an inch. Last time I checked, peoples shapes change. I know that mine has. If all kilts MUST fit within a fraction of an inch, then mine all stink because I've been lifting weights a lot and my my rumpus and thighs are bigger than they used to be.

If I lose weight, my waist will shrink. The truth is that if someone retains water for a couple of days, their measurements can change by half an inch, even an inch in some cases. So absolutely you should strive to make the kilt fit as best you can, but if it's half an inch off...well....that's what the straps are for.

Secondly, this is not Religion. I'm a big fan of a book on boatbuilding, called the Backyard Boatbuilder, by a curmudgeonly guy by the name of George Buehler. Now, in the boatbuilding world, there's a type of boatbuilder who will sand off six layers of varnish, negating 30 or more hours of work if one single flyspeck imperfection is noticed. Every single joint must be utterly perfect. These guys will take fifteen measurements and cut multiple bevels and use a spokeshave to get every single join *Perfect* in a complex piece of wood. George Buehler says it this way..... "It's a BOAT, not a SHRINE". I note that the president of Nexus Marine says that "the boat school guys drive me insane". Why go through all that when you can take a piece of wood, eyeball it, cut a few cuts and get it right on the belt sander?

The exact same philosophy applies here.

It's a KILT, not a SHRINE. Do your best job, don't be sloppy, don't rush it, but stop far, far short of emotional trauma over whether or not it is PERFECT. If it takes you a hundred hours (seriously) then something is *wrong*. My first hand-sewn kilt, which was far from perfect, took me 47 hours of sewing, most of it by hand. My only wish is that a.) I had done the reinforcing in the cut-out pleats differently....but I could re-do it at any time...and b.) that I had not machine-sewn the far right edge of the over-apron by the fringe the way I did. I now know a trick to machine sewing that down so that it doesn't show (stitch in the ditch) but I didn't know that, then. I could go back and rip it out, but I notice that I haven't bothered.

I will also let you know that as you progress, it will get easier. You first kilt will not be as good as your fifth. So don't flip out. BTW I wore my first hand-sewn kilt, complete with flaws, yesterday. It looks fine....or at least the woman at the checkout stand at the grocery store who flirted with me seemed to think.

BTW, I use pins to hold my pleats in place while I sew them and I have yet to have anybody come up to me and comment that my pleats are puckered. If you don't need to use pins, then more power to ya....forge ahead. Who needs pins? However, if you need to use pins to get your pleats aligned, then use 'em and just remember to pull them out when you're done with the pleat.

[Alan H]

One other thing....there seems to be a feeling that there is ONE WAY to make a kilt and everything else is somehow "wrong".

I would like to suggest that in fact that is not true...that kiltmaking produces a few significant sewing and fabric and design problems, and within certain limitations.....

... there's more than one way to skin that cat.

[ChattanCat]

One of the things that I always disliked about make a kilt is the top band not matching up with the under-apron. I did have one kilt (one out of 50, or 2%) where I was able to match the top band on the over and under apron. To have this occur, one must have the pleats at the top of the kilt be a multiple of the sett. Ah, to have the under-apron match with the top band is, for me, nirvana.

Cheers and kilt on,

[Barb T]

One of the things that I always disliked about make a kilt is the top band not matching up with the under-apron. I did have one kilt (one out of 50, or 2%) where I was able to match the top band on the over and under apron. To have this occur, one must have the pleats at the top of the kilt be a multiple of the sett. Ah, to have the under-apron match with the top band is, for me, nirvana.

Cheers and kilt on,

But, Wally, methinks that's because you are an engineer at heart and in fact. But, frankly, even though it would bug your sense of perfection and proportion, not even a lack of alignment in the apron is likely to show if someone is wearing a belt properly!!

Having said, that, the underapron thing bugs me too - hee hee - so it's not just engineers but scientists, too ;)

Of all the kilts I've made, only a few have had the pleats just right to have the underapron match the top band as well. How fabulous is it that one of those kilts was Matt Newsome's kilt?? He's one of the only people who would have actually realized how cool that was....

[Paul Henry]

But, Wally, methinks that's because you are an engineer at heart and in fact. But, frankly, even though it would bug your sense of perfection and proportion, not even a lack of alignment in the apron is likely to show if someone is wearing a belt properly!!

Having said, that, the underapron thing bugs me too - hee hee - so it's not just engineers but scientists, too ;)

Of all the kilts I've made, only a few have had the pleats just right to have the underapron match the top band as well. How fabulous is it that one of those kilts was Matt Newsome's kilt?? He's one of the only people who would have actually realized how cool that was....

off the original topic , but following on from Barb and Wally's posts...
today I was attaching the waistband on the kilt currently on my work table, and guess what I saw.....
So it happens, not just to scientists and engineers!
Sorry it's not a better picture

[Calico]

The first step was to get help by signing up for Elsie's Kilt Boot Camp. The second step was to listen to Elsie, and buy 4 yards of doublewide high-quality tartan cloth from Strathmore so I wouldn't self-defeat my chances of producing a good kilt.

More info please!

Blandford Imports is offering her class in April but I could not find info on a Feb. class. Sold out already?

Thanks

(edit to add: paulhenry, you were lucky this time... don't expect it to happen again! (good job!))

[Tartan Tess]

The Feb. class is closed because it is being held at Elsie's house and she wanted to keep it really small.