My first kilt begins!

**H. Hastings** · 1st January 17, 08:50 AM

Originally Posted by Barb T

Yeh, I think you won't be happy with it .....

The Kilt Kamp Mantra!!!!

**Michael A** · 1st January 17, 09:50 PM

Thanks everyone. I presume nobody has complained about a pressure area from an internal buckle?

**Barb T** · 2nd January 17, 06:22 AM

The buckle is not actually on the inside of the kilt - it is on the outside of the left side of the underapron. The strap is on the inside of the kilt essentially where the buttonhole would be. So there is nothing on the inside that is actually against your body.

In all the time I've been making box pleated kilts (where I always use an internal buckle and strap), I've only ever had one person say they didn't like it. This person claimed that it dug into the top of his hip bone. Honestly? If you're wearing your kilt where it supposed to be worn (i.e., with the center of the buckle at your true waist and the rise of the kilt 2" above that), the buckle shouldn't be anywhere near the top of your hip bone.

I've made a couple kilts for my daughter and me (box pleat and Kingussie), and they ride a couple inches below true waist (http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...t-woman-75461/), and they have internal buckles for the underapron. Neither of us has found that they are even noticeable.

**Michael A** · 4th January 17, 04:32 PM

I'm having trouble keeping the pleats straight. I measure, I squash down, I pin. I have tried pinning both close and a few mm from the edge, but whatever I do, I still end up with a few wavy bits. Despite pinning, I still stretch it out (with the edge under my right thigh per the book) and try to keep it straight as I stitch, to not much avail.

I also noticed that it is deceptive how much a measured pleat can bulge out when stitched even with pinning, such that I ended up 9mm out at the waist after 15 pleats, so I sewed the next two narrower than calculated at the waist (but the same at the fell) to gather it in a bit at small of my back, so I don't end up making it too big at the waist (and those smaller pleats will be hidden by the belt or waistcoat anyway).

I am thinking that because I am pleating to a horizontal stripe that I don't notice until after quite a few stitches.

Any further suggestions would be most welcome.