Was "The Hand-Crafted Contemporary Kilt" ever made available?

[User]

I'm preparing to try my hand at sewing a kilt.
After reading the theory behind "The Hand-Crafted Contemporary Kilt", I know it's EXACTLY what I want.
But in my efforts to locate where to purchase it, I found what appears to be a post marking its cancellation:
https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/...04#post1392004

Mr. Ashton, is there anything I can do to convince you to sell a digital copy, if you won't be publishing it?
I would LOVE to make a kilt with "The DFF&P difference":
https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/...ry-kilt-92842/

If you're firm in your decision not to sell "The Hand-Crafted Contemporary Kilt", then I'll scour through your posts and try to piece together what I can about your methods.
But without the benefit of your experience, insight, and guidance, I know my results will be inferior to what you've come up with.

I can look at a piece of cloth and decide where to put reinforcement, where to add pockets, etc. But I don't know how the finished product will hang. I don't know how pockets will react when loaded with stuff. Maybe they'll bulge out and look unsightly, or be difficult to use, or bounce around when I'm walking. I don't know how stress is applied to a kilt. I haven't seen numerous kilts after years of wear to ascertain weaknesses in kilt designs and how to strengthen them. I don't know how a third hidden strap is placed to obviate the need of a hole in the kilt. But you understand all of these things, and more that I wouldn't even know to ask about.

To know that a master artisan has solved all of the problems I'll face, but that his knowledge is just out of reach is awful.
Obviously, the decision lies with you, and I'll respect whatever you choose. But if there's anything I can do to change your mind, please let me know.

[Steve Ashton]

It's not that I won't sell you a digital copy, it is that I can't.
Just as there was never a published copy I no longer have a digital copy.
That was all so many years ago and so many bad feelings. I took the abuse of the "Traditionalists" for as long as I could.
In the end I just said, "OK, you win." And walked away.

They say that "anger is just sadness that has lived in your soul for too long", and that is where I was at when I closed my shop.
I had three of my own kilts in the works and they have been sitting in a storage bin untouched since.

In the last few years I have had three knee surgeries. My activity level has gone in the toilet causing my weight to peak at the highest it has ever been in my life. I can't fit in my kilts anymore.

In the mean time I have written and published a book on a totally different subject and I'm really proud of it.



I've moved on and don't suffer from "bitter old man" syndrome anymore.

[User]

That's disappointing to hear. But if the book has been destroyed, then that's that.
I apologize for dredging up bad memories.
More importantly, I'm glad to hear you were able to leave negative experiences in the past and publish a book on a subject that you seem quite passionate about.
You're a remarkable individual in many ways.

CSMs are fascinating machines. Because of you, I spent several hours learning about them.
I'd love to try my hand at them. But that will have to wait. They seem to have quite the learning curve, and I've got other projects already waiting in line.

Thank you kindly for responding to my request, and I hope your knees recover.

[Kitfoxdave]

Steve, congratulations on your book!
Sorry to hear your knees are acting up.
I had stem cell treatment on my knees in the end of August, and it has made a significant difference. I walk mostly without a walking stick until i get tired or in rough terrain... but they are improving every week now.

All the best on getting better!

[Steve Ashton]

I have a bit different thing with my knees. It is called PVNS or Pigmented Villonodular synovitis. It is basically a non cancerous growth or thickening of the thin layers of tissue that line to joints and tendons.

[Pleater]

If you want to build yourself a kilt, read up what you can and then make one - it can only go so totally wrong that you need to careful take the whole thing apart and start again. Once you have something wearable, wear it, and start planning another.

I am 'Pleater' not because of the folding of kilts but the making of English smocks, English civil war era garments with cartridge pleating and fanciful sci-fi (now called cosplay) outfits.

Taking an almost 2 dimensional fabric and working with it to create a covering for a 3 dimensional shape whilst adding in elements which don't even really exist can be quite an undertaking, but when it happens, there is a certain satisfaction nothing else seems to provide.

For a couple of months I have been eating a low carb diet - primarily to control type 2 diabetes, but it has had other consequences, such as altering my shape so I now require a whole new wardrobe. It has actually been very beneficial for my knees.

In another life I am a knitting machine user and engineer doing servicing and repairs, but for the flat bed domestic machines - I also inherited a tradition of hand knitting, crochet, patchwork and general creativity. I just made 32 ribbon bedecked 'wands' with assorted bells for morris dancing as I found myself engaged to teach a scout troupe the dance I was taught almost 70 years ago.
I even amuse myself writing fiction, having created a Britain where Scotland has the power, and no king was decapitated, so the English smock and corduroys is the quaint costume and kilts the everyday attire.

These things serve to keep the little grey cells active -

There are quite a few creative people on the forum, and on the internet in general, so do bounce ideas around - though if you discover something really innovative, do be sure to patent it first.

Anne the Pleater

[User]

If you want to build yourself a kilt, read up what you can and then make one - it can only go so totally wrong that you need to careful take the whole thing apart and start again.
...

That's true for a traditional kilt (prior to thinning the pleats at the fell). But I had my heart set on a contemporary kilt with pockets (the "P" in "DFF&P"). All of my below-the-waist garments with pockets have additional cuts made into the material to accommodate those pockets.

There are even additional cuts in the Sport Kilt, which I purchased to see how the pockets were implemented. I'm not thrilled with their design. The pockets are off center, extremely deep, not particularly ergonomic, the seams are beginning to tear apart with light use, and the apron is narrow. Maybe the depth is intentional, and done to preserve the look of the kilt when things are placed inside. Maybe being off center is due to the kilt not fitting me properly. Maybe the tearing is due to craftsmanship or materials, and the design is good. ... Or maybe it's a poor design that's being accepted because there's no competition in the contemporary-kilt-with-pockets market (utility kilts are a different beast).

The problem is, I just don't know. I don't have experience, or the insight that comes with experience. Out of necessity, I'll take a stab in the dark and see what I can come up with. But the loss of Mr. Ashton's book is a huge blow.

I've begun going through his posts for clues. He mentioned that the pockets remain unseen, even when loaded, and the contents don't bounce or swing when he walks. Those are both concerns I have, so it's nice to know they can be overcome. I just wish I knew the design details of how.

I fear Mr. Ashton's methods were ahead of his time, which is why he received negative feedback.

[Pleater]

Ah - @User, all those failures are probably down to not using the techniques gained by experience with dressmaking and too strong an obsession with looking different at the expense of practicality.

There might also be a wish to minimise the use of fabric which is all too common in the ready to wear garment industry.

I make reverse Kingussie type pleats, which are mirror imaged and point backwards so as not to catch on the branches in the heathland around here. I make deep under apron pleats, so if pockets are required I could hang them from the waistband inside that deep pleat and secure it to the inner layer of material, maybe adding a zipper to close it.

The deep under apron pleats ensure that if I step up onto an obstacle or go to climb over a gate or style, the aprons remain where they should and are not pulled to one side or lifted up. The width of the aprons is such that my knee opens that deep pleat. The deep pleats are half the apron width at the waist.

Anne the Pleater

[Kitfoxdave]

Robert Macdonald showed the pockets in a kilt he resized for a client...

https://youtu.be/AmKKMtkfgQo?feature=shared

Might be of some interest.

[User]

Ah - @User, all those failures are probably down to not using the techniques gained by experience with dressmaking and too strong an obsession with looking different at the expense of practicality.

There might also be a wish to minimise the use of fabric which is all too common in the ready to wear garment industry.

I make reverse Kingussie type pleats, which are mirror imaged and point backwards so as not to catch on the branches in the heathland around here. I make deep under apron pleats, so if pockets are required I could hang them from the waistband inside that deep pleat and secure it to the inner layer of material, maybe adding a zipper to close it.

The deep under apron pleats ensure that if I step up onto an obstacle or go to climb over a gate or style, the aprons remain where they should and are not pulled to one side or lifted up. The width of the aprons is such that my knee opens that deep pleat. The deep pleats are half the apron width at the waist.

Anne the Pleater

I was thinking about hiding the left pocket inside an extra deep pleat. It sounds like that's what you're describing. If so, that gives me hope I'm on the right track.
The Sport Kilt also hangs its pockets from the waistband, so if you suggest the same, it would seem wise for me to follow suit. Conceptually, that should prevent sagging, which is excellent. And hopefully, if the pockets aren't attached to the outer layer they won't affect the natural movement and appearance of the kilt.

On the right, I was thinking of hiding the pocket between the outer and inner apron. But, it sounds like you create a deep pleat on the inner apron side as well. Is that right?
Is that specifically because you're doing reverse Kingussie pleating, or do you think having the pocket between the outer and inner apron wouldn't work well?

The last thought I had was to use non-tartan material for the pockets. Perhaps a cotton polyester blend, like how jeans pockets are done. It would reduce cost, make the pockets a touch thinner, and hopefully not be seen. Would you mind sharing your thoughts on this?

Also, I'm curious how you feel the center pleat looks on reverse Kingussie pleating. Does it really stand out, or is it not very noticable unless you pay attention? It seems that often it alters the pattern visible on the pleats. But perhaps that's avoidable depending on the sett?

Robert Macdonald showed the pockets in a kilt he resized for a client...

https://youtu.be/AmKKMtkfgQo?feature=shared

Might be of some interest.

I've seen that video before, but I appreciate the rewatch.
I don't care very much for those pockets. If they're used inside the kilt, they'd be hard to access, and you couldn't put much in them without having a strange bulge under the kilt.
If they're used on the outside, then obviously they're extremely visible and, in my opinion, create a utility kilt look, which is not what I want at this time.
Still, they seem very simple to implement, require a minimal amount of material (if you're not concerned with matching the sett), and could prove helpful in a pinch.
I just feel that, if I'm going to make pockets, I'd rather have them be invisible and with maximum utility.