Question regarding a small kilt.

[Arnot]

I have been asked to make a kilt for a 4 year-old. I'll be able to it, but I just wanted to ask if there is anything that I should do differently. Maybe a special trick for a tiny kilt like this. Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

[Barb T]

Hi Arnot,

A kilt for a tyke that size stitches up really fast, because it has an itty bitty little fell. But honestly, when I've made them, I've made them the same way as for an adult. Just make it a couple inches too big, and put a hem in it so that you can move the buckles and let the hem out when the child grows. Highland Xpress has small buckles (https://www.shophighlandxpress.com/buckles-and-straps, but get the 1" ones, rather than the 3/4" ones, which have cheap-feeling buckles. Put only one buckle on at the fringe edge, rather than two.

If you have a choice, you might consider making it out of PV, because it's totally washable. Marton Mills has a vast selection of real tartan in PV https://martonmills.com/product-cate...yester-blends/

This handsome young gent is six years old and on his fourth (fifth?) kilt. I've lost track. This is his first wool kilt.

[Arnot]

Hi Arnot,

A kilt for a tyke that size stitches up really fast, because it has an itty bitty little fell. But honestly, when I've made them, I've made them the same way as for an adult. Just make it a couple inches too big, and put a hem in it so that you can move the buckles and let the hem out when the child grows. Highland Xpress has small buckles (https://www.shophighlandxpress.com/buckles-and-straps, but get the 1" ones, rather than the 3/4" ones, which have cheap-feeling buckles. Put only one buckle on at the fringe edge, rather than two.

If you have a choice, you might consider making it out of PV, because it's totally washable. Marton Mills has a vast selection of real tartan in PV https://martonmills.com/product-cate...yester-blends/

This handsome young gent is six years old and on his fourth (fifth?) kilt. I've lost track. This is his first wool kilt.

Hi Barb. Many thanks for your reply and sharing your knowledge with me yet again.

If I may ask one additional question, about how much tartan would suggest for a kilt for a 4 year-old with 23½ inch hips? I don't want to go overboard, but I don't want to get too little either. Again, any insight will be greatly appreciated.

[Barb T]

About how much tartan would suggest for a kilt for a 4 year-old with 23½ inch hips?

If you intend to pleat to the stripe or sett (as opposed to cheating the pleats or just pleating higgledy piggledy), you'll only be able to get one pleat per sett if you pleat to the stripe, and fewer than that if you pleat to the sett. If you have regular tartan with a sett of 6-8", it takes a surprising amount of tartan for a little kilt. If you want regular size pleats (3/4-7/8"), like the ones in the pic in my post, it's going to take 5 yards (i.e., 2.5 yards double width). If you want fewer, larger pleats, you could get away with 4.5 yards or less. But it is surprising how much tartan it takes. The other choice is to pick a tartan with a smaller sett, of course.

Overall, my feeling is that, if you're going to go to all the work of making a real kilt for a child, you might as well make it look like its big cousin!

[Arnot]

If you intend to pleat to the stripe or sett (as opposed to cheating the pleats or just pleating higgledy piggledy), you'll only be able to get one pleat per sett if you pleat to the stripe, and fewer than that if you pleat to the sett. If you have regular tartan with a sett of 6-8", it takes a surprising amount of tartan for a little kilt. If you want regular size pleats (3/4-7/8"), like the ones in the pic in my post, it's going to take 5 yards (i.e., 2.5 yards double width). If you want fewer, larger pleats, you could get away with 4.5 yards or less. But it is surprising how much tartan it takes. The other choice is to pick a tartan with a smaller sett, of course.

Overall, my feeling is that, if you're going to go to all the work of making a real kilt for a child, you might as well make it look like its big cousin!

It appears I was in the ballpark then. Many thanks for all of your help. Very much appreciated.

[Barb T]

It appears I was in the ballpark then. Many thanks for all of your help. Very much appreciated.

Be sure to post a pic!

[Arnot]

Be sure to post a pic!

Hi Barb. I'll be starting the little kilt in the next couple days. I realized that I have another question. Do you have a rule of thumb for the rise for a child's kilt? I thought that 2 inches might be too much for the little guy. Any information you can share will be greatly appreciated.

[Barb T]

Yep - I agree. 2" is too much. I typically put only a 1" rise on a little kid's kilt. Their belts are narrower as well, so it's fine.

[Arnot]

Yep - I agree. 2" is too much. I typically put only a 1" rise on a little kid's kilt. Their belts are narrower as well, so it's fine.

Excellent! Thank you.