Accomidating a very ample backside :)

[LordDamax]

A friend (female) of mine who really likes what I've done with my own kilts wants me to make her a 'girl version' of one. So I'm gonna give it a shot with some very lightweight wool I got for an amazing price (it's too light for a kilt for myself I think, it's like 8-9oz wool).

She's not a big girl, but she has a VERY ample backside and hips. We're talking like a 48" hip measurement and a (if memory serves) 34" waist measurement.

The correct length from the front would be 18"... but if I do 18" in the back, won't it pull up exposing her rear?

My first thought is that the taper at the waist would take care of it, but then it would be very low in the back... right?

I guess my question is, if you take correct waist/hip measurements, and taper the 'kilt' correctly, can you use the same length all around without a problem? Even if the person's backside is very prominent?

[Barb T]

Ummm, well, you're exactly right that a very ample backside does pull the kilt up in the back. We have a couple members of our band with exactly that problem, and their kilts don't hang very well. On the other hand, you can't really make a kilt the way a kilt is supposed to be made without having the bottom of the kilt along a single line in the tartan, so it's not as simple as putting less hem in the back (as it would be with a skirt).

So, if I were going to experiment, I would make sure that the bottom of the kilt lay along a single line in the tartan, and I might try cutting the top higher in the back. You'd need a comparative measurement of length straight down the front and then down the back over the curve of the buttocks. You'd stitch the fell down farther the extra distance. It think it would be worth a try, but I can't guarantee that it would either work or look good. You'd certainly need to wear something to cover up the oddness of the tartan in the back not having stripes parallel to the top of the kilt.

Basically, the trouble arises from the fact that kilts are constructed to be worn by men who are in good shape and have straight bodies. Lots of women are too curvy to look good in a traditionally-constructed kilt, and, if truth be told, a guy with a bit of a corporation doesn't look as good in a kilt as a young captain in the British Special Forces!

Cheers,

Barb

[LordDamax]

I solve the problem on myself by having nearly no backside whatsoever ;)

I think I'll try the 'higher in the back at the waistline' thing. I'd like to make her something she'll wear... not something she cant wear in public without being arrested for indecent exposure

[The Wizard of BC]

If I can give you a hint from the Contemporary side of the house.

I "slope" all my waistbands. That is because my kilts are designed to be worn at, or a couple of inches below the navel. If you look at pair of jeans from the side you will see that the back can be significatly higher than the front.

Try this.

Make the kilt about two inches longer than your drop measurments. When you get the fell tapers and aprons sewn down, wrap the kilt around your friend. Then take a nice wide belt and have her put on the belt so the top of it is at the point wgere the kilts waistband will be.

Check to see that the hem is horizontal with a yardstick all the way around.

Now take you tailors chalk and mark the kilt right at the top of the belt.

Have her remove the kilt and lay it out on your lay-out table. Duplicate the tapered chalk line from the outer apron to the inner apron.

The chalk line should look like a long sine wave, or double "S" curve.

That is where you attach the waistband. Cut the sloped waist just as you would for a straight one.

I have successfully made kilts with a 4 inch differance between the front and back.

I hope this helps.

[Barb T]

Steve

I can visualize exactly what you're saying, but, even if your kilts ride at the waist, don't you have to make some decisions ahead of time about the taper vs. the pleat length?? If you taper the pleats from the bottom of the fell to the top (which is 2" longer than the measurement), and you cut off an inch, the back will be a different dimension across the top than it would be if you cut off only a half inch across the top (because the pleats taper). Help!

Barb

[The Wizard of BC]

Barb,

You are correct. I knew you would be the one to pick up on that.

If I have a "Gentleman of substance" order a kilt I do a additional quick check when measuring. I call it 'the slope'.

I do all my measurments with a long yardstick and simply put it in the back, record the height, and in the front and record the height. the differance is the slope.

And because I topstitch the 'out pleats' and 'in pleats' before tapering, I can lay out the kilt on the table and draw a rough slope line which I then use as a guide when tapering.

I double check my waist measurments when half of the tapering is done and again just before sewing down the apron edges.

The last sizing check is when sewing down the aprons. If my tapering is off slightly I can adjust on each apron, but this error is usually no more than 1/4" inch. Which means moving each apron closer or further by 1/8". I can live with that.

I'll try to take some photos today and post them so you can better understand.

See, Barb, this is why I want to write the book. I have trouble explaining without pictures and lengthly text. typing in these little boxes just doesn't work for me.

[LordDamax]

Please do I'd love to see exactly what you mean. I get the jist of it... but without pictures, it's hard to, well, picture

[The Wizard of BC]

A bit of clarification,,,,,,,

My last post reads like $*^#

What i was trying to say was---

If you know what the waist measurment is and you know what the hip measurment is, it doesn't matter very much that the pleats in the back are tapered over a longer distance than those on the sides.

To do a quick lay-out check, hand pleat and pin your fabric on your lay-out table. Pin at the hip and also at the top of the taper. Then draw your slope line with chalk.

Now you can adjust the taper so that the measurments at the slope line will be correct for the waist. This will also give you a chance to see how the pattern of the stripes will change and require extra care to get them even, on each side of center.

I assume you will not be trying to create a full hand-sewn kilt. And I assume you are not using Barb's method of pleating and tapering one pleat at a time.
Because this may be one time when laying out all the pleats first is preferable.

[Alan H]

I'm learning a lot from this thread, Barb and Steve and Damax....thanks.

[The Wizard of BC]

OK, I promised photos:

Here is the slope layed out, ready for marking.
This kilt has only 1 1/2" differance between front and back.
But you can see the gentle "S" curve.
The flexible thingy is a piece of formica.