charming the lasses: a quick tartan skirt

**Alan H** · 20th February 07, 09:49 PM

Well, I'd a notion to turn the heads of some of the lasses at beer and kilts night, and also a notion to make a couple of tartan skirts. The Luminous Joan has NO interest in a tartan skirt (though she has one) so I measured the F-H.C.A.G., Lora the heartthrob, girlfriend Jamie and Tim C's Damaris at the last Beer and Kilts night. I picked up 6 meters of 10 ounce wool/poly Lindsay tartan from Fraser and Kirkbright and am in the process of making four quick tartan skirts....Two of these will be rather mini (including the one for the F-H.C.A.G, who has long legs, making her 16-inch skirt rather shortish), one will be a waist-high, and the third more "moderate". Two will be hip-huggers, one at the waist and one that will split the diffrerence.

I assumed that the Lindsay tartan was about 4.5 inch sett, since the other two fabrics I've bought from Fraser and Kirkbright had setts around that size, so I figured out about how much I'd need by assuming that sett size. Well, I unfolded it today and HELLO...it's s 7.25 inch sett! Aaack...so instead of 15 pleats, girlfriend Jamie is getting an 11-pleat skirt. The F-H.C.A.G. I think is gonna have a ten-pleat skirt, though maybe I can make it an 11 or 12-pleat and just make the pleats smaller.. I'll do those two first, hopefully in time by the March Beer and Kilts Night.

My intent is not a real killer-deal woo-hoo traditional Kilt Skirt but a flirty, casual skirt, sort of like the SportKilt skirts, but nicer (and no elastic), and banged out quickly. I'll let the lasses give the report next month.

Wow, that Lindsay Tartan is nice. I wish I had enough for a kilt for me, but while the leftover is 6 meters long, it's only 22 inches wide, and no selvedge. That'll make a 18-19-inch-long kilt...or a KILLER pleated skirt out of the remainder.

**McMurdo** · 21st February 07, 06:02 AM

my vote for the remainder of the Lindsay Tartan is KILLER pleated skirt, I for one do not need to see you in a 18" long kilt.

**Panache** · 21st February 07, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by McMurdo

...I for one do not need to see you in a 18" long kilt.

Alan H. in an 18" kilt?

Cheers

Panache

**Colin** · 21st February 07, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by Panache

Alan H. in an 18" kilt?

Cheers

Panache

That's a whole other web forum Panache

Alan, how about a kid's kilt and a killer pleated skirt? I am sure someone here would take you up on it.

**Alan H** · 21st February 07, 10:48 AM

Well, I don't want to go on record as offering my services to X-Markers for $$$, you know? I'm not interested in competing with our good site vendors.

girlfriend Jamie is the barmaid at the Brewery, and a real sweetheart she is, but she'd never buy a tartan skirt. So if I make one for her, I'm not robbing anybody of business. Ditto for Lora the heartthrob. Damaris has a SportKilt Black Watch skirt, but as far as I know that's the only tartan skirt she owns and she's shown no inclination to rush out and buy more. The F-H.C.A.G owns a nifty loud MacLeod miniskirt from sportkilt, but I think she's likely to stitch up her own, now, rather than buy more. So once again I'm not stealing a sale from one of our vendors.

BTW, these are all approximately 3-yard skirts.

If this tartan were MacNaughton I'd just make a killer pleated skirt for the Luminous Joan, and then she'd have it for the unspeakably rare occasion when she might possibly wear it............but it's not.

I think what I might do is make a nice 5-yard skirt and a Lindsay vest for Kathy and Lisa, the other two members of my band that played at Burns Night so that they have something to wear at our Celtic gigs.

**Alan H** · 21st February 07, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by McMurdo

my vote for the remainder of the Lindsay Tartan is KILLER pleated skirt, I for one do not need to see you in a 18" long kilt.

Oh, I NEED an 18 inch kilt to wear at the Games when I throw.

Of course, everyone else will throw as well..or rather, "hurl".

**Dirka Skene** · 21st February 07, 12:21 PM

Ooooohhhh! I can't wait to see them. I've been dying for another mini-kilt. Maybe I could remedy your delimma of what to do with the remainder!

**Fearnest** · 21st February 07, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by Alan H

Oh, I NEED an 18 inch kilt to wear at the Games when I throw.

Of course, everyone else will throw as well..or rather, "hurl".

Aye, I'm beginning to feel a hurl coming on...

(Thanks, Dread!)

**Alan H** · 21st February 07, 11:51 PM

I finished Girlfriend Jamie's skirt tonight. OK, well...I'm gonna rip out one more pleat and re-do it and then take out a line of stitching I put in on the free edge of the over-apron, but aside from that it's done. 4, maybe 4.5 hours including cutting-out time. The re-do and rip out will take me maybe 45 minutes. I mean, the fell on this thing, since it's a hip-hugger, is only 6 inches. It goes fast.

It's pleated to stripe such that the backside is wine-red with the darker red stripes centered. The F-H.C.A.G says she wants hers pleated to something in the green area, to go nicely with her red hair. Can Do!

LORD, an 11-pleat machine-sewn miniskirt is a LOT less work than a 31 pleat handsewn kilt. Guys, after you've made an X-Kilt, make a kilt skirt for your lady. It's painless.