If sydnie7 can do it, so can I: the rev K

[Alan H]

So yesterday I washed the black bull denim that I bought last week and got going on the solid black kilt that I've been missing from my "kollection" ever since I sold my old (very old) solid black Stillwater Standard.. It's a full-width apron, 6 yard, reverse kinguisse kilt with 20, 5.5 inch deep pleats and 1.25 inch pleat reveals. What got me going was seeing the solid black NeoKilt that one of the judges was wearing at Pleasanton.

I used a lot of X-Kilt techniques like drawing out the pleats straight on the material with chalk. No kilt of mine is ever done exactly according to the book, I ALWAYS experiment with something and this kilt is no exception. After looking very closely at a couple of Freedom kilts on Friday night, I had an idea about offsetting the pleat tapers above the fell. I did it to the left side of the back of the kilt first, and lo and behold....no "fell tilt". Of course I then went and put in the "fell tilt" adjustment on the WRONG SIDE of the pleats on the right side of the kilt, thereby doubling both the tilt and the stairstep effect at the fell so I have to rip out 10 pleats, but that's what whisky is for.

I am considering putting in a killer-diller waistband like Steve Ashton does on the Freedom kilts, but Steve has killer-diller industrial machines that laugh at any fabric and Joans little Husquevarna kind of doesn't. So we will see.. I will definitely put in an under-apron pocket.

Oh, and there will be a surprise finishing touch on this kilt, courtesy of the Kilted Kurmudgeon, but............ you'll see. . Black kilts don't photograph well on the table, and besides Joan has the digital camera, so no pic's until it's done.

[werewolves]

Sounds like a really awesome kilt. Can't wait to see the pics.

[ardchoille]

Sounds interesting. What exactly is "kingussie"? Is it just a different pleating arrangement or is there more to a kingussie kilt than that?

[Alan H]

Sounds interesting. What exactly is "kingussie"? Is it just a different pleating arrangement or is there more to a kingussie kilt than that?

Well, to oversimplify.... a Utilikilt is sort of a reverse kinguisse.

In a "regular" kilt the pleats all point the same direction, all the way round yer backside until they end in one reverse pleat on the far right side. On the left side of your body the pleats "point" to the back, but on the right side of your body they "point" to the front.

In a kinguisse kilt the pleats point "to the back" from both sides, and meet in the middle of your rumpus. In other words, the pleats on the left side of your body are exactly the same as a "regular" kilt, but the pleats on the RIGHT side of your body at aligned in the opposite direction from a "regular kilt" and they "point" backwards.

downside to this.....you must plan ahead of time where the center of the kilt will be and you don't have a lot of wiggle room here. When you use plain material, it doesn't matter if you're off a bit, and since there's no sett, you can make your pleat depths whatever you want to fit the amount of material you have. Basically what I did was just decide that the seam where I joined the two three-yard pieces of material was going to be the "center of the back" 'and that seam lies right in the middle of the centerline box pleat that all kinguisse kilt have.

Upside to this is that it's easy to lay out half the pleats at a time, which is kind of handy on the sewing machine.

The difference between a kinguisse and a reverse kinguisse is that in the reverse k, the flat part of the rear-centerline box-pleat is on the INSIDE of the kilt, and in a regular k, it's on the OUTSIDE.

Oh, the other two kicks in the kilt to get me going on this project were seeing way2fractious's "Pink Death" camo kilt, which he pleated up as a reverse K, and seeing WalkerK and the Amazing Madalyns young nephew looking sharp in his solid color black kilt.

[ardchoille]

Well, to oversimplify.... a Utilikilt is sort of a reverse kinguisse.

In a "regular" kilt the pleats all point the same direction, all the way round yer backside until they end in one reverse pleat on the far right side. On the left side of your body the pleats "point" to the back, but on the right side of your body they "point" to the front.

In a kinguisse kilt the pleats point "to the back" from both sides, and meet in the middle of your rumpus. In other words, the pleats on the left side of your body are exactly the same as a "regular" kilt, but the pleats on the RIGHT side of your body at aligned in the opposite direction from a "regular kilt" and they "point" backwards.

downside to this.....you must plan ahead of time where the center of the kilt will be and you don't have a lot of wiggle room here. When you use plain material, it doesn't matter if you're off a bit, and since there's no sett, you can make your pleat depths whatever you want to fit the amount of material you have. Basically what I did was just decide that the seam where I joined the two three-yard pieces of material was going to be the "center of the back" 'and that seam lies right in the middle of the centerline box pleat that all kinguisse kilt have.

Upside to this is that it's easy to lay out half the pleats at a time, which is kind of handy on the sewing machine.

The difference between a kinguisse and a reverse kinguisse is that in the reverse k, the flat part of the rear-centerline box-pleat is on the INSIDE of the kilt, and in a regular k, it's on the OUTSIDE.

Oh, the other two kicks in the kilt to get me going on this project were seeing way2fractious's "Pink Death" camo kilt, which he pleated up as a reverse K, and seeing WalkerK and the Amazing Madalyns young nephew looking sharp in his solid color black kilt.

Wonderful explanation, thank you. Wow, just imagining your explanation, that is going to look quite nice!

[Alan H]

BTW, this jury is still out on whether I like bull denim for kilts, or not. It doesn't have as much structure as I thought it was going to have, but we shall see.

I hemmed this one, BTW.

[sydnie7]

[snip] After looking very closely at a couple of Freedom kilts on Friday night, I had an idea about offsetting the pleat tapers above the fell. I did it to the left side of the back of the kilt first, and lo and behold....no "fell tilt". [snip]

You've lost me there (and I just finished an RK -- but I also just finished a Bass, so bear with me). More words concerning this, please??

[Tartan Hiker]

Alan,
When I was talking to Steve at the KiltKamp in Franklin, I was lamenting about my weak machine not being able to punch through multiple layers of poly/cotton. He told me to stop using sharp needles and try size 18 or 20 ball-points. I haven't tried it yet but i intend to pick some up when I next get the chance.

[Alan H]

It's done. I was up until 3:30 AM finishing it up. Well....I still have to put the little gift from the Kilted Kurmudgeon on it. But otherwise, it's done....washed and ironed this AM. It's still drying out a bit in the garage, as the fell is pretty thick.

A 6-yard bull denim kilt has some heft to it. This is by FAR the most substantial casual kilt I've ever made. It looks pretty good if I do say so, myself. We'll see how the under-apron pocket works out, I made a biggish one, with no top flap.. Pics this weekend.

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

...snip... but that's what whisky is for.

...snip...

You've just summed up the entire kilt making experience in one (partial sentence)!

Be well,

Star