Modern kilts or camo kilts with lots of pleating?

[jkruger]

Hey all,
I have a bit of material for a camouflage kilt and I want to make it with a lot of pleats, like with about a half inch reveal and maybe 3 inches deep. Has anyone tried this with a non tartan fabric before? I wonder if, because there are so many that I wouldn't have to sew in the length of the pleats to keep them crisp.

[Good Egg]

Yes I've made one with British DPM. I made it as a 'standard kilt more or less as you say with 1 inch revealed and 3 inch hidden. I didn't sew the pleat in at the back and they work just fine. I did use wonder web on the pleat at the edge of the top apron and the next pleat along on both sides.

BTB I used a pocket of a pair of combat trousers as a 'sewn on sporran' and the waist adjusting tabs and buttons from the trousers instead of buckles.

[sydnie7]

A lot depends on your fabric content. Most of the camo I see is either 100% cotton or cotton/nylon 50/50. There's also some cotton/poly running around but less common in my experience.

Pleat life is very much a factor of fabric content. Trad wool knife or box pleats take a good hard steam pressing and hold that edge well. Cotton takes a nice edge but loses it easily, as well as wrinkling when you sit on the pleats (think about a cotton dress shirt). Cotton blends don't wrinkle as easily but they also don't take quite as crisp an edge when steam pressed.

If you're just going to stand or walk in your kilt, almost anything will look nice. It's the sitting that kills the deal. Edge-stitching the length of pleats, inside and out, helps non-wool fabrics hold that edge as you move through the day.

There are lots of camo kilts around, do a search here and you'll see a range of DIY results. Whatever you do, have fun!

[ccga3359]

I don't know if many pleats will help prevent wrinkling but I find with camouflage effect would be better with larger pleats.

[billmcc]

...I want to make it with a lot of pleats, like with about a half inch reveal and maybe 3 inches deep.

I think the half-inch of reveal will be a problem when the kilt is tapered at the top. Consider doing one inch of reveal.

[Pleater]

I am just ironing/pressing my 50 (yes fifty) pleat reverse kingussie kilt after washing it, and I can assure you that the smaller pleats do not guarentee crispness.

I don't sew the edges of the pleats, as a rule - and the one kilt I have tried that with requires redoing as the pleats roll outwards - perhaps the sewing shortens the edge.

I do wash my kilts a lot, as I get them dirty fast, but for the cotton ones I find that ironing and pressing using spray starch keeps them well enough for several days wear.

I find it easiest to have maybe 20 to 22 pleats, which means about an inch reveal at the waist. If you mark the hem where the folds should be for your hip measurement, both the outer and inner folds, it is easy to put pins in along the hem to hold the pleats. You need to be careful not to create a flare from waist to hip if you do not sew the fell, but it is not too difficut if you use the shape of the ironing board to get the lower part straight and the top tapered.

I also find it a good idea to press in the outer folds before starting to sew.

The 50 pleat kilt is a striped material and the fold should be exactly on the edge of a black stripe, but I was not certain it would work and did not press it before sewing, and there are some folds which show the red or white stripe which should be underneath. It is only a tiny line, but it should not show.

I have thought about, but not yet tried using fusible hemming tape to set pleats on cotton kilts. I have the tape already, just not got around to making the xperiment, Maybe cut it to about 1/4 inch and when I have the outer folds perfectly placed, fix them. It can be removed or moved by heating with an iron so it is not permanent, and it is light and fairly flexible - at least the one I have is. I think there are different weights, as the one I have is marked 'lightweight'. It needs to be flexible so the pleats don't stand out like a lampshade.

Anne the Pleater

[ccga3359]

I don't sew the edges of the pleats, as a rule - and the one kilt I have tried that with requires redoing as the pleats roll outwards - perhaps the sewing shortens the edge.

What's happening is uneven tension of the threads through the machine. This can also be achieved when sewing by hand (and better controlled). Sailmakers use this to put curvature into the sails.

[ChattanCat]

Cotton is always shrinking. You wash it, it shrinks. You wear it, it shrinks. You iron it, it shrinks. There is no controlling the stuff. You just have to accept that it will look the best when you take it out of the box or are finished making it. From then on, it is shrinking.

[The Wizard of BC]

Joe,

Why don't you stop into the shop with your fabric.

Or don't you remember that I offered to help you make this Kilt.

Once we see the fabric we can tell its content and better asses how best to work with it.

You can also take a look at the Camo Kilts in the shop, see what I have done and see what has worked and what has not worked in the past.

We can then lay out your Kilt on my table and let you see what it looks like pleated different ways.

[ChattanCat]

Awesome Steve.