Question about the X-Kilt

[vader7071]

I am new to the game. I know this question has been asked before (http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-making-84386/), but that thread did not answer my question, and the thread is now closed.

I have been reading Alan's instructions about the x-kilt. I am not new to sewing, so that is a plus, but I am having trouble following the instructions about the over apron.

Where my questions are concern the over apron and the under apron pleat.

If we set the material on the table, hem side to me, face up, that puts the apron to my left hand. The far left edge is/will be the finished edge. Hemming that edge to create the "a frame" is simple. No trouble there. My issue comes with how to fold the right side of the apron to "a frame" it and have the under apron pleat lie flat. I have tried to look at pictures in the above thread as well as the pictures in the x-kilt rev K pdf file. I cannot seem to get a clear mental image of what is to be done in this area to make the kilt lay as it is supposed to.

Does anyone have some drawings or pictures of step by step in this area?

Thank you for your help.

[Pleater]

I am answering this pretending that I have not seen your avatar nor your profile picture - (Have you read rule 11?) Moderators can do this.

What I do to shape the edges of the apron and under apron on their pleat sides is to place the fold at the right width at the bottom, and get it pressed in up to where I intend to begin to bend the edge, then at the waist edge I fold in the fabric -to make a W when you are looking at the edge. I use 4 inches of the fabric at the waist edge to do this, so the middle V of the W is 2 inches deep - depending on the width of apron and your shape you might need less than that. I tack down the edge of the shaping and press it lightly. The top of the V will drop down below the front and back of the W in order for it to lie flat.

I have often considered putting a pocket into that fold - one of these days I'll get around to doing it.

One thing I have found is that in order to stop the large pleats from rolling out, I need to pull up the inner fold slightly above the edge of the waist. It is usually only about 1/4 of an inch, so there is a tiny long thin triangle of fabric visible above the waistline. It makes a big difference to how the pleat lies when the kilt is worn.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Alan H]

Do you have access to another kilt? I mean, do you own one or does a friend own one?

If so, lay it out on the table in an analogous manner. Look at the under-apron pleat. Then..."do that".

I write this, as unhelpful as it may be, because writing out 3-dimensional instructions is really, really difficult to do. I take pride in the fact that I did as well as I did, in the X-Kilt manual, but I fully recognize both my limitations and the general limitations of "words expressing actions".

The best thing to do is to look at another kilt, honestly.

[vader7071]

Pleater, if I am understanding you correctly, you work from the pleat first and then "force" the apron into shape?

**************

ALAN!!! Thanks for replying. I do and have. I have a 5.11 tactical kilt as well as a Utilikilt and a got-kilt. Unfortunately, they are not all they helpful trying to interpret what the end result needs to be. Where I keep getting stumped is when you fold the "right side" of the apron, it will cause the material to lay at an angle going behind the apron. Any subsequent fold to straighten the material back parallel to the original line will result in the hem line of the pleats being lower than the hem line of the apron.

I have tried just folding a piece of paper to see if I could figure it out, but I just confused myself farther.

Tonight I will go back and look deeper at each fold of all 3 kilts.

[The Wizard of BC]

Actually you are creating a 3 dimensional object. When shaped it may not lay flat anymore.

If you are working with fabrics other than wool yes, you may have to 'force' the shaping into the deep pleat under the apron. Usually with steam. It's called fabric molding.

But in essence, don't expect, or try, to make a kilt lay flat once you have put the shape in.

When dealing with that small deep pleat that hangs down (its called an apron tip) we have to hem it up. Please take a look in Professional Kiltmakers section under Barb T. She has a nice explaination of how to deal with those little bits of hem.

[Alan H]

Oh, I see the problem now.

yes, when you fold the underapron pleat over at an angle to make that A shape, it causes the "inside" of the hemmed edge of the pleat to hang down below the level of the hemmed edge of the rest of the kilt.

Two solutions.

1.) so what if it sticks down a little bit?

2.) rip out a couple of inches of the hem stitchline within the pleat, roll up a bit more material so that it doesn't stick down below the hemline, and re-stitch.

On a traditional kilt, option #2 is what's done. Well, sort of. Yes, the selvedged edge of the cloth doesn't need hemming but you still "roll up" a bit of the edge and "hem it" within the pleat. However, this isn't a traditional kilt, which makes option #1 just as valid as anything else.

[Pleater]

It is easy if you see what is done - just explaining it seems complex.

At the edge of the apron there are two folds at the waist level but only one at the bottom edge.

Looking at the edge of the apron, at the waistline, from the outside of the kilt, the edge is shaped by being pushed into a W shape up to two inches deep at the waist, but that decreases until it ceases to be a fold and is just the edge of the apron, a single fold. You would be able to push a finger of your right hand into that small shaping fold if it was not already tacked together.

Behind the two folds of the shaping there is a large pleat intended to allow free movement and for the aprons to drop between the thighs when sitting or to allow the aprons to stay together when getting over a gate or style or riding a bicycle. Usually the lower edge of that large pleat will drop down below the level of the apron. Normally that is hemmed to prevent it showing, but I find that there is a problem with the pleat tending to roll outwards. I have been making clothes for a long time and decided that pulling the inner fold up just a little would solve the problem, which it does. Other ways to resolve it are to sew several lines of stitching along the inner edge drawing it up as you do so, then press - that would only work for wool or wool blend fabrics which could be tailored, or sewing a strip of cotton tape to the inner fold and then shrinking it with a steam iron.

Anne the Pleater. :ootd:

[vader7071]

I think I am tracking, but still not certain. I am going to have to just jump in and see if I can make it work ;) I am getting an idea with all the help everyone is giving. Thank you so much for guiding me along.