New cargo kilt fresh of the press

[kilted firefighter]

Deleting post

[Mike in Dayton]

Looks great! Congratulations on making kilt #1. With what you learned making this one it is time to start on the next one. Then the third, fourth, fifth......

[kilted firefighter]

Thanks Mike.

[Dughlas mor]

Looks good to me. I like the reflective stripe. Nice work, You have some talent!

[Profane James]

Fire gear material is a nice touch!

[ratspike]

Looks very sharp, and I love me some of that caramel colored canvas. It's my favorite color for that fabric. I gotta ask though, is the mirror throwing me off or does your kilt open on the left side instead of the right? Or is the front apron completely removable like what Kilt This does?

Sewing the waistband on a canvas kilt with a home machine is a real downer for sure. If you're not using a 16 jeans needle you might want to give that a try next time. Before I upgraded to industrial machines I found that using the hand wheel would often get me through a particularly tough spot.

[kilted firefighter]

Ratspike, it's the mirror, closes on the right, apron attached. I used a #130 leather needle and had to use the handwheel several times.

[ratspike]

You don't want to use a leather needle to sew fabric. The tip is kinda like a teeny tiny little chisel and it's designed to cut. Jeans/denim or standard sharp tip is what you want. IMO a size 16 is perfect, and I use a new one for each kilt.

[kilted firefighter]

Thanks for the tip. I naturally assumed bigger is better

[ratspike]

It is and it isn't. Generally speaking, heavier material needs bigger thread, which needs a bigger needle, and they all work together. You also want to use the smallest needle you can, so that you're not punching big holes in your material if you don't need to. I've never felt the need to go bigger than 16 for making a kilt. For the heavy fabrics I use for making bags, like X-Pac, Cordura, and waxed canvas, I use a size 20 or 22 needle and #69 bonded nylon thread.