X-Kilt Waistband

[KiltedBrewer]

When I was making my first x-kilt, I got to adding the waistband and I didn't want to do any hand sewing (I'm much more lazy than I am obsessive.) I was planning to have a visible line of stitching around the waistband as sort of a necessary evil. I was discussing the project with my grandmother and she suggested that I "sew in the ditch." What this means is that you attach the waistband strip to the front of the kilt as in the instructions. Then you fold it over to the back, but don't fold the edge under all the way back to the top. (You want the bottom of the waistband on the inside to be lower than the bottom of the waistband on the outside.) Then you sew from the front right against the crease of the waistband where it's folded up. To my eye, the stitching is as good as invisible. Here's a photo:

You can just see the stitching along the bottom of the waistband, but the picture was taken from pretty close and at a pretty good angle. (Sadly you can also see how crooked my stitching is and that my pleat edges don't quite touch. Oh well, I won't be wearing it to any formal events.) Since I don't think anyone (except my wife) will be that close to the waistband of my kilt, no one will notice the stitching.

I'm sure that folks have done this before, but I've never seen it, so I thought I'd post this in the hopes that it can help someone with their own kilt.

David

[sydnie7]

Yep, "stitch in the ditch" is a great way to hide a waistband seam. The tricky part can be catching the inside flap all the way 'round. I find that either pressing and/or stitching the inside flap separately, beforehand, helps with that positioning. You can also place pins along the waistband upper edge, high enough that you aren't going to stitch over them (and so don't have to remove them as you stitch). Lots of possibility for bloodshed there!

OTOH, these casual kilts are almost always going to be worn with a belt, which effectively hides all that waistband stitching. . .

BTW, congrats on the first XKilt and here's to many more!

[Aldisimo]

If you can cut the waistband from selvedge and use the selvedge on the inside of the waistband, you can avoid turning that edge under because the selvedge won't ravel. When you don't turn under the edge, you avoid having another layer of fabric within the waistband, and:
- it's easier to stitch in the ditch when there are fewer layers to sew through
- the work is neater when the seams are thinner and flatter

If you use a zipper foot, you can get very close to the seam and do a better job of burying the stitches.

[Livingston]

Great idea. I'll have to do that for the next one.

[KiltedBrewer]

Aldisimo, that's exactly what I did, so I have a single layer of fabric on the inside.

David

[Pleater]

The selvage is usually slightly denser and so stiffer than the rest of the fabric and that helps prevent the edge wriggling out of place during sewing, plus, on unreinforced kilts it helps to keep the waistband from drooping in wear.

Some selvages have a strong Nylon thread at the very edge, and that can be very uncomfortable even through another garment. I had to pick out two such treads on a kilt waistband which felt as though I was being bitten until I realised the cause. A little time, a bright light, a quilting pin and pair of small sharp scissors solved the problem.

Anne the Pleater

[Tartan Hiker]

Isn't it a neat feeling to figure out the solutions to problems like this? It makes the whole project a bit more personally meaningful, and adds a measure of joy when you wear your creation.

[KiltedBrewer]

Isn't it a neat feeling to figure out the solutions to problems like this? It makes the whole project a bit more personally meaningful, and adds a measure of joy when you wear your creation.

That's true, Tartan Hiker. The tiny deviations from the instructions make the kilt feel more mine. And it really amuses me that I'm getting sewing advice from my grandma.

[Smayniac]

The selvage is usually slightly denser and so stiffer than the rest of the fabric and that helps prevent the edge wriggling out of place during sewing, plus, on unreinforced kilts it helps to keep the waistband from drooping in wear.

Some selvages have a strong Nylon thread at the very edge, and that can be very uncomfortable even through another garment. I had to pick out two such treads on a kilt waistband which felt as though I was being bitten until I realised the cause. A little time, a bright light, a quilting pin and pair of small sharp scissors solved the problem.

Anne the Pleater

No one saw the top of my grey at the NorCal Burns Supper, but since I was hemming the fabric to add weight, I used the selvedge as the top edge and didn't do a waistband. It means that without a jacket, the top edges of the pleats are visible. OTOH I kind of like the look, and it saved a step or two.

Bob