Pleating advice

[Aldisimo]

I'm starting to think that no matter what you do to Isle of Skye, it's gonna look magnificent!

[Mipi]

After all opinions from you, I'll go for red stripe, surrounded by black.

THX!

[Mipi]

But.. on the other hand...

If I look in "The art of kiltmaking", there are many kilts pleated in the way that can be called as lawn-chair. And also in Barb's video, she is preparing one just the same way.

I believe the end decision is not yet made.

[Mipi]

Additional question. The tartan I have has savlaged edge with very short fringes. Don't know if this is usual. See photo:



The fabric is lightweight. No, how shell I finish the bottom of kilt:

1. make a hem, which would add some more weight
2. use the salvage with the fringes as a hem
3. shorten fringes as much as possible (not affecting the salvage edge)


THX

[Carolina Kiltman]

I would vote for hemming it. I just do not like the fringe on the bottom of a kilt. Which is my personal opinion. Also, as you say, it is a rather light weight, and that will add some. In any case, it looks good so far. Be sure to post pictures when you have it all finished!

[attworth]

I think it'd be really cool to have the red hidden. If you could get a stripe as far away from that red as possible it would look very cool in my opinion.

As for that selvedge. I wouldn't use it, but I have before without any real problems. Just be sure to "clip" it when you rip it rather than rip all the way through.

--------| < clip
TARTAN | < rip
TARTAN | < rip
TARTAN | < rip
--------| < clip

[Mipi]

Hi again!

I know, you're sick & tired of my questions, but...
Last night I cut my double width tartan into two pieces and put the chalk marks. I found out that one half of fabric is showing some strange behavior. Maybe it was packed on bolt this way, who knows? When I fold it on half (lenghtwise) and match the stripes of tartan it's not folded flat. Like it would be a bit skewed and wrinkled.

I hope this will be resolved during sewing?!?! Any suggestions or similar experiences?

[The Wizard of BC]

This is quite common for fabric that has been stored for a while. If the fabric was not carefully rolled and the stripes matched so that the warp and weft yarns are perpendicular (at 90 degrees from each other) then the fabric can be skewed as you have found.

It's not really a problem and will come out on it's own as your work with the fabric, but if it bothers you, it's real easy to fix. Simply fire up your steam iron and steam your fabric. Take care to fold in half aligning the stripes. shoot some steam into the fabric and gently work the wrinkles out with your hand. You can use a light ironing motion if you want but the heat from the steam alone should relax the fibers enough to make it lay down nicely.

[Mipi]

Just as I was thinking, luckily. But I'll not bother ironing it. Could make it even worse with my knowledge on ironing.

THX!

[Pleater]

You can restore the right angles by pulling the fabric back to where it should be - there is usually a description and picture or diagram of how to do this in most books on sewing, but basically, one corner will be narrower than 90 degrees, so you take hold of the two edges, the selvage and the weft, and gently exert outward pressure , so widening the angle. You work away from the corner and then along the length of the cloth stretching it diagonally so as to draw the warp and weft back to 90 degrees.

It might take some time, and a couple of workings over, but I would not recomend that you start to sew before you have done this, or you might sew the wrongness into the finished kilt.

If you have someone to help you you can work more than an arm span apart, pull on the wide corners along the whole ength of the cloth, and that might get it done faster, though you do need to be careful not to damage the threads, you are only trying to adjust them relative to eachother, not actually stretch any of them.

Anne the Pleater