Marking the front apron

[TheBrus]

Working with TAoKM, and it shows to make this gracefully swooping line from the fellmark to the bottom of the kilt, marking the dimensions of the apron. How do you get this symmetric? What if your lines are lopsided? Can you just use a yardstick and make the lines straight?

I'm pretty sure some folks are probably annoyed with my questions, but this is my first try. Thanks!

[The Wizard of BC]

One method I use to mark out aprons is by using an old trick from my yacht design days.

I use what is called a 'baton' or 'spline' and hold it down and in the correct shape with 'spline weights'.

In this photo the spline is a narrow strip of Formica (or Arborite here in Canada). The weights are lead but anything will work. (water glasses filled with pennies).



Doing this allows you to look down the curve and insure there are no hard or flat spots in the curve.

If you are using Barb's book, make the marks at the top of the kilt, the waist, and the hip. Then bend the spline to lay on the marks. Down at the hem bend the spline to arrive at the hem nearly vertical or perpendicular to the hem. (It does not need to be perfectly perpendicular but the less angled it is at the hem the less turn up you need to do.)

(If you are making a solid colored Contemporary kilt from any fabric other than wool, the apron edge can be a straight line because it is very difficult to get Polyester or Cotton to mold into the complex shape.)

Do not attempt to make the two sides exactly the same. One side of the apron is 1" wider than the other so they are not going to be on the same stripe of your Tartan. But you can make them similar curves by measuring from any vertical line over to the curve one the left side and making the other side the same distance from the same vertical plus 1" on the right side.

[Calico]

Unfortunately, this is one of the things you are told to do in the book that you can only do "right" with experience.

Do not sweat it. Do not worry about the opposite sides being exactly symmetric.

I watched Elsie draw the lines. Purely eyeballed with no measuring.

The idea is simply that the bottom of the kilt needs to flare. It will not hang properly if it is a straight vertical.

But how much flare? Depends (as does so much kilt fitting) on your body shape. And other than "about 1 1/2 inches wider at bottom than at bottom of fell" there is not much of a guideline. (I seem to recall that 1 1/2 inches - I do not have the book here).

Plain and simple, you will learn with this one. If it does not work exactly right, your next one will be closer. But chances are it will be fine.

------------------------------------------

Steve, that is great! Although it appears it is still just fancy eyeballing, since you re-create your spline every time you need it. It doesn't seem to guarantee repeatability, just a cleanly drawn line.

[TheBrus]

Steve and Calico, good advice here. I appreciate it. I will be going past the hardware store tomorrow, so I will see if I can get the formica strips. Anything is better than the two diagonal lines I have chalked in already. Is that 1 1/2" on either side or all together?

[ChattanCat]

Steve and Calico, good advice here. I appreciate it. I will be going past the hardware store tomorrow, so I will see if I can get the formica strips. Anything is better than the two diagonal lines I have chalked in already. Is that 1 1/2" on either side or all together?

3/4" per side should work. It covers about one of the pleats.

[Baldybrown]

From an old draftsman's perspective it seems simple. Your working on a natural grid (like graph paper) Once you get one line the way you want it, mark the mirror side position with dots at the correct points in the tartan pattern, and then connect them.