Basic kilt question (circle diameter)???

[Mikewood]

Please tell me if i have this right.

Well I don't know much yet but what I am seeing is that kilts seem to form a arc or semi circle. The inside diameter has got to be the waist with the aprons laying straight and form "square wings on the ends". The outside diameter is based on the length of the kilt and it seems a simple enough geometry problem but I just want to be sure. I have seen a lot of different ways to sew a kilt but it seems like most of the time everything is glossed over. Do you have a good online resource for a kiltmaker without a sewing machine or seamstress skills?

Thanks.

[TheBrus]

Buy Barb Tewksbury's The Art of Kiltmaking from Celtic Dragon Press. It's the "bible" of kiltmaking.

[Downunder Kilt]

Buy Barb Tewksbury's The Art of Kiltmaking from Celtic Dragon Press. It's the "bible" of kiltmaking.

If you are going to make your own traditional kilt the above is the only way to go.

If you are going for a contempory kilt, then Alan H's excellent free tutorial on how to make an X kilt is your salvation. If you use the search function on this site and search for xkilt I am sure you could find it.

Edit - just did the search myself and here is the link I found http://www.modelautoracing.com/kilt/X-Kilt_final2.pdf

Hope it helps

[Paul Henry]

Please tell me if i have this right.

Well I don't know much yet but what I am seeing is that kilts seem to form a arc or semi circle. The inside diameter has got to be the waist with the aprons laying straight and form "square wings on the ends". The outside diameter is based on the length of the kilt and it seems a simple enough geometry problem but I just want to be sure. I have seen a lot of different ways to sew a kilt but it seems like most of the time everything is glossed over. Do you have a good online resource for a kiltmaker without a sewing machine or seamstress skills?

Thanks.

The arc is formed as a result of the tapering of the pleats, with the different measurements of the hips and the waist. Depending on that difference the arc will be greater or smaller. I am currently working on a kilt for a client that the measurements are the same, so in effect I'm almost making a tube with a pleated middle section!
There a few online pages, a very good one, and worth a good read is Chris Eyre pages and go to the kilt section.
It's a very straightforward approach, and very easy to follow.
Most tradtional kiltmaking is done by hand, with only a small bit of machine sewing. The sewing isn't especially hard , but there is a lot of working out and mathmatics about getting the kilt to fit properly and of course the actual coping with 8 yards of fabric can be a bit daunting, but if you take your time, even with basic skills you should be able to make yourself a kilt.

[Paul Henry]

If you are going to make your own traditional kilt the above is the only way to go.

If you are going for a contempory kilt, then Alan H's excellent free tutorial on how to make an X kilt is your salvation. If you use the search function on this site and search for xkilt I am sure you could find it.

The OP did say that he didn't have a sewing machine, and in truth while a traditional kilt is usually sewn by hand, a modern style, such as the X kilt, isn't, and really couldn't be sewn very well without a machine, especially if working on canvas or denim.

[Pleater]

The kilt is actually a three dimensional shape, the top of the pleats needs to be rounded to follow the shape of the body if it is to be a perfect fit.That sewn part is called the fell.

Below the fell the pleats should fall vertically, forming a half cylinder when worn.
The fell should reach your widest contour.

When laid out flat, the pleats should be slightly unfolded outwards to follow the arc shape, and ought to fall back into the vertical when the kilt is picked up.

The aprons are shaped at the edges where they meet the pleats, and the outer one is shaped on both edges. This creates the optical illusion of a straight apron, without it the apron would appear narrower at the bottom.

With a wool kilt it is possible to shape the top of the apron, narrowing it to reduce the top edge if you have a bit of a 'bay window' in front. That is the skill of tailoring, shaping wool cloth to make a perfect fit.

Kilts obey the normal rules of clothing, but they do have a few idiosyncrasies entirely their own.

They do have some straight lines, but they also have curved ones.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Downunder Kilt]

The OP did say that he didn't have a sewing machine, and in truth while a traditional kilt is usually sewn by hand, a modern style, such as the X kilt, isn't, and really couldn't be sewn very well without a machine, especially if working on canvas or denim.

Right you are paulhenry, Not being a kiltmaker in any way, shape or form, thankyou for sharing your expertise.

[madmacs]

There a few online pages, a very good one, and worth a good read is Chris Eyre pages and go to the kilt section.
It's a very straightforward approach, and very easy to follow.

Great page, thanks