Oops - marking pleats is hard!

**plaid preacher** · 29th March 14, 02:55 PM

It's looking great Dee, keep up the good work!

**bonnie heather** · 29th March 14, 05:29 PM

Dee, you're doing a beautiful job!! You should be very proud of your lovely work!
P.S. Warning! ....making kilts is very addictive!

**Deesquared** · 30th March 14, 07:25 PM

Thank you all for your encouragement and advice!

I gave the basting another go, and it went much better. Part of my problem was I couldn't even get the first stitch in without second guessing. Trying to figure out where the apron should overlap that first pleat was making me batty! I guess because the apron has a flared shape to it, I wasn't too sure how it should lie.
I was reading another thread about basting, and the best piece of advice was 'don't over think it'.
I really was getting so worked up over everything being absolutely perfect. Once I calmed down, and just went one pleat at a time it wasn't too bad.
Hopefully I'll get the basting done tomorrow, then on to the (gasp!) cutting.

**Barb T** · 31st March 14, 04:34 AM

Originally Posted by Deesquared

Part of my problem was I couldn't even get the first stitch in without second guessing. Trying to figure out where the apron should overlap that first pleat was making me batty! I guess because the apron has a flared shape to it, I wasn't too sure how it should lie.

As long as you have already basted the flare into the apron edge itself, you simply baste the apron to the first pleat along an absolutely straight line extending from the bottom of the fell to the lower edge of the kilt. The first pleat shouldn't have any flare in it. See below - the pleats are all exactly the same width below the bottom of the fell, including the first pleat.

**Deesquared** · 31st March 14, 12:28 PM

Barb, thanks so much for that photo. It is exactly what I needed!
Dianna

**Barb T** · 31st March 14, 12:58 PM

No problem!

**Deesquared** · 3rd April 14, 02:08 PM

Progress is being made!
Pleats are basted, cut, steeked and now stabilized with pretty polka dots:
20140402_192610.jpg

And now covered with canvas, and tailor-stitched to within an inch of it's life:

20140403_111810.jpg

I'm just working on the fringe edge now, but have to stop because I'm contemplating machine stitching that edge...hmmm..