replacing canvas backing

[RobertParker]

I'm not quite sure if this is where my question goes, but I figure the pros would have the best advice....

My first kilt was/is an 11oz. Hector Russell. I believe it's an 8 yarder, but I'm not certain. I bought it second hand (ex-hire maybe?) in one of their shops in Edinburgh. It has three problems, one I noticed only after getting my second kilt, and two that I only learned after reading on this forum.

1. The inner cotton lining is not actually sewn down at the fell; only tacked (is that the right term?) in about 4-5 places.

2. There is no canvas lining at all.

3. The stitching of the pleats at the fell has many stitches that are between 1/4" and 1/2" long. On the outside, you'd never see it, but inside it just seems a little sloppy.

The bottom line is that now that I have a better idea what to look for, it seems like somone raided it for parts and then slapped it back together or something. Just seems weird.

Anyway, here's my question. How hard is it to replace the lining? Fix the stitching on the fell? What type of stuff is necessary? Do I need to send it to a pro kiltmaker or tailor, or can I get help from my mother or mother-in-law, who are both fairly good, but amateur tailors? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

[Monkey@Arms]

Not a kilt maker, but I think the real question is whether the pleats have been cut out where they are stiched, to remove bulk. (Search for the term steeking). The canvas, as I understand it, is there to provide structural integrity in the area where the material has been removed. If the pleats haven't been cut, I'd suspect a simple home repair would suffice.

Best regards,

Jake

[RobertParker]

The pleats have been cut. In fact, that was the first thing I noticed a few weeks after I got it. I freaked for a minute, afraid it would unravel, but realized that it cut down on bulk. But yes, they have been cut out.

[Wompet]

The repairs sound doable, but there's going to be some work involved:

• carefully remove the liner, top band, and straps
• undo the apron edges where they should have been folded over the apron canvases
• redo the steeking below the pleat cutouts
• sew in the back canvas and the apron canvases
• redo the apron edges
• replace the straps
• replace the liner and top band

If you don't already have a copy of Barb and Elsie's book, I would get one beforehand and look those steps over, possibly with your mothers. See if they feel comfortable with the job. If not, Matt Newsome does kilt alterations and rebuilds, and Barb has rebuilt kilts as well.

[RobertParker]

Thanks man. I was afraid it was going to be more than simply sewing it on.

[way2fractious]

3. The stitching of the pleats at the fell has many stitches that are between 1/4" and 1/2" long. On the outside, you'd never see it, but inside it just seems a little sloppy.

After the excess material is cut out of the pleats inside, steeking (probably Gaelic for "closing") - or stitches - gather up all but the outside layer of tartan and provide a stable platform for the pleats below. These stitches are not like the tiny pleat stitches on the outside, and they tend to be longer as they pick up many layers of fabric. This is one of the things the liner is intended to cover.

From your description of the steeking in your kilt, it appears normal. It won't hurt to re-steek, but it may not be necessary.

w2f

[The Wizard of BC]

I will second the recomendation on ordering a copy of Barb's book "The Art of Kiltmaking". It will answer all your questions about what the parts of your kilt are, what they are called, and why they are there.

One comment, The Hair canvas that is inside the kilt is not just a band stuck in there to thicken the kilt it is actually the interfacing that keeps the entire kilt hanging correctly and not warping out of shape.

If you imagine this...take a piece of hair canvas and fasten straps and buckles to it. Then strap the canvas around yourself nice and snug and into the small of your back. This interfacing is what you are actually wearing. The Tartan fabric can then float over the canvas without being distorted or having stress placed on the stitching.

If you have a kilt that the pleats are cut away to thin the kilt at the small of the back but the interfacing is missing then to put it back in is not a small job. Not impossible but you need to remove the liner completly. Remove the straps and buckles. Then place the hair canvas into the kilt and sew he straps and buckles through the Tartan and onto the interfacing. Then you replace the liner to cover everything up and look nice and neat.

Also....The Steeking is a line of stitches done on the inside to hold and support the inside of the pleats where they have been cut. This holds the pleats in position and parallel so they won't curl. (Way2fractious is correct. Steeking = Gaelic for "To Stitch".)

good luck. and remember to post pics of your work when your done.

[fluter]

I will second the recomendation on ordering a copy of Barb's book "The Art of Kiltmaking".

It's available here: celticdragonpress.com in case you haven't yet found that link.

good luck. and remember to post pics of your work when your done.

Before and after pix would be very interesting and potentially useful to anyone with a similar project. Best wishes to you and your kilt!

[Barb T]

How hard is it to replace the lining? Fix the stitching on the fell? What type of stuff is necessary? Do I need to send it to a pro kiltmaker or tailor, or can I get help from my mother or mother-in-law, who are both fairly good, but amateur tailors? Thanks!

I guess the real question is why you would want to go to the trouble to do this. If the kilt fits, is comfortable, and looks good from the outside, I'm not clear on why it would be worth it. If you're concerned that the pleat section is flabby or getting stretched out of shape, then it's worth doing something about it.

As far as the steeking at the bottom of the fell goes (note: the "fell" is the whole stitched part of the pleat), as long as it's doing the job of holding the free edges of the back of the pleats together, I wouldn't agonize that it's not particularly even. I'm anal, so I make mine neat and even, despite the fact that it never shows. But, function is really the critical element here.

Frankly, I would be more worried about whether it has a stabilizer at the waist than whether it has canvas or lining stitched all the way down. The stabilizer prevents stress on the pleat stitching (I've put a couple of pics of one below). Without a stabilizer, repeated wearings will stress and distort the pleats. If the kilt has no canvas, it should be easy to tell if it has a stabilizer or not. If it doesn't, it's an easy matter to put one in without taking off the top band.

And, yes, I always put an American flag stabilizer in the kilts I make (ahhh, not a cut-up American flag, of course, but Am flag-printed cloth).

[James MacMillan]

And, yes, I always put an American flag stabilizer in the kilts I make.

Mega kudos!!!