Military Kilt repairs

[Barb T]

The outer apron is strange too. It is not symmetrical. As you can see in this photo the crease on the left side is totally different from the right side.

Actually, the aprons of the kilts I make are not symmetrical, either. I always add an inch to the right hand apron edge just to make sure that the fringe edge covers the underapron. The kilt you're working on looks like it has a little more than an inch extra on the apron edge, but, if you look at your own Highland Granite, you'll see that the center front stripe is not in the numerical center of the apron!

[The Wizard of BC]

Thanks Barb, I did notice that and am using "THE BOOK" as my guide.
However as you noticed this apron is not even close. It is 2" off. And where the stripe on the left edge disappears is so much different from the right side that I thought, "Oh what the heck, I have the thing apart anyway".

I also found that the apron edge shaping is not a smooth curve but wavers noticeably around the Hip line. I suspect that this is from an attempt to iron the kilt at some time. There was a line of machine stitching on the outer apron left edge using an ugly light green thread from a previous alteration attempt. I know it's a later alteration because I found the original stitching still there tucked under a fold.

Most of the pleat stitching uses a big fat yarn like stuff. The knots at the ends of these yarns are big and ugly and there must be 5 or 6 of them per pleat.


ps if a box arrives on your doorstep don't be surprised with what you may find in it.

[Barb T]

Urrrr - don't you dare....! I bow to your determination to take this on. I would have fainted dead away if someone had brought this to me!

[Pleater]

I used tiny spots of glue to secure individual threads onto a tape, so they could not slide out if the edge of the cloak was trodden on.

I had already sewn the tape in place before turning up the hem - it is a common trick on curved hems to use a bias tape and make a fairly narrow single layer hem with the raw edge covered by a tape.

If I could have got an iron on tape that would curve I would have used that, but as with a lot of things in garment reconstruction you take what is available and work with it.

The iron on interfacing is a life saver as it stabilises cut edges, reduces holes and then withstands washing.

Once in place you can sew through it to restore the seam, even if you are right on the edge of the remaining cloth, because the threads are held so they can't start to slide through the stitches.