Going to sew my own kilt, any suggestions before I start?

[meinfs]

I'm gonna sew my own kilt within a week (have to prepare the sewing machine, get some more practice in with it, get some fabric and more thread). I will be making a "test kilt" probably using an old sheet or other very cheap [...]
My questions are:
* What's the best fabric for a utility kilt that is a good mix of function of cost. I don't want to spend more than $50 TOTAL for fabric for this kilt.
* Are there any diagrams or examples I can see online of pleats? I'm unsure of what kind of pleats to use and how much fabric they will need.
* Anyone know how to sew cargo pockets?
* Has anyone here made their own Utility kilt? If so, could you give me some tips and advice and maybe some pictures?

Any tips, advice and such would be appreciated.

Hi Mark and welcome to X Marks.

I would say go get your denim and not waste time on making a "test kilt" on old sheets.
But do know how to use the sewing machine. Cut a piece of denim and stitch zig-zags and straight stitches, reverse stitches, reinforced stitches etc. for practice. Practice with the excess fabric from your double-width. You're going to be handling a lot of material at the machine, so beware of how the fabric moves as it goes through the needle (use needles made for denim). Denim would fit your need for a sturdy fabric. I'm new at kilt-making so I don't have a lot of experience dealing with different fabrics.


These resources I've used and I recommend:
-- Alan H's X-Kilt manual is a great resource for a contemporary kilts sewn by machine. It has instructions on how to make cargo pockets and how many yards to use.

-- Barbara Tewksbury's book is what I followed to make a traditional kilt (made out of denim) that is hand-sewn. It's a wonderfully detailed book that you can use as a general resource and reference.
I mention that here (and I know you are not interested in making a traditional kilt), only because of my evolution as a budding kilt-maker. I used it first and learned a lot from it.


Check out my posts on here for pictures, etc.

My X-Kilt:
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/m...026/index.html

My traditional (non-tartan) kilt:
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/m...552/index.html


Good luck and show us pictures of your work!!!

[Pleater]

I started off my kilt wearing at 50 inches - it was more of an equator than a waist.

I made and remade kilts smaller as I lost in circumference - because I could.

I started off making Kingussie style, where the pleats all face forward, but quickly changed to the reverse of that as it is far less catching.

I began by making 20 small pleats, as it is so easy to measure in metric, divide by ten and have the amount of fabric for each pleat. I then divided the width of pleats on each side by ten and that gave me the reveal of each pleat.

As I was determined to lose weight I did not shape the edges of the aprons at first, as that will take 6 inches of fabric out of the upper apron, and I made the under apron 2 inches smaller than the over apron, as I would only shape one side and so remove 4 inches.

If you lose lots of weight, or size, you could remove the waistband and move the pleat folds slightly closer together, then replace the waistband. Once you have the pleats established either by pressing or sewing the outer edge it is fairly easy to keep them and adjust them as required.

You can start off with the aprons being half the circumference of the waist, and as you get smaller the pleats will move around to the more normal situation of being several inches more than half and the aprons correspondingly less.

I have made kilts out of all sorts of material, and I am not sure about denim - I'd prefer a heavy canvas, simply because denim is made with different warp and weft. Canvas has a warp and weft which are more similar, like traditional tartan materials.

It is easier to make a kilt out of a fabric where you can tear it along the grain line, as you really need to have the edges of the fabric on the grain, as that helps with the pleats lying straight.

I usually start out by washing and ironing the fabric, tearing it into strips and then measuring and pressing the pleats in - before any sewing. It really helps with the eventual neatness of the kilt to press everything possible into the cloth whilst you can still open it out and get to all parts of it. It also shows up any errors in calculation before you put in too much work, and gives you a fair idea of what the finished kilt will look like.

When sewing it really helps to have the machine on a table large enough to hold all the material, as it can make a jog in a seam of the fabric slides unexpectedly whilst you are working. I use a desk and have the machine at the right hand edge of it so there is lots of space for the fabric to lie on, both to the side and behind the machine.