Am I on the Right Track for Kiltmaking?

[ChattanCat]

Hi Mark's Mom,

You have the right book for making a kilt. The book does not cover everything as Barb assumes a certain level of sewing experience.

The splits you have chosen are good and I would go with them. I also use 27" lengths for my own kilts as I am 6'5".

I would recommend the double sett for pleating as 6" is quite adequate. Since you don't have 8 yards, I would recommend a reveal for the pleats that would work with the amount of fabric that you have. You can use any pleat reveal that you want and can choose the reveal and number of pleats depending on how much material you have.

You should follow the instructions in Barb's book for laying out the kilt. If you have 5 yards of fabric, lay out the underapron per the instructions. I would lay out the overapron and mark where the last can be per Barb's book and mark the minimum distance from the center of the aprons to the first and last pleat, leaving the room for the inverted and reverse pleats. Then you can mark the pleats (I use pins at this point) till I figure out where the back center pleat is and all the other pleats.

Final step is to mark each pleat with chalk and remove the pins because they tend to stick into your hands, fingers, and legs as you pleat.

Cheers and good luck,

[Paul Henry]

snip
Since you don't have 8 yards, I would recommend a reveal for the pleats that would work with the amount of fabric that you have. ,

shesays she has 5+ yards 60" wide,
so the normal idea would be to split and join somewhere in the middle of the pleats...

[Mark's Mom]

Thanks for the advice. It sounds like I should start by lining up the apron and under apron area at each end and then center the back of the pleats on the remaining fabric. If I am close to having the right amount, the leftover can get tucked into the inverted/reverse pleat. I am listening to all advice and hope to soon jump into the project. Also, I was given info on a class in February, which would be in time to make a final kilt for the prom!

[dwmoffatt]

Hi Mom,
I haven't checked but you might want to look and see if there are any kilt nights planned for your area. Not only a great way to meet the folks here but a nice chance to talk in person and maybe get your hands on a real kilt.
Something I found I did a few times, also, was talking paper and scrap cloth and making a few pleates. Its a great way to get a feel for the measurements and such you are reading about in Barb's book. I found a really enjoy making kilts and wish you the same and lots of luck!!

Happy New Year!