SHhhhh! It's a Surprise...

[auld argonian]

...and if you can let me know how you went about hemming it, I'd be grateful...seems like I've got the bloody thing up at the base of my ribcage to get the hem just to the top of my knee-cap...I know that this style should be worn rather high but this might be a wee bit too high. Any special tricks that you could pass along about how to do a neat job would be appreciated.

Also...when you sew the fell, do you sew through all of the layers of fabric or just the two bottom layers (from inside the fold of the pleat)?

best

AA

[tomcherv]

According to my book, the pleats are not sewn from inside, but from the outside.

Start at the bottom and work toward the waist.

I'll see if I can explain the stitch. Since I've learned it, I use it on a lot of things where I want a nice, tight seam.

Start with the fabric on the bottom layer of fabric. Catch a few threads, bring the needle straight up and catch a few threads on the edge of the fold. When you pull tight, the two layers of fabric should snug up together. Catch a few threads from the bottom layer, bring the needle up and catch a few threads on the edge of the fold, and pull snug once again. Since you're pulling the two layers of fabric together, you can use the stripes on the tartan to keep things straight. Hope this helps. I also tried to draw a diagram.

<waist --- bottom>
x x x x x x x x x x x (folded edge on top layer of fabric)
|/|/|/|/|/|/|/|/|/|/| (Thread direction)
x x x x x x x x x x x (bottom layer of fabric)

[Alan H]

Thanks for keeping quiet about this, guys. ;-)

Sherry

Oh, I laughed, I did, until the guy in the next cubicle wondered what was going on...

[GMan]

I'm just wondering Sherry, does your son read this forum? Even lurk at all? I certainly hope that it is a surprise!

[Sherry]

Glen, no he doesn't lurk here, so that's no problem. My 9yo did blurt something out about it, but Benj was talking to his sister at the time, so he didn't hear it. Whew!

Alan, I'm glad I made you laugh. But, of course, your coworkers had to know you weren't working at that moment. :smile:

AA, the stitch for sewing down the pleats is called fell stitch. It is pictured here:




The fell stitch is useful for joining two layers of fabric from the right side. Insert the needle directly below where it came out of the fabric, and bring it out 1/8" ahead and opposite where it first came out of the fabric. There will be diagonal stitches on the wrong side.


There is a video of the stitch at HGTV:
http://www.homeandgardentv.com/hgtv/...-PRINT,00.html

Scroll down until you see the pic of the two gloves, & you will see a vid link just about it.

The idea is that the stitches don't show unless you are viewing the seam closely.

Hope this helps.

Sherry

[whiteravenJr.]

Hey Sherry WR was right i was a little bit tentative at first but as sson as i wore it to school once i was hooked for good now i can't wait to get a 9 yard thats what i want to get next i think or maybe a new sporran or maybe a skeendo or a durk i don't know but something. im sure your son will love the kilt 8)