Self-made kilts

[Pleater]

I think I want to start with contemporary, as it seems it would be easier to not have to line up the pattern. The first thing I want to try is to add pockets to my camo Sportkilt. Anything I should consider before I give it a shot?

To get the pleats to hang straight you have to get the folds on the straight of the material, that is following a single thread of the fabric. If the fabric is skewed - it can be twisted by being wound into a bolt at an angle, it needs to be pulled straight, gently, before you start to work on it.

It is actually much easier if there is something you can follow, such as a different colour thread, otherwise you need to measure and fold and check at several points.

I think if I had tried to use the fabric I am trying to work on now as a first kilt I would have given up - as the weave is not even. Measuring along the selvage and following a thread up to the waist gives me odd sized pleats at the waist, even though they are equal at the bottom. Also the fabric is stretching, so I will have to sew reinforcement into the waistband.

The frst two kilts I made were patterned and so there was no doubt about where the line of the pleat should fall or where is should be sewn down.

Before cutting your Sports kilt try fastening the pocket in place either tack it or pin it, put a few things into the pocket and walk around a bit to see how it works in that position. Take a look in a full length mirror to check if and where it bulges, and if it stays with you or swings madly at every step.

[The Wizard of BC]

While it may seem that without a tartan pattern to use as a guide it would be easier to make a Contemporary kilt, I would caution anyone from thinking they are easier than a traditional kilt.

If my kilts were made like a machine sewn Tartan kilt it would take about a day to a day and a half per kilt to complete one. (At least I know Rocky can do one that fast when he is under the gun)

But when you have to do all the things to a contemporary that you don't do to a Traditional or Casual such as; stitch the hem, stitch each pleat inside and out, and do the steeking line, insert side slash pockets, insert rear welt pockets, slope the waist, add beltloops, add a waistband and do buttonholes and buttons, all without a pattern to follow. It takes me on average three-8hour days to finish one.

You must still insure your pleats are dead-on straight, parallel and not curl. The hem must still be perfectly level and horizontal. The aprons must still hang without puckering and curling. The size must still be correct. And doing all this with a fabric that is much less forgiving than wool.

A full hand-sewn Tank is a work of art. A Good Contemporary almost approaches that effort. I havent found a way yet to mass produce my kilts. Each one is different and each one is made with a thought to those hand-sewn masterpieces that I strive to emulate.

Simply adding a pocket to a sport kilt style kilt should be fairly easy. As long as you have done some tailoring and you understand how a pocket should be made in a good pair of trousers.

I encourage everyone to at least try to make their own kit. At least once. (That's why I am trying so hard to write the *##% book)

If you have an idea where and how you want to add your pocket, I will be happy to answer specific questions. But a Sport style kilt is little more than a gathered piece of cloth. Ask yourself if it is worth the effort. Or would a belt pouch work just as well and cost you fewer gray hairs and worry lines.

[Pleater]

Another thing to get hold of is a seam ripper - I just took the latest kilt back to the straight cloth - it really really helps to measure out the right number of inches between the folds. The seam ripper helps with cutting just the stitches and not the cloth.

I usually manage the ideal of 'measure twice and sew once' but this is proving to be a trial of patience and determination. It is the second kilt on which I have made an error in the measuring - maybe I'm just not concentrating.

The main problem for me is trying to get the time to make things - snatching a few minutes here and there throughout the day is obviously not the ideal method for getting things right the first time.