[beerbecue]

I have come in possession of a hand me down that doesn't have enough A-line to the apron, and the left side opens forward.

What steps should be taken to expand the apron flare on the first pleat side - the fringe side is simple (well, simpler to deal with).

I haven't done this in a while, so a few hints would be great.

[Pleater]

Originally Posted by beerbecue

I have come in possession of a hand me down that doesn't have enough A-line to the apron, and the left side opens forward.

What steps should be taken to expand the apron flare on the first pleat side - the fringe side is simple (well, simpler to deal with).

I haven't done this in a while, so a few hints would be great.

I don't want to step on anyone's toes here, but I have to work hard on the under apron pleats on all my kilts to make them behave.

My first thought is - if the apron edge is rolling outwards, could it be being pushed out rather than pulled? If so then one cure is to shorten the inside of the under apron pleat.

If your kilt is wool then you can press out some length by using several lines of running stitch at about half inch intervals and, securing it at the waistband, sew through the two layers of the inside of the pleat with a running stitch - the number of lines depends on how deep the pleat is, and the length of them by how much the pleat rolls out. Draw up the sewing threads to shorten the fabric just slightly - maybe half an inch - and wind them around a pin set horizontally in the fabric to shorten the pleat smoothly and try it on.

The pleat should now be tucked in neatly rather than rolling outwards.

If you take a piece of cardboard and put a strip of old sheet or a pillowcase around it you can lay the inner part of the pleat on it and gently press to ease the fabric in - that is the basis of a lot of tailoring, shaping wool fabric by pressing it. You will probably be able to remove the sewing thread once it is done. Don't press over the pins or it could create a dent in the fabric.

If your kilt is not wool then you can do the same thing, but secure the sewing thread and leave it in place, or make a horizontal dart a few inches down from the waistband where it will not be noticed, where the fabric is hanging free.

To actually reshape the edge of the apron might only require that the fold be repressed, or could require the kilt to be partly dismantled, but the anti roll out shortening is what I need to use. I do it when the kilt is being constructed and get a long thin triangle of material above the top edge of the apron, and under apron, which is hidden by the top binding.

Anne the Pleater

[Bugbear]

Barb posted instructions on this a while back. Hopefully she will give some hints again because I don't have a link.

I put the flare in two SWK kilts that had no flare, strait edge, and it did fix the problem with the apron edge flipping forward, but I had to fine tune the very end of the curving fold afterward.

* Sorry, I can't find the post where Barb explains that the end of the apron edge should straiten out a bit from the curve. Hope I'm not remembering wrong.

[Bugbear]

Ok, since no one else has posted, I found one of the posts where Barb T. explains this.
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...tml#post774499
I'm not crazy!


For some reason I am not able to view a single post on it's own, then link to it any more, so Barb's post is, I think, number 44, and the thread is closed.

Hope that helps.

* It looks like the link goes to the right post.

[Barb T.]

Here's the old post, so you don't have to troll through the other one:

First! Your kilt may not need a flare. Check to see whether the apron edge is parallel to a tartan stripe from the top edge to the bottom of the fell (i.e., the stitched part of the left apron edge). If it is straight, parallel to a stripe, then you don't want to press in any flare. If there is some taper at the apron edge in the fell, you can re-press the rest of the edge with a taper.

Set the iron to wool and be sure that the iron has water in it for steam. Lay the kilt on the ironing board, wrong side up. Open up the left apron edge, lay it as flat as you can, and press (don't "iron" - i.e., press down not slide). Once you have taken most of the crease out, flip the kilt over, smooth it out, and lay a damp dish towel or pillow cloth on the tartan, and press again. This will help take that last bit of crease out. I didn't have you use a press cloth on the inside, because I wanted to be sure that you could see exactly what you were doing when you took most of the crease out. You don't want to accidently add a crease.

Let the kilt cool, and put it on. While you are looking straight ahead, have someone pin the edge of the apron where the kilt "wants" to fold. Take the kilt off, and baste a smooth curve along the edge of the apron. Take biggish stitches (1/2" or so), and take the time to do this - don't just skip to the pressing step. Put the kilt back on, and see if you like it. If not, try again. Once you're happy with it, get out the press cloth, and press it in. Just be sure not to muck up the rest of the pleats while you're doing it!

You may have to touch up the new crease with an iron fairly often. Wool can have a persistent memory....