[sutherland]

hi all, im a newcomer to this site, and kiltmaking. one kilt made (art of kiltmaking) pleased with the result but a way to go yet! could anyone help me with a niggle i have about twill direction, first kilt made by the book top left to bottom right, i have another length which looks and feels right the other way round and if made up would be bottom left to top right.the smoother side on the outside if the kilt.should i ignore this and stick to the book? (i bought a kilt five years ago from a well known kiltmakers and the twill on this runs from bottom left to top right on asking was told this was how they make their heavy weight) please help.

[Bugbear]

That sounds like backward Strome.

Welcom.

* Sorry, I thought I had corrected that in an edit.
The Strome fabric is apparently woven reverse-twill-direction. That's what the kiltmakers of the forum have said.

[davidlpope]

Check this recent thread where some of our member kiltmakers discussed the issue of twill direction:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/n...will+direction

Best of luck.

Cordially,

David

[RB51]

Hello and welcome from the Highlands of BC.

Laurie

[mrtackytn]

Welcome to X-Marks - from Music City, USA - Nashville, TN !!

[Barb T.]

Not sure how to respond to your question, because it depends on whether you are looking at the kilt from the front (i.e., as if someone else was wearing it) or if you are wearing the kilt and looking down at your toes.

The traditional way to make a kilt is to have the twill line go from the top of the fringe edge to the bottom of the left apron edge next to the pleats. That's how it's described in the book. If you were wearing the kilt, and looking down toward the floor, the twill line would diagonal down and to the left (if you were looking at someone wearing the kilt, it would be diagonally from upper left to lower right, which is why I said I couldn't tell whether you had it right from your description).

**Anyway**, Dalgliesh still weaves their tartan with the right side such that you can make a kilt with the traditional twill line direction. Lochcarron used to do that as well (when I first started making kilts, and they still wove a traditional selvedge). Now that they use a turned woven on a rapier loom, they have flipped their tartan, and they consider what I think of as the wrong side as their good side (and all the knots, etc. are on what I think of as the good face of the tartan). Has something to do with the way a rapier loom is set up. I don't know the details, but Matt probably does.

Bottom line, if you can't work the flaws to the other side of the tartan (this is typically pretty easy, and I do it all the time), you're better off with the diagonal going the other way (no one is likely to notice this) than to have a big honking flaw in the apron of your kilt.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I always like to look at the reasons why we do things. The only reason why it is traditional for the twill lines to run in a certain direction in a kilt is because that's the "good face" of the cloth -- the side that doesn't have knots and things on it. So that's the face that you'd want on the outside of your clothing.

In other words, there is nothing magical about the twill lines running in one direction or the other. The point is to have the good face of the cloth on the outside of your garment.

So when you are dealing with cloth like Lochcarron's Strome weight, where the twill line runs the opposite direction as normal, what do you do?

Speaking for myself, I make the kilt with the good face of the fabric out. That's the whole point, really. (Though, I must say, with Lochcarron's fabric one can hardly tell the good face from the bad face).

[sutherland]

Thank you all for your welcome and advice, seems like I've been fretting over nothing, now I can get on with the job.


ps. A secial thanks to Barbara and Elsie for The Art of Kiltmaking, superb book.

__________________

Measure twice, cut once.

[RockyR]

I'd suggest lying the cloth flat on your bed or couch or wherever. CLOSELY inspect the entire length of cloth. Any and ALL flaws should be on only 1 side of the cloth. Forget which way the twill runs ( / or \ ) and use the side with NO flaws. Odds are, that was the 'face' anyway.

[Kiltman]

Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome

I always like to look at the reasons why we do things. The only reason why it is traditional for the twill lines to run in a certain direction in a kilt is because that's the "good face" of the cloth -- the side that doesn't have knots and things on it. So that's the face that you'd want on the outside of your clothing.

In other words, there is nothing magical about the twill lines running in one direction or the other. The point is to have the good face of the cloth on the outside of your garment.

So when you are dealing with cloth like Lochcarron's Strome weight, where the twill line runs the opposite direction as normal, what do you do?

Speaking for myself, I make the kilt with the good face of the fabric out. That's the whole point, really. (Though, I must say, with Lochcarron's fabric one can hardly tell the good face from the bad face).

Several years ago I had a similar question and was given the advise that Matt gives here. Probably only someone else who makes kilts is going to have any concern with the direction of the twill as long as it looks good.
Welcome to the forum.