F&K remnant 11 oz Poly/Wool advice?

**Perldog007** · 2nd September 07, 12:47 PM

I have secured a copy of "The Art of Kiltmaking". Before I got into expensive tartan fabric, decided to have a go with the F&K green/grey poly/wool remnant.

Does anybody have any experience putting together a trad style kilt with 110z poly wool?

Any particular caveats?

Any advice on deviations if any from instructions for working with regular wool tartan?

Thanks for any input -- Doug

**MacWage** · 2nd September 07, 12:51 PM

Well, F&K's fabric tends to feel and act like one that is lighter than it actually is.
So, it wouldn't be my first choice.
For a box pleat, I'd say "no." It would not be "recommended."
For a knife pleat, it is doable, but will be a VERY light kilt.

**Perldog007** · 2nd September 07, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by MacWage

Well, F&K's fabric tends to feel and act like one that is lighter than it actually is.
So, it wouldn't be my first choice.
For a box pleat, I'd say "no." It would not be "recommended."
For a knife pleat, it is doable, but will be a VERY light kilt.

Yeah, I am pretty well on the fence about starting this project. On the one hand, I really like trad looking kilts that can be machine washed. My world appreciates those.

On the other hand, don't want to put in 40 hours and have something that can't be worn. Was hoping somebody else had tried it.

**BEEDEE** · 2nd September 07, 02:24 PM

Check out my thread here for two kilts I made with the F&K grey-green.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ghlight=beedee

I machine sewed the knife pleat version as I am left handed and hand stitching doesn't work well when you are left handed. I wear both regularly - the box pleat is a little light and you have to take care in the wind but have not had that problem with the knife pleat. PM me if you have any other questions.

Brian

**James MacMillan** · 2nd September 07, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by BEEDEE

I machine sewed the knife pleat version as I am left handed and hand stitching doesn't work well when you are left handed.

Please explain how being right or left handed makes a difference with hand sewing. My Maternal Grand Mother was left handed and she made so many things, to include a pretty nice kilt, that I can't even begin to count. All were hand sewn.

All the surviving grandchildren have many things that she made that they hold as prized possessions.

I don't sew, (other than a botton or a rip or a pair of flashes) so maybe I just don't get it?

**Pleater** · 2nd September 07, 03:40 PM

I have given up putting kilts into the washing machine, even those which are made of a machine washable fabric.

The agitation tends to wear the edges of the pleats, and the length of the fabric seems to make it likely to get damaged on the hem or edge.

This only really became apparent after a couple of years, so if you are going to make and then throw away on - say - a yearly basis fine - otherwise I'd say hand wash. I have a separate spin dryer and find that the sturdier kilts are fine in that as long as they are rolled into a cylinder and coiled around the drum. The all wool ones are rolled and squashed inside towels, mostly because they are washed upstairs and the spin dryer is downstairs, but I would put them into a pillow case or wrap them up in a bit of sheet for protection before putting them into the spinner, and for a short spin only.

Here in England - on the South coast near the sea, it is often humid, or raining, and I like to get things as dry as possible as quickly as possible. Things which are left damp for a couple of days can develop a rather musty smell.

If the fabric is really likely to fly, you could try using it double, securing the two layers together on the underside of pleats where it is not likely to show, or use a good length of fabric, lots of pleats, and sew a tape or ribbon to the edge on the inside, use a toning colour a bit darker than the overall colour of the kilt, so as to weight it down.

**turpin** · 2nd September 07, 04:26 PM

You can still get some of the damaged X-Marks tartan for F&K at $18 CDN. That'll do a good box pleat.

**BEEDEE** · 2nd September 07, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by James MacMillan

Please explain how being right or left handed makes a difference with hand sewing. My Maternal Grand Mother was left handed and she made so many things, to include a pretty nice kilt, that I can't even begin to count. All were hand sewn.

All the surviving grandchildren have many things that she made that they hold as prized possessions.

I don't sew, (other than a botton or a rip or a pair of flashes) so maybe I just don't get it?

I'm going from Barb Tewksbury's book The Art of Kiltmaking where she explains why hand sewing a kilt is a right handed affair. It has to do with the way you hold the pleat and make the stitch and I haven't figured a way to reverse the action.

Brian

**turpin** · 3rd September 07, 08:28 AM

I think it was Wompet who attended a Kilt Kamp and he managed to sew his up lefty. maybe he'll weigh in.

**Wompet** · 3rd September 07, 02:57 PM

I was able to switch almost every step to my left hand except sewing the pleats. For the pleats, I needed to use my left hand to hold the fabric/keep the proper tension while I completed the hidden stitches with my right hand. I tried to switch hands, but I found that I kept the tension better with my dominant left hand, and the angle of the stitching felt better with the right hand.

Sorry 'bout the hijack, but Turpin asked for me by name. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.