Some assembly allowed...Sport Kilt

**fluter** · 29th July 07, 05:46 PM

After my adventure sewing the fell of a SWK economy, I was on the point of ordering a Sport Kilt in the US St. Andrews tartan. I decided not to order its pleats sewn down, but to see what I could to with my trusty needle and thread.

The odd thing about the classic SK is roughly the opposite of the SWK economy model. The SK is built as a tube (without taper) to the target hip measure. Then whether or not the pleats are sewn down at the factory, it's gathered to the elasticized waist.

So whereas I was spreading out the pleats in the fell of the SWK, here I wanted to taper them in toward the waist. The last little bit is complicated by the gathering and elastic, as we will see. This SK was ordered with belt loops; and since SK give you 5 of them, the stitching at the bottom of the loops tends to interfere with any kind artistic tapering. The artistic kind would be done by someone other than YT, you understand.

I ended up with 2 tapered, one straight, and so forth.

Here it is flat:

Here it is on:

Looks funny at the top, but it's OK with a belt. I judge this a qualified success, as it sits better than my other SK.

Besides their extreme light weight, appreciated by many people in regions where temperature and humidity converge to triple-digits, SK has several nice tartans unavailable in PV or acrylic. This is one of them: I figured I'd get wonderful mileage from this at least two days a year:

July 4th (Independence Day for the U.S.), when it shows up as red, white, and blue.
14 Juillet (or Bastille Day on this side of the pond), when it doubles as blue, white, and red. Here I am dolled up for the 14th, with a couple of DIY ideas.

**McMurdo** · 29th July 07, 06:03 PM

Looks great with the bonnet Fluter, good for you for improving your kilt yourself.

**fluter** · 29th July 07, 06:54 PM

I left out the other two bits which I enjoyed doing for a friend's annual Bastille Day party.

The cockade on the little beret is not the Jacobite one, but a "Union cockade" circa 1780. The US folks continued to use a black cockade as they had before 1776. When France came in on our side, a white French cockade was added on top of the black one. Too bad it's invisible on the blue beret...

Then I was wishing that I had a kilt pin in the form of a fleur de lis. Well like many a guy my age, I have a box full of Boy Scout memorabilia. No pins in sight, but I applied some sticky velcro to a commemorative medallion, tacked the other side to my apron, and lo! I had a fleur de lis.

**Kid Cossack** · 29th July 07, 07:03 PM

fluter:

You've got style. I'm glad I know guys like you, even if the "knowing" is long distance and via the web.

**Perldog007** · 30th July 07, 08:27 AM

That is a sharp job on the SK.

Now my path is even clearer. Thanks for posting.

--

Doug

**fluter** · 30th July 07, 08:12 PM

Thanks, guys!

For what it's worth, when I buy another SK I'll probably let them sew the pleats down. I'm planning on getting the next shorter length to wear at low-rise. The amount of fell they allowed on my first one is about right for that (6" or so). And for the price, it looks neater than my work:

Alternatives: Remove the belt loops, play with the pleats, and put some of the belt loops back (maybe not all 5!) . Get no belt loops, make some out of the inside pocket.