Hemming a Kilt

[Kilted Cole]

Is there any real good way to hemm a kilt after it's been made?

[rlloyd]

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...hemming-68766/
Should find this helpful, though there may be a more picturesque guide elsewhere.

[Tobus]

Yup, using the search function will find you lots of references to hemming a kilt. It's a fairly simple process, and the best way to do it is with a blind stitch. Some final pressing, a bit of attention to the kick pleats, and it's done.

I had one of my kilts hemmed by a local seamstress. She did a good job except that she totally ignored the kick pleat area, and so I need to go back and do that little folding bit myself. But to be quite honest, I'm not that thrilled with the kilt after hemming. So I may just get rid of it.

[auld argonian]

I feel your pain...I'm still sitting on some yardage of the XMTS wool tartan from F&K that has the "bad selvedge". Either I have to get real creative or hem it up over the bad selvedge to make a kilt out of it.

And just to be straight up and to not cast Fraser and Kirkbright in a bad light, this was the stuff that was clearly sold as having a weird selvedge and caveat emptor. Just was priced to move so I picked it up...in all other respects it is not only okay, it is awesome.

Best

AA

[thescot]

I have a faily unpopular opinion about kilt shortening, so let me warm you about that up front.

Personally, I would never hem a kilt. Not under any circumstances or by anyone, even the best kilt makers on this site. Also, I would not wear a hemmed kilt. There's no way the doubled cloth will swing or fall the same as a single layer would.

But I would arrange to cut one off at the bottom. There is a way it's done, and I understand the regiments did it this way too. I am quoting an old post from Jimmy Carbomb here:

"What do a LOAD of the kiltmakers do when the altering requires that the length be shortened more than 1.5"? The majority CUT the wool, and produce a new selvedge with... get this... paraffin. This is not the normal candle paraffin wax, but a paraffin that's of a much higher quality. It does not turn white, does not dry stiff, and does not show in the wool.

It's heated to a liquid point, applied with a stiff brush (which allows it to be pushed into the fabric on the UNDERSIDE), and then dried. Once dried, it is ironed into the fabric on a light setting (on the FRONT SIDE). Any excess can easily be brushed away with a horse hair paintbrush... and the patience of an archaeologist.

Washing the kilt will not affect the paraffin. It's a natural deterrant to water. I was AMAZED at the look after it was done. I was even given a wool sample, some paraffin and shown how to do it. It was so easy that even I got it right!"
You can read in So You're Going to Wear the Kilt about it, too, but not with so much detail. Cutting the selvidge off straight is the greatest trick. I think they generally run a stitich all the way around and then cut along the stitch. If you've ever picked a thread out of a fairly large piece of material to get a straight cut, then you know how tedious this must be; it is not for the impatient!

I've seen material cut and treated this way, and the bottom ended up looking like selvedge. However, there's no way the very best hem would even look like anything but the very best hem, and it would remind you of it everytime you sat down and looked at it.

Now all the advocates from hemming can unload on me. Use both barrells, but there's no way I'll ever advocate hemming a kilt!

[Barb T.]

It's not ideal to hem a kilt, but, if done well, it's really hard to notice. I've hemmed a few of our 16 oz band kilts, and our dress and deportment curmudgeon couldn't pick the hemmed one out of a line-up.

[thescot]

You can look this up:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...altering-9507/

[Panache]

K C

It certainly can be done, below is a link to a photo tutorial my lovely wife did a while back

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...llwater-25188/

Cheers

Jamie

[Pleater]

The pressing is really important, as you need to establish whatever depth is turned up being folded entirely opposite to what it was originally.

I'd start by pressing out the folds of the pleats all along the edge, as when I am going to hem a kilt I never press in the folds in the first place.

Carefully fold and press on the line you want as the new edge, then use a padded board to press in every fold, both inside and outside.

When sewing the hem don't align the threads exactly - the fabric will not be able to lie exactly in line as the folds on the outside of the kilt will push the turned up fabric away from the edge, but the folds on the inside require more fabric so the turn up can wrap around the outside of the fold. Allowing the fabric to lie easily will tend to disguise the presence of the hem.

Not every kilt is all wool,and not every fabric has a presentable selvedge - I am assuming that the pressing will be done according to the requirements of the fabric so as not to damage it.

Anne the Pleater

[flyingshamrock]

This is great! I was wondering how to shorten my SWK kilts. They are like an inch too long. Thank you...