First DIY kilt underway

[David Thorpe]

Finally got in a first pleat that I can live with, after 7 attempts. Only 22 more to go!

[David Thorpe]

It isn't possible for me to cross my right leg, nor to secure tartan under my right thigh due to an old but permanent injury. Another light bulb switched on this morning...

Simple quick clamp from the wood shop. It works, not as well as Barb T.'s method, but well enough to keep pleats and lines where they need to be for stitching.
Picking up momentum on the learning curve...

[ChattanCat]

Others have also had some problems and found that the clamp method works!

Kilt on,

[flyrod6057]

Pins work, too. I managed to sew up a kilt without crossing leg over; one needs to discover what works for them. In my case it was a recliner with arms to wedge fabric against. The kilt turned out fine, straight lines and everything. If a clamp is working for you, then I say run with it! No one grades on technique; only the finished product gets a look!

Looking forward to more pics! best of luck to you.....

[dh20318]

Just finished my first kilt and have been wearing it ever since. Didn't use an expensive fabric, and used a box pleat as described in the tutorial in this group. Actually compared notes from the two tutorials that are available on this site in order to understand the larger pleat behind the over and the under aprons. I ended up hemming the fabric and sewing in the pleat edges on the outside and on the inside and used denim as my reinforcing canvas so as to prevent the pleats from being stretched in the wearing. I am having a little challenge wearing it as to the additional 'constitution' or waist measurement and where I normally my jeans belt so, I have found the whole thing looks better with a pull over top where the waist band covers the top of the kilt! I found that the very modest fabric cost became apparent when the sporran that I have tended to cause the fabric to produce little balls on the surface of the fabric where it rubbed the back of the sporran...lesson number 47 invest in a little better fabric for the next one! Duh! I also discovered that not having much of a rump, the weight of the sporran and kilt tended to slip down unless I cinched up the belt to a pretty snug buckle hole! Found a buckle on a belt at a flea market that I thought would set off the kilt but was a bit embarrassed when the buckle broke on my way into Wall-Mart and had to make a hasty retreat to the car! Lesson #48, make sure that you have some wearing experienced belts and safety pins or Velcro on both the under apron and over apron just in case the belt fails! When I successfully take and load pics of my first effort at kilt making, I will post them to this site.

[David Thorpe]

Finally starting to look a wee bit like a kilt. Some of my pleats are a little bit puckered. I'm hoping that they will press out.

[David Thorpe]

Center pleat is in! Within 1/4" of target at the waist, no skew (I was concerned about that), stripes do not wander and are centered, horizontal lines and borders lined up. On close inspection, I am fairly confident that the puckers will press out.
Barb T.'s instructions are demanding, but if followed conscientiously, they work, even for a rank rookie.
Time to set up the second side...

[bonnie heather]

Your pleats are looking really nice. Good work! When I sew each pleat, I pin at the waist and at the hip. Then I pull the pleat taut with my fingers and pin between those points. I tried the clamp with thighs method, but it didn't work for me. Your clamping method seems like a good idea.

[cryerelizabeth]

yeah when I worked on pleats I would pin them where i wanted it to be, then I'd just stitch them without clamping or anything... Works for me !

[David Thorpe]

Don't know if I could stitch pleats without being able to stretch the fabric vertically at least a bit. But I am admittedly a rank amateur rookie.

Started on the right side pleats. 15 in, 8 more to go. They're going in smoother and faster now.