leather selection for kilt

[kiltedsailor]

i am thinking about makeing a leather kilt. has anyone made one with heavy leather like for a motorcycle jacket? i have a thin leather from pakistan that i like and the ladies love. also what are people sealing the leather with? my current leather is bleeding die everywhere and ive been wearing it for 4 months 2 times a week. any advise on the making of leather kilt is appreciated as ive never made any clothing or even used a sewing machine. i have one that does canvas and leather. or would saddle stitch for everything be better? thanks to all.

[ratspike]

If you don't know how to sew then making a kilt from leather isn't a good place to start. Watch some videos and read some tutorials about basic sewing. Make some simple projects. Read the X Kilt manual and make a kilt or ten out of fabric. Learn about making leather garments. See if Robert from R Kilts will share a bit of information with you. Then tackle a leather kilt.

If you jump right in at the deep end I can practically guarantee it won't end well.

[Tarheel]

Sewing (by hand or machine) of heavy material requires practice. The members that usually do heavy fabrics can discuss seams, thread weight and folds better than I can. I recommend studying the joints of other products (jeans, sails or leather chaps) for comparisons. This will give you an idea how the finished kilt will be seen by the public.

I have seen other kilts with mixed panels of fabric and leather. Imagine a box pleat with the exterior side leather and the inner pleats (which can be folded and sewn easier) out of (denim for instance). The contrast is fetching, the joints are easier to construct and you don't use all of your leather in one kilt.

These are just the thoughts of an old man with too much time on his hands today. Besides, I am hand stitching the back of my latest sporran using saddle grade leather. It is tedious work and I welcome the distraction.

[ratspike]

IIRC, Robert mentioned using something like three sides to make a kilt. I'm not sure of the weight since I don't make clothing with leather. I'd guess maybe 2oz, give or take? His leather kilts do have a very distinct look that nobody else's do, and that look is of very high quality material with a well thought out design. There are various other leather kilts available, some even made here in the US, but IMO they all look really cheap.

As for the construction, you'd definitely use a machine. I wouldn't try to do something like this with a home sewing machine. With light enough material and light enough thread you might be able to pull it off, but this kind of work really does need an industrial sewing machine. I have both a plain jane straight stitcher, which I use for kilts, and a beefy walking foot that I use for sewing Cordura and sailcloth. I've sewn belts and such on both machines but if I were making a kilt I'd probably use the walking foot for much of the work. Getting a needle through the material is the easy part. Feeding multiple layers of heavy material smoothly while still giving a nice, strong, properly tensioned stitch with the appropriate thread is another story. You're not likely to get that with a home sewing machine.

Leather, like Cordura and other nylon fabrics, is an unforgiving material to sew with in many ways. That's why I suggested having a good few kilts in fabric under your belt first. Having a fairly solid understanding of what you're doing, and what you want to make, will ensure a much more successful project.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Yep, that would be a pretty tricky and potentially expensive project, and an awful lot to bite off for a beginning sewing project. Leather varies in stiffness, but I have some 2 oz. (.8mm thick) garment leather that I use for the soft sidewalls of sporrans and I can't imagine a kilt made from anything heavier than that. It would probably be considered "sturdy jacket leather". I also measured a raw edge inside a leather sportcoat I own with my micrometer and it measured .6mm (about 1.5 oz.). That might make a decent kilt.

Typical seams on leather garments are machine sewn with a straight stitch using somewhere around 8-10 stitches per inch, a #14 or #16 needle and V30 or V46 thread. Most good home machines will sew that sort of stuff. Generally with most sewing projects if you are having to sew through more than four layers of "fabric" you have something wrong with your design, and decent home machines that will sew blue jeans would be workable for four layers of 1oz. to 2 oz. leather (but not much more). However, feeding evenly can be a problem on light leather. Most of the stuff that looks and feels like real leather (rather than something looking plastic coated) is kind of sticky. A walking foot, which pulls the leather through both from the top and the bottom will usually feed the leather through much better and more evenly. There are also roller feet attachments available for non-walking machines, specifically designed for sewing sticky stuff like leather or vinyl. Not as good as a walker, but they do work. A leather kilt would not be something to attempt with a bargain sewing machine.

After sewing, the seams are then opened flat, folding the seam allowance on the reverse side back to either side of the joint. These "flaps" are then glued down with leather cement (or rubber cement) and pounded flat with a mallet. This minimizes the bulk and makes the seams neat and clean looking. Some seams are also then topstitched on the outside for a more finished appearance. When topstitching every stitch shows, good or bad, and unlike tweed and tartan, there are no do-overs with leather. A line of stitch holes is permanent.

As suggested, some easier projects (in leather or other materials) would be the place to start. Leather is really fun to sew, but you want to have some experience and know how your machine works before diving into a big leather project. Learning how to make a kilt, how to adjust and run a sewing machine and how to work with leather all at the same time doesn't sound like a very safe plan.

[figheadair]

i am thinking about makeing a leather kilt. has anyone made one with heavy leather like for a motorcycle jacket? i have a thin leather from pakistan that i like and the ladies love. also what are people sealing the leather with? my current leather is bleeding die everywhere and ive been wearing it for 4 months 2 times a week. any advise on the making of leather kilt is appreciated as ive never made any clothing or even used a sewing machine. i have one that does canvas and leather. or would saddle stitch for everything be better? thanks to all.

Call me old fashioned and I don’t wish to appear impertinent but I'm bound to ask - why? Just because one can conflate the costumes from Games of Thrones and Braveheart is not an argument for doing so.

[MNlad]

A hearty 'aye' to all of Todd's comments. Leather is a whole different animal when it comes to sewing. On lighter leathers there is a tendency for the two pieces being joined to move at different rates in front of the machine foot if they are not tacked together with an adhesive first. The longer the length of leather, the greater the problem. A walking foot helps greatly, but that's not your typical home machine. And there are no "do overs." There is no way too erase a line of needle marks.

Not to discourage you, but a leather kilt is a tall order for a beginning sewer.

[kiltedsailor]

thanks everyone. i actualy have a heavy duty home model and a comertial model machine. all my leather exp is hand sewn (saddle stitch) small things like sheaths and such from thick stock and its been many years since. i do have a few cotton and a few wool projects i been thinking about as well. i also have 3 differant seamstress in the family that can help me get back up to speed sewing. as well teach me to use machine.

[Tarheel]

i also have 3 differant seamstress in the family that can help me get back up to speed sewing. as well teach me to use machine.

With hands on experience in leather, and machine workers at hand to help, you seem to have everything in line to continue.

Most of my own frustration with leather is due to my impatience in finishing the project. Good luck with the process.