Adjustments for scaling with very small kilts

[Barb T]

What a handsome collection of kilts!!!

[Michael A]

Thanks Barb!

[neloon]

You are surrounded by lovely ladies with lovely kilts.

Alan

[MacQueennie]

I have to make my girls' kilts and sashes (8 &11) myself (along with my shawl) as the finished kilts would not arrive in time for our vows renewal ceremony! I'm a beginning sewer so I can do the basics but I have NEVER made a piece of clothing just pillows, seams, holes, and buttons LOL. Should I add 50% more fabric to my order to account for the kilts' wrapping and pleating or double it? I know how to do hidden seams (sort of) on the machine but can I just hand pleat the kilts instead of sewing them at the top first like I'm doing my husband's great kilt? I assume the rest is simply accurately measuring the waist/hips and adding seams and fasteners? Please help. I would really like to not have to pay even more for a professional tailor if I can help it. Thanks

[Barb T]

Deep breaths! So the first question to answer is whether you want to make something that looks like a kilt or whether you need something that is really built like a traditional kilt. If the former, you can get by with any plaid fabric you find and just make your girls each something that pretty much looks like a kilt. If you really want to make a trad kilt, you'll spend a lot on kilting tartan, and you might want to order The Art of Kiltmaking (www.celticdragonpress.com). Having said that, it takes a beginner about 40 hours to make a full trad, hand-stitched kilt with all the interior construction, and it sounds like you don't have nearly enough time, especially since you have to get tartan too. Making each of them something more like the great kilt you're making for your husband would be a fine alternative, as would a couple of nice simple gathered tartan skirts.

[Michael A]

For my daughters' kilts I used 2 yards of double width fabric, which ripped to 4 yards of single width. Since their kilt length was between 15-17 inches, I now have enough left over for a toddler kilt too from each kilt. For girls I used Strathmore 11Oz tartan. It's a beautiful, soft fabric with no itching and is light for children. It also comes with a kilting selvedge so you don't have to sew a hem. It can be obtained (depending on which tartan used) via Scotweb (use the link above for 10% off).

Some measurements in TAoK I changed for little ones. The 9 inches on the underapron tuck-in was shrunken to 6-7 inches. Likewise, the distance from the centre stripe on the underapron to the last pleat was reduced from 1/2 apron hip + 15-17 to +12-13 inches, otherwise the deep pleat would have been enormous (causing sagging and wasting fabric).

As a matter of preference, I used 3/4 inch straps and buckles for the kids, and only a 1 inch rise rather than 2 inches.

As a novice of 7 kilts, a child's kilt takes me a week to do, when working full-time as well.

As Barb said, don't rush things. When I rush things I make mistakes. But do get Barb's book and follow it to the letter, save for scaling down as above.

[MacQueennie]

Deep breaths! So the first question to answer is whether you want to make something that looks like a kilt or whether you need something that is really built like a traditional kilt. If the former, you can get by with any plaid fabric you find and just make your girls each something that pretty much looks like a kilt. If you really want to make a trad kilt, you'll spend a lot on kilting tartan, and you might want to order The Art of Kiltmaking (www.celticdragonpress.com). Having said that, it takes a beginner about 40 hours to make a full trad, hand-stitched kilt with all the interior construction, and it sounds like you don't have nearly enough time, especially since you have to get tartan too. Making each of them something more like the great kilt you're making for your husband would be a fine alternative, as would a couple of nice simple gathered tartan skirts.

Wow, I didn't realize it would take so long and you are absolutely right, I don't have the time to do full traditional kilts. I think having something that looks like a kilt will do for now. I like the idea of doing a "wrap" type of skirt with the material for our ceremony then taking my time to make the traditional kilts for the girls later. I'll try to find some videos of ways to wrap and post pics afterward. Thanks for the advice!

[Stasher]

I am new to this group!
I am an experienced seamstress, and love making clothes for my grandchildren - birthday dresses, flamenco practice skirts, Alice-in-Wonderland costumes.... and more practical clothing as well.
Now I am contemplating a 51" length of double width tartan with a HUGE sett of 26cm, the Ross Red Modern tartan in Strathmore's T7 weight. (dealing with the sett is another challenge)
There are two little sisters, age two and four for whom this piece of tartan were intended by a well-meaning aunt.
I think that I can get two skirts from the width, for example one of 16" and one of 13", with 4" remaining for the waistband. I just don't know what lengths to make them!

Does one include a rise for a small child's kilt? The older child's waist-knee measurement is 13". Would I add a 2" rise (total 15" with selvedge bottom), or add a 1" rise and 2"hem (16" total cut)? or no rise at all?

Her waist is presently 19.75" and hip is 22" I am thinking of making the kilt a bit bigger - maybe 22" waist and 24" hip. I wouldn't mind practicing the splitting and tapering required for grownup kilts. Maybe changing the apron and pleats splits by 3/8"? e.g: 11-3/8 apron waist and 10-5/8" pleat waist etc. just a guess. I think that by the time this slim child reaches these horizontal measurements, her waist-knee measure would be about 15". So, perhaps that 16" length with 1"rise and 2" hem makes sense. Is it possible to lengthen the fell with a few stitches if there is growth between waist and hip?

For the younger girl, I am tempted to do the traditional method described earlier in the thread, but use braces made from the tartan rather than a vest to hold the skirt in position (such straps could be lengthened as the child grows, and the hem could be let out).

This is enough. If I see anyone is interested in the challenge I face, I will proceed to discuss the pleating difficulties! I will just say that whether box or knife, I assume that pleating to the stripe is best for this big set.

[Stasher]

[QUOTE=Michael A;1339302]
Some measurements in TAoK I changed for little ones. The 9 inches on the underapron tuck-in was shrunken to 6-7 inches. Likewise, the distance from the centre stripe on the underapron to the last pleat was reduced from 1/2 apron hip + 15-17 to +12-13 inches........

As a matter of preference, I used ..... a 1 inch rise rather than 2 inches.

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Michael, I hadn't seen your posting of the details before I added my post to this thread. I see that a 1" rise worked for you, also the horizontal scaling you described. Question: did you taper the waist-hip area? did you adjust the splits? The skirts fit so beautifully I think you must have! Any advice?

[Michael A]

Hi Stasher,

The McBeath and McKinlay tartan kilts are made from 11Oz DC Dalgleish, whereas the smallest is made from Strathmore W60, a universally reviled fabric!

That dark pink/reddish (Forrester) tartan kilt on my youngest daughter was the second ever kilt I made and at the time I write down the waist measurement wrong by two inches! So then I let out the underapron but not the apron, so it’s all wrong - please disregard that kilt.

Yes I do taper for children’s kilts, even for toddlers, warning that they had better either have some younger siblings soonish or that they might have to keep it for 20 years or so for their own wee ones to wear! 11Oz seems to work nicely for the small kilts, especially for girls, as it is so light and not at all scratchy. Yes, the splits are asymmetric, but not by much. Young children tend to poke their tummy out a bit, so there needs to be a waist pleat measurement smaller than the apron.