First try at making a kilt….so many questions!

[ddevine77]

Hello everyone. I am rather new here, and to wearing, and making. It seems like there are so many questions that I don’t know the answers to.
I am sewing my first kilt now. It will be a solid color box pleated. I had available to me some medium (approximately 10 oz) bull denim. I am planning to wear a kilt almost daily, as I have been for several months. Since it will be a daily wear I was wondering if this is a good choice? I will be making another when this one is done. Eventually I will be sewing one with a proper tartan for occasional wear. Any suggestions are welcome.

Some of my questions, in no particular order are:

1) What is the purpose of beeswax?
2) The supplement to TAoK-box pleating does not mention solid color material?
3) Any advice about adding pockets?
4) What has anyone else used for material for a utility or a casual kilt?

I am sure that I have many more but this is a start.

Thank you,
David

[Pleater]

Denim is very rigid so you might need to cut the cloth and sew down the shaping in the fell in order to get it to cooperate as it is not malleable like woollen cloth.

If the beeswax is used on the sewing thread it is to minimize the wear on the thread during sewing.

There are options for pockets at the edges of the apron within or behind the edges depending on how you like to construct them. There are also external patch pockets usually with flaps fitted on the fell where the apron is narrower than a classic kilt design.

I favour reverse kingussie kilts myself, and have found cotton fabrics which are fairly fluid to make them as it is an easier option.

Anne the Pleater

[ddevine77]

Denim is very rigid so you might need to cut the cloth and sew down the shaping in the fell in order to get it to cooperate as it is not malleable like woollen cloth.

If the beeswax is used on the sewing thread it is to minimize the wear on the thread during sewing.

There are options for pockets at the edges of the apron within or behind the edges depending on how you like to construct them. There are also external patch pockets usually with flaps fitted on the fell where the apron is narrower than a classic kilt design.

I favour reverse kingussie kilts myself, and have found cotton fabrics which are fairly fluid to make them as it is an easier option.

Anne the Pleater

Thank you Anne,

The cloth that I have seems quite soft and I have not had much trouble sewing it.

Is there a source for adding pockets?

I wasn’t able to find any information about the “reverse kingussie kilt”

Thanks again, now back to stitching.

[kilted2000]

Thank you Anne,

The cloth that I have seems quite soft and I have not had much trouble sewing it.

Is there a source for adding pockets?

I wasn’t able to find any information about the “reverse kingussie kilt”

Thanks again, now back to stitching.

Reverse Kingussie is a type of pleating. http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...ie-kilt-84115/
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1027589174757424

[Pleater]

The problem is not that it is difficult to sew but that it is difficult to distort - when shaping the fell the pleats are changed from a row of parallel folds to being narrowed into the small of the back and fitting around the hips, so no longer flat.
Cotton cloth simply doesn't distort like wool would, so cutting out the pleats after getting the seams right would be essential to create the correct shape.

Anne the Pleater

[ddevine77]

The problem is not that it is difficult to sew but that it is difficult to distort - when shaping the fell the pleats are changed from a row of parallel folds to being narrowed into the small of the back and fitting around the hips, so no longer flat.
Cotton cloth simply doesn't distort like wool would, so cutting out the pleats after getting the seams right would be essential to create the correct shape.

Anne the Pleater

Thank you Anne, Now it makes more sense. There is nothing in the box pleating addendum to TAoK, so would it be done like in the full text of TAoK, after the basting and before the steeking? Same sort of shape?

Thanks

[ddevine77]

Since I am planning to make, for starters, 3 kilts. The list of materials calls for:

3/4 to 1 yard of hair canvas
1 yard of cotton lining material

Would I need to get 3X that or how much?

Thanks again

David

[jhockin]

Since you are starting with a denim kilt, you might be interested in the instructions for the “X Kilt”:
http://modelautoracing.com/kilt/X-Kilt_final2.pdf

[ddevine77]

Since you are starting with a denim kilt, you might be interested in the instructions for the “X Kilt”:
http://modelautoracing.com/kilt/X-Kilt_final2.pdf

Thank you so much for the information. I am using this first attempt with denim so that I can learn, hopefully not making too many mistakes. My second one will be in a tartan.

David

[Waynetho]

Thank you so much for the information. I am using this first attempt with denim so that I can learn, hopefully not making too many mistakes. My second one will be in a tartan.

David

David, I'm almost one kilt ahead of you, also in dark blue denim, but I didn't use TAoK but rather the X-kilt instructions. If you choose the X-kilt method, most of it talks about box pleats but the last few pages are the reverse Kingussie (revK) addendum. I used the "revK" method for mine, with sixteen pleats. That is eight knife pleats on the left (pointing toward the back center line) and eight knife pleats on the right, both center pleats joining together in the back to make a reverse box pleat.

As of now I have a wearable but not perfect kilt. I screwed up the pockets so I'm going to remake them, the kilt is using fabric straps instead of Velcro but I'm going to replace then with leather straps for stability of the apron, and the button hole for the left strap isn't just right yet so I'm going to rework that too. My next one when I get this just right will be a Thomson gray tartan (MacTavish Gray).

I wish you luck. Just get the X-kilt document and take your time.