Inside out Kilts

[RReid]

One thing that comes up from time to time here at Celtic Corner, that drives our kilt maker potty is inside out kilts! We find that there are people making kilts using the backside of the tartan. For those not aware, the diagonal of the weave should go from top left to bottom right of the apron, when looking at it and the selvedge at the bottom. I've attached a photo for reference. This may seem like a small detail, but actually is quite a big deal, as the weaver is making the tartan with a right(face) side and wrong side(back).

[davidlpope]

Is this true for all mills? I thought that one of the mill's (Lochcarron's?) twill deliberately ran the "wrong" way...

[YOJiMBO20]

Really? I'm pretty sure most kilts I've seen have been the other way. I'd check mine, but it's currently at the tailor.

[The Wizard of BC]

Which side of the fabric is the 'right' or 'up' face is a product of the loom used to weave it. Those mills using rapier looms such as Lochcarron and Marton Mills will have the twill lines running from lower right to upper left as it is seen on the loom. This results in it going the opposite direction when rotated to make a kilt.

[Mike in Dayton]

Which side of the fabric is the 'right' or 'up' face is a product of the loom used to weave it. Those mills using rapier looms such as Lochcarron and Marton Mills will have the twill lines running from lower right to upper left as it is seen on the loom. This results in it going the opposite direction when rotated to make a kilt.

Standards do change don't they. Based on what Steve presented in the last kilt class I attended it is not as easy today to say the lines have to run a certain way. Looks like whoever designed the Rapier looms changed the rules a bit.

[RReid]

Should be just the one direcion.

[OC Richard]

When I took an Elsie Stuehmeyer kiltmaking class she explained that it varies from mill to mill. She closely examined each piece of tartan and told us which side was the top side.

My fabric, from Lochcarron, was backwards to most of the other kilts in the class.

[Tarheel]

Well my Confederate Memorial kilt is "bass-ackwards"by RReid's original post, unless I only take photos of it in mirrors. Then the twill lines run top left to bottom right. How many of us checked our kilts? Show of hands.

[Barb T]

Although the traditional right side of the fabric gave a twill line that diagonals down to the left from the right hip, what really matters is how the kilt looks. If the tuck-in selvedge looks better on the side where the twill line goes the other way, then that's the way the kilt should be made. If the slubs (the places where a thread is joined) are on the side you think you want to use for the face, then either use the other side or very carefully spread the threads of the weave apart and push the slubs to the other side. Do NOT cut them off, or you will have a hole in your tartan. I've commonly pushed slubs through to the other side if there's one slub in an unfortunate place and I can give the kilt a traditional twill diagonal by moving the slub to the other side of the fabric.

[Steve Ashton]

Barb Tewksbury, "The Slub Hunter". On The Kilt Network this fall.