How to adjust the apron for 12-pack abs?

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Let me just say first that I am happy that you think I have 6 pack abs. Most people wouldn't notice, as I have lately been keeping my 6-pack protected in a large styrofoam cooler -- just to keep 'em cool, you know. :-) I also think it's funny you named your 12-pack guy Sam, as that's my brother's name, and he's thinner than I am.

As to the issue at hand, I think you are overthinking this somewhat. One thing you are missing is that cloth is more flexible and drapes entirely different than cardboard or posterboard.

When making a kilt for someone whose waist is larger than their hips, there is no "negative taper." You essentially ignore the hip measurement in that case, and more or less carry the waist measurement down. So, for instance, if a person's waist is 47" and their hips only 44", then I use the 47" measurement on their hip, as well.

And actually, I still make the hips a bit larger. I still add the 2" increase to the apron, to maintain the proper apron shape, but then in the pleats, I just make them the same measurements at waist and hip. So there is no taper at all in the pleats.

This has always worked well for me, though I suppose I may have to adjust my method somewhat if I had a client who had a "bubble butt" (where your seat comes out quite a bit from the small of your back). Most men I find don't have that much junk in their trunk (if I may), and so it's not an issue.

In fact the issue I have to deal with most in men of substance is the exact opposite. All of the extra girth is in the front, in their stomach, and their rear ends are rather non-existent by comparison. I drew some lines on your graphic to illustrate what I mean.


You can see in 6-pack man that the median line down the center of his profile essentially bisects the kilt. You want the pleats to start and end at this line, meaning in this case about half the kilt will be pleats, and half apron. Now, in Mr. 12-pack, if we draw a bisecting line down the same place in his body, he has much more of his kilt in the front than in the back. This means if we want the pleats to begin at this mid-point, we actually should make the apron larger than the pleated portion of the kilt. And so often when making kilts for men of substance, I will make the aprons larger than the pleats to maintain this balanced look when the kilt is being worn.

[Friday]

Let me just say first that I am happy that you think I have 6 pack abs. Most people wouldn't notice, as I have lately been keeping my 6-pack protected in a large styrofoam cooler -- just to keep 'em cool, you know. :-) I also think it's funny you named your 12-pack guy Sam, as that's my brother's name, and he's thinner than I am.

Matt from all your pictures at most I could see a 8-pack, where as I seem closer to a kegger, and not that this would ever have been said before, "Mommy, Sammy made me do it."

You can see in 6-pack man that the median line down the center of his profile essentially bisects the kilt. You want the pleats to start and end at this line, meaning in this case about half the kilt will be pleats, and half apron. Now, in Mr. 12-pack, if we draw a bisecting line down the same place in his body, he has much more of his kilt in the front than in the back. This means if we want the pleats to begin at this mid-point, we actually should make the apron larger than the pleated portion of the kilt. And so often when making kilts for men of substance, I will make the aprons larger than the pleats to maintain this balanced look when the kilt is being worn.

To use a reference point, knowing that it is not extremely accurate, the pleat and apron should meet about at a line roughly where the hang straight down from the shoulders. Or about at the point of the hip bone.

I recently got some PV for a dollar a yard at Wal-Mart. This is reminiscent of the Cunningham tartan (the world prettiest tartan ). I am going to turn this into a kilt, I'll apply your suggestions, now the problem is which style of box pleats. Back to reread Military Box-Pleats: some questions for the rabble.

[sydnie7]

Another tactic that I've used relates to that vertical line that Matt added to your drawings. If we pretend that the fellow is wearing p@nts, that would be where the side seams sit. So I measure my victims "half waist" and "half hips" -- that is, measuring from side seam to side seam around the back, then around the front of waist. Similarly I measure around the back of the hips. Adding the "front half waist" to the "back half hips" gives me my final hip measurement, plus a little for give/ease as Matt mentions.

The apron shaping question is a great one and I'll be following the discussion!

[Friday]

sydnie7 that is/was my intent with the poster board, bring the front half waist down to the half hips measurement. Since I am measuring myself, this is easy. However, Matt probably does not see most of his customers in person. Hands on measurements are hard to do over the internet. as with many things "there are many ways to skin a cat."

It is just that cats don't like any of them.

[Jon Lilley]

Sorry I'm late to this 'party' everyone. I went to 'kilt camp' (Troy, NY) again this summer and we talked about this very problem at length, because I have almost the same issue. Matt's suggestion of using the waist measurement all the way down is correct. It's the way it's done. It's also a lot easier when you start sewing pleats, too.

The trick to wearing the kilt is to have it up where it's supposed to be (at the navel or there abouts) AND to hitch your sporran chains up over the top buckles adjusting so it hangs right over your 'nose'. Doing this, the chain won't hang down around your '12 pack' accentuating them and causing the aprons to raise and turn into curtains. You won't need to revert to sporran hangers either.

Hope this helps,

Jon

[Friday]

Thank you all for the information. I have pulled my copy of The Art of Kiltmaking and will read it again and pay more attention on shaping the apron.

However, I think I will continue to measures incorrectly using either sydnie7's side seam or my poster board method.