One Year of X-Kilts; chime in!

[creativeaccents]

With several nice fabrics now, I am ready to begin an X-Kilt and one from Barbara's book. I would love to review the various modifications or additional sorts of add-ons that folks have come up with since the originals. Too, with a "dun-lop" and ample posterior, has anyone any suggestions that might affect sizing, length, or conclusions re the best front apron and pleat depths? Lastly, any plans for an updated or otherwise modified release. Would be glad to help in any way possible.

[Alan H]

With several nice fabrics now, I am ready to begin an X-Kilt and one from Barbara's book. I would love to review the various modifications or additional sorts of add-ons that folks have come up with since the originals. Too, with a "dun-lop" and ample posterior, has anyone any suggestions that might affect sizing, length, or conclusions re the best front apron and pleat depths? Lastly, any plans for an updated or otherwise modified release. Would be glad to help in any way possible.

I'm in disucssion with a highly esteemed member of this forum about if and how the X-Kilt instructions will fit into a hopefully-soon-coming book on kiltmaking. We're at the very beginning of thinking it out, and so don't look for anything terribly soon.

HOWEVER, I'm intending to make some changes and updates to the text, at least, over the next few weeks. That, at the very least, will get done.

The "Third Edition" of the X-Kilt manual, if it comes out, will incorporate about 20 more photos of the process. I will beg Tartan Hiker and the F-H.C.A.G. to use some of their photos, snap some more of my own, and sneak 'em in there. I will also make some changes to the several issues that crop up over and over again....pleat depth and apron width being the primary ones.

The current downloadable edition is a 36-page pdf file. With pics and changes I fully expect that it will start to approach 50 pages.

Heck, my Master's thesis was only 60! 50 pages is a LOT more than I ever intended the manual to be, but if it works, then let's make it even a little bit better.

[Alan H]

creativeaccents, I'll repeat my current thinking on X-Kilt aprons....

Basically, forget the "intermediate width" aprons of 11+ inches. Either go narrow, like 7-10 or go full-width. "Full-width" means making an apron that approaches your half-rump measurement. So, if your butt measures 46 inches in circumference, a "half-rump" apron would be about 23 inches. In that case a 20-23 inch wide apron might work well, depending on how many pleats

Now, R-Kilts makes a mighty fine looking kilt (WalkerK has one) with an intermediate apron width. And truth be told, about 50 X-Kilts have been made with intermediate-width aprons and they look pretty darned good. I think they'd look better with some leatherwork like what Robert puts in his R-Kilts, but *hey*....this is supposed to be simplicity.

Upshot is, concerning the X-Kilt, make the apron width whatever you want, but think hard about either very narrow, or very wide.

As for X-Kilt pleat depth, well....it's a box-pleat so the pleat depth is what it is, meaning 1.25 inches. You can up that to 1.5 inches if you want, but that's about all you get without overlapping the inner creases of the pleats, and I can't see the point in that.