Lets Spice it up in here...

[sydnie7]

What a great idea for pleats...visions of Hawaiian shirt patterns in underpleats....

Ron

Great job on the chilis and great idea about Hawaiian prints -- challenge will be mating the relatively lightweight H-shirt material to something substantial enough for X-Kilt outer layers. . . let's see who is first to get it right!

[Wolfgore]

Great job on the chilis and great idea about Hawaiian prints -- challenge will be mating the relatively lightweight H-shirt material to something substantial enough for X-Kilt outer layers. . . let's see who is first to get it right!

Not a problem.
The material I have been using is light weight (think light shirt) material.
I just sew the inserts to the kilt material, then pleat.
It is kind of a pain in the ****, but I really like the look so I think it is worth the extra work.

[sydnie7]

Are you piecing the work -- i.e. a seam on each outer vertical -- or are you layering the accent material on top of the kilt material, so that the inner portion of the pleat is double thickness? Piecing seems like the way to go (a la Star's X-Marks cheerleader skirt, if you saw that thread) but either way is a whole lotta work -- but looks worth it!

I would still choose fabrics carefully. For example, my first thought was a light green denim I have on hand, destined for an X-Kilt, and coincidentally some green-background Hawaiian print material originally purchased for a shirt. But the denim tends to curl when cut, and the print pattern is too large to show nicely in a pleat -- so I'll wait, and select "bespoke" materials before tackling this one.

[Wolfgore]

Are you piecing the work -- i.e. a seam on each outer vertical -- or are you layering the accent material on top of the kilt material, so that the inner portion of the pleat is double thickness? Piecing seems like the way to go (a la Star's X-Marks cheerleader skirt, if you saw that thread) but either way is a whole lotta work -- but looks worth it!

I would still choose fabrics carefully. For example, my first thought was a light green denim I have on hand, destined for an X-Kilt, and coincidentally some green-background Hawaiian print material originally purchased for a shirt. But the denim tends to curl when cut, and the print pattern is too large to show nicely in a pleat -- so I'll wait, and select "bespoke" materials before tackling this one.

I am layering the material on top, then stitching it down.
Yes, this gives you a double thickness of material in the pleats.
The material I have been using for inserts is very light, so it just adds some weight to the kilt and helps the hang and sway factor.
I have been eyeing some Poly/Cotton blends that aren't real heavy and think having the extra weight of another layer of material in the pleats will help make it heavier and appear fuller and sway nice.
I will be testing that theory in the next couple of weeks.
Will post pictures and let you know how it worked out when I do.