I've always liked the Lindsay tartan. The deep wine-red color appeals to me. Since that's the case I bought 6 yards of it some time ago for the X-Skirt experiment....an experiment along the lines of the X-Kilt, but that never really caught on here at X-Marks.

Besides, as I age, I discover that I look better standing next to some sweet young thing, even if said "thing" is married to another gentleman.. Well, the F-H.C.A.G. is sweet and young, and often available for standing next to, and I did make her a Lindsay skirt, so I might as well make myself a Lindsay kilt to stand next to her in, don'tchathink?

Ergo....the 6 yards of lightish-weight Lindsay 60/40 wool/polyester from Fraser and Kirkbright....the stuff left over from the X-Skirt experiment, is taking form on the kitchen table right now. The piece I have is 26 1/2 inches wide (and 6 yards long) which is cutting it mighty close, eh? Not only that, but it's raw-edge on all sides, as I used the nice selvedged edges to make the skirts. So since I didn't have a lot to work with I had to grit my teeth, serge the bedickens out of one edge, turn it up as little as I could get away with, and hem it. Since I was starting out "compromised" from the git-go I didn't bother to blind-stitch the hem, I just sewed it down about 1/8th of an inch from the turn-over. The kilt police will shudder, but I say...I'm bigger than they are, so TOUGH. Nobody but the kilt police will care two hoots that it's hemmed.

If I *very* carefully cut off 2 1/2 inches at the top, and sew with care, I will have enough for a narrow-ish waistband and will still have a 23 1/2 inch long kilt, which is fine. I'll have enough for buckle straps, too, but I expect the sporran straps won't match the tartan pattern.. Ah, well, so be it. It's a lightweight knockaround. I have to say that so far, on the table, this is a handsome-looking kilt.

It has 24 deep pleats (the sett is 6+ inches) and I'm pleating to stripe but the stripe is VERY subtle, in fact it's so subtle that I almost can't see it in the artificial light in the house. It'll probably pop out in the sunlight, though, so I have to be careful.

The pleats are all pinned in, ditto for the over-apron, now I just have to iron the snot out of the pleats. To topstitch, or not to topstitch? I'll probably topstitch the pleats in the fell since the hem has already "compromised" this kilt.

Pics to come when it's done. Honestly, I think this one is going to look really nice, even if it's a lightweight and has some compromised details.