Traditional, hand-sewn kilt, finally!

[BroosterB1]

No moving targets are much easier to hit. Guessing the growth rate of any male child is akin to Delphic readings, the Gods only know. Mine is 17 and going through yet another growth spurt; eating like Sherman's Army in Georgia, sleeping long into the morn, adding bulk in places he's been skin and bone; I expect one day to find I'm looking up at him, soon.

The kilt is a grand piece of work, maybe one of the girls can wear it when the lad out grows it.....Cheers!

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

...snip...

What went through your mind when you put in that last stitch?

Regards,
Rex.

You need to ask?! I was already planning the next one(s)!

...snip...

...maybe one of the girls can wear it when the lad out grows it.....Cheers!

Unfortunately, I already had that thought. Sinbad has a few kilts he's outgrown, and I tried them on my daughter yesterday...her waist is already larger than his!


One of the reasons this project took as long as it did was because I put a substantial hem and hidden pleat in the kilt (to make room for alterations "later"). Little did I know that "later" was likely going to be in a few months, rather than next year. The way I put this kilt together, it will likely fit the boy until he's a teenager, but I'm not sure I'll go through the trouble of altering it. Then again, it would be good practice, before attempting alterations on a kilt made of more expensive (i.e. not free) fabric.

So, I promised a bit of a run down on the making of this....


Coming up...

Be well,

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

First of all, I'm left-handed.

There's a lovely little bit of boxed text in The Art of Kiltmaking.

It starts with..."So, you're left handed...ummm...." and goes on to explain that if so, you're just going to have to figure something out, because there is no way to hand sew a traditional kilt left-handed.

And, following the instructions on the book to the letter, it's true. The main concern is sewing the pleats. The technique used essentially requires that one sew the pleat edges with the right hand.

So, I became ambidextrous. After all, I'd already taught myself to perform surgery right handed, because I could not afford left-hand specific needle holders and scissors when I was in school. This has been a benefit in the long run, as it's not always possible to have such instruments available.

I've been told there's a way to sew the pleats left handed, but I'm not quite sure how that is possible without changing the instructions completely.

Now, I am planning on making some "mirror-image" kilts for myself and my daughter, in which case, I'll be able to reverse the instructions and sew left handed. I wonder if it will then seem awkward to me after making this kilt?

The rest of the instructions are also written for right handed people, but can be modified (with care, with care, turn the book over, double check, triple check) to use the left hand. As a matter of fact, many aspects of the internal construction seemed to be easier from the left handed perspective. Can any other lefties chime in and confirm this?

The fact that this "tartan" was very "off" with narrower black stripes on one half of the fabric than the other also presented a challenge. I could not seem to get the pleat/apron splits to work out and had to add another pleat (turns out it was because of the pleats narrowing as the black stripe narrowed, not just my inexperience!).

Shaping the apron and underapron was a challenge-use darts as instructed, don't try to avoid them!

I didn't even know what a pressing ham was until I did this project. Neither do any of the employees of any of the fabric stores in San Jose apparently!

I stair stepped a tiny bit right at the bottom of the fell and I think I didn't put enough tension on the bottom of the fell when basting the pleats, so we have a little ripple there.

I actually cut the inside of the apron hem by accident when cutting a basting thread (not removing the basting threads, rather during the basting process itself). This is going to make alterations interesting. I figure I'll just sew an X-Marks patch over the darned spot ("darned" as in sewn, not da@#$d).

I really wish I could have done this project in the same room with Alan (AlanH) and Richard (way2fractious). Kilt Kamp 2010, here I come!

Be well,

Star

[Wompet]

Beautiful job there, Star.
Where did you get the idea of using nylon straps?

First of all, I'm left-handed.

There's a lovely little bit of boxed text in The Art of Kiltmaking.

It starts with..."So, you're left handed...ummm...." and goes on to explain that if so, you're just going to have to figure something out, because there is no way to hand sew a traditional kilt left-handed.

As a lefty two-thirds of the way through his seventh hand-sewn kilt - I love that little box.

And, following the instructions on the book to the letter, it's true. The main concern is sewing the pleats. The technique used essentially requires that one sew the pleat edges with the right hand.
...

The rest of the instructions are also written for right handed people, but can be modified (with care, with care, turn the book over, double check, triple check) to use the left hand. As a matter of fact, many aspects of the internal construction seemed to be easier from the left handed perspective. Can any other lefties chime in and confirm this?

I find that to be true. But I also had the benefit of having an experienced left-handed kiltmaker at the '07 Kilt Kamp; she showed me how to interpret most of the book for a left-hander. This was a double blessing - it made things easier for me, and it kept Elsie from muttering things in Glaswegian while she was watching me.