Quote Originally Posted by Kitfoxdave View Post
Glad to see you joined up! I will be interested in watching your project come to life!
I recently retired, and I am losing girth... so I am altering my kilts to fit... learning to stitch is challenging with arthritic thumbs, but it can alway be redone... on the average it takes me approximately 3 times to do a decent row of stitching... but I am improving! The folks here are super helpful with insight and good advice.

One philosiphy I have gained over the years is to stop working on a project when I get frustrated, and come back to it at a later time... otherwise it comes out lesser quality than it should be.

Again, I hope to see the results of your project!
Thank you so much! I think taking breaks is helpful. I have a tendency to want to "power through" when I reach a tough spot on a project for which I am invested, so your advice is good advice. I haven't done much since I finished a second fell stitch on the other side of the tartan. I think that I didn't have enough tension on the fabric on either side, since the middle of the fabric was the hardest to deal with while I was working on my stitching. I saw The Bearded Kilter's 4 yard kilt series on YouTube, and he had clamps on the top and bottom of his pleats to maintain tension while sewing, and I think that is an interesting approach. That may be helpful if you are having a hard time getting enough pressure with your non-stitching hand thumb while working.

Please post your progress, too!