Doctari
05-13-2005, 12:56
To make a kilt.
Get fabric, sew in pleats, wrap around your waist and wear with pride.
Get Fabric: I got 2.5 yards of 45” light weight Wool Poly fabric, (80/20) I only need fabric 19” to 21” wide to fit from waist to top of knee to mid knee cap, so this width allowed me 5 yards of fabric to work with. I then split the fabric length wise, & sewed the ends together (I used a serger, you can use a regular sewing machine, make 2 or more passes) being careful to keep the pattern (if any) aligned. To fit the kilt to length, please use a helper for this:
For mid knee cap hem; kneel on a hard surface, place end of tape measure on floor, have your assistant read the numbers at your waist, this should be how long your kilt need be.
For top of knee; have your assistant determine where the top of your knee is (a full length mirror helps you see what is being done here) then measure from this to your waist, have your assistant read the numbers at your waist, this should be how long your kilt need be.
Then measure from your right hip(ish) left around you completely, past your right hip again to your left hip(ish). This will be your waist measurement, for later use.
I then measure from the point on my left hip to the right hip across the front to determine how long the outside apron is to be. This measurement is also handy for determining the inside apron; however my hiking kilt inside apron is rather shorter than the outside one.
The easy part is now done.
Now to sew the pleats. This part is up to you, you can overlap the pleats, or make them butt end to end. Overlapping by a few inches looks better, butting them together uses less material (lighter weight) as I had ample material, I did the former so will describe that way:
Mark the front/outside of the apron where the pleats are to start & the inside apron where they are to end (I used large safety pins) fold your first pleat (2.5” for me) pin in place, fold the next pleat to overlap this (overlap 0.5” so a 3” pleat) & each additional pleat. Pin well, as you will try on the kilt BEFORE you sew it. Pleat the kilt till you reach the length needed to fit around your waist as you measured above (from R hip around the body to L hip) this may take a few attempts. I recommend you then try on the kilt as is (get some help here) to see if it fits. If too short, make the pleats smaller, if too big/long make the pleats larger or make the inside apron smaller.
Sew along each pleat from waist to a few inches down (use your judgment, I went 3.5 inches, should have gone only 2.5 inches) Sew just on the edge of the pleat as looking from the outside. After you finish the outside, turn the kilt over & sew the same on the inside. Note: be aware of the inside pleats as you sew, stop & straighten out each front AND back pleat as you move to the next. I sew 1/16th inch from the edge of each pleat. Optional but recommended: Then sew along the length of the waistband I do it 3 times. Now would be a good time to add elastic if you are going to use it, I used an 8” piece at the small of my back, this helps hold the kilt snug as you walk. The ends are sewn 12” apart, seems to hold well enough.
Add fasteners to each apron, I used Velcro. If you are anything like me, you loose weight / girth as you hike, making the kilt very adjustable is a good idea. Mine is adjustable from 46” waist to a 36” waist, this causes the pleats to come a bit more forward than I like as I loose wt. Oh well.
If desired, sew a pocket to the front of the inside apron. I made mine out of no-see-um netting for lighter weight & better ventilation. The pocket is held closed with a stainless steel safety pin.
Also; in a breeze, your kilt can flap &/or fly up showing the world your business. This can be remedied with a kilt pin on the lower left hand corner of the outer apron. On normal days I don’t pin the aprons together, just wear the pin as decoration. However on windy days, pin the 2 together for modesty.
Hints: Doing a summersault wearing a kilt the way it was intended during the parade at Trail Days will get you arrested. Don’t sit with your legs apart, we don’t want or need to see that. Wearing a kilt isn’t for everyone, be prepared to get some abuse like: Why are you wearing a dress? Hey girly man! Etc. Kilts, even mine made for hiking, are heavier than shorts. I find the kilt more comfortable, enough so that the added weight is more than made up for. My 5 previous kilts are to mid knee, the hiking one is to the top of the knee, I am still getting used to it, for some reason I’m not comfortable with this length.
Options: pocket(s) sewn to the outside. Snaps or buckles as fasteners. I used wool fabric intended for a suit, very lightweight; you can use heavier or different material. Try to NOT USE COTTON, besides the “Cotton kills” thing; cotton is bad at holding a pleat. I carry a UL pair of nylon shorts for: swimming, doing laundry, etc.
Wear your kilt with pride.
Get fabric, sew in pleats, wrap around your waist and wear with pride.
Get Fabric: I got 2.5 yards of 45” light weight Wool Poly fabric, (80/20) I only need fabric 19” to 21” wide to fit from waist to top of knee to mid knee cap, so this width allowed me 5 yards of fabric to work with. I then split the fabric length wise, & sewed the ends together (I used a serger, you can use a regular sewing machine, make 2 or more passes) being careful to keep the pattern (if any) aligned. To fit the kilt to length, please use a helper for this:
For mid knee cap hem; kneel on a hard surface, place end of tape measure on floor, have your assistant read the numbers at your waist, this should be how long your kilt need be.
For top of knee; have your assistant determine where the top of your knee is (a full length mirror helps you see what is being done here) then measure from this to your waist, have your assistant read the numbers at your waist, this should be how long your kilt need be.
Then measure from your right hip(ish) left around you completely, past your right hip again to your left hip(ish). This will be your waist measurement, for later use.
I then measure from the point on my left hip to the right hip across the front to determine how long the outside apron is to be. This measurement is also handy for determining the inside apron; however my hiking kilt inside apron is rather shorter than the outside one.
The easy part is now done.
Now to sew the pleats. This part is up to you, you can overlap the pleats, or make them butt end to end. Overlapping by a few inches looks better, butting them together uses less material (lighter weight) as I had ample material, I did the former so will describe that way:
Mark the front/outside of the apron where the pleats are to start & the inside apron where they are to end (I used large safety pins) fold your first pleat (2.5” for me) pin in place, fold the next pleat to overlap this (overlap 0.5” so a 3” pleat) & each additional pleat. Pin well, as you will try on the kilt BEFORE you sew it. Pleat the kilt till you reach the length needed to fit around your waist as you measured above (from R hip around the body to L hip) this may take a few attempts. I recommend you then try on the kilt as is (get some help here) to see if it fits. If too short, make the pleats smaller, if too big/long make the pleats larger or make the inside apron smaller.
Sew along each pleat from waist to a few inches down (use your judgment, I went 3.5 inches, should have gone only 2.5 inches) Sew just on the edge of the pleat as looking from the outside. After you finish the outside, turn the kilt over & sew the same on the inside. Note: be aware of the inside pleats as you sew, stop & straighten out each front AND back pleat as you move to the next. I sew 1/16th inch from the edge of each pleat. Optional but recommended: Then sew along the length of the waistband I do it 3 times. Now would be a good time to add elastic if you are going to use it, I used an 8” piece at the small of my back, this helps hold the kilt snug as you walk. The ends are sewn 12” apart, seems to hold well enough.
Add fasteners to each apron, I used Velcro. If you are anything like me, you loose weight / girth as you hike, making the kilt very adjustable is a good idea. Mine is adjustable from 46” waist to a 36” waist, this causes the pleats to come a bit more forward than I like as I loose wt. Oh well.
If desired, sew a pocket to the front of the inside apron. I made mine out of no-see-um netting for lighter weight & better ventilation. The pocket is held closed with a stainless steel safety pin.
Also; in a breeze, your kilt can flap &/or fly up showing the world your business. This can be remedied with a kilt pin on the lower left hand corner of the outer apron. On normal days I don’t pin the aprons together, just wear the pin as decoration. However on windy days, pin the 2 together for modesty.
Hints: Doing a summersault wearing a kilt the way it was intended during the parade at Trail Days will get you arrested. Don’t sit with your legs apart, we don’t want or need to see that. Wearing a kilt isn’t for everyone, be prepared to get some abuse like: Why are you wearing a dress? Hey girly man! Etc. Kilts, even mine made for hiking, are heavier than shorts. I find the kilt more comfortable, enough so that the added weight is more than made up for. My 5 previous kilts are to mid knee, the hiking one is to the top of the knee, I am still getting used to it, for some reason I’m not comfortable with this length.
Options: pocket(s) sewn to the outside. Snaps or buckles as fasteners. I used wool fabric intended for a suit, very lightweight; you can use heavier or different material. Try to NOT USE COTTON, besides the “Cotton kills” thing; cotton is bad at holding a pleat. I carry a UL pair of nylon shorts for: swimming, doing laundry, etc.
Wear your kilt with pride.