X Marks the Scot Kilt

This page will document the construction of my X Marks the Scot tartan kilt. This image is the tartan and its thread count.

2008 April 22

Well, I didn't get around to taking pictures of the kilt in progress. Too busy just trying to keep up. Making a kilt is hard - especially when you don't know the first thing about sewing in the first place. Very early on in the class, I was forced by my own lack of experience to forego accuracy and supress the desire to rip-out and redo all the stitching, simply because there was too much to learn by just keeping up and completing the kilt. So, it isn't pretty, the pleating is awful, but it's done and I did it. And it fits quite nicely - despite the rather poor workmanship.

This is the inside of the finished kilt (basting hasn't yet been removed).

And the outside...

Here is where I have my greatest difficulty: The Pleats. You can see how none of them taper smoothly from the fell to the waist. On the left (yellow stripe below the underapron buckle) there is a sharp distortion that carries all the way across the kilt to the inverse pleat.

I found that, for me, sewing the pleats was a significant challenge. Certainly my lack of experience, a tiny little needle, and the need to keep up with the class hindered me. After a day of stitching pleats, dental floss felt like twine. Next kilt will be better - I can take the time to rip-out and restitch.

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Last modified: 2009 Mar 06 1637:34 UTC