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Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 4:11 pm
by imadube
Found this site with some cool patterns:
http://fitzpatterns.myshopify.com/colle ... ng-pattern
Good luck

Re: Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 9:42 pm
by Sasquatch
I like that skirt. Good luck with your project.

sasq

Re: Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 7:43 am
by RokSterNL
It looks nice. I like it too.

Re: Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:28 pm
by Since1982
Here's an interesting site for Kilt maker books. Do it yourself tons cheaper than buying a kilt.

http://www.celticdragonpress.com/index.html

Re: Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:02 am
by SkirtDude
Delete.

Re: Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 12:21 pm
by Mipi
Since1982 wrote:Here's an interesting site for Kilt maker books. Do it yourself tons cheaper than buying a kilt.

http://www.celticdragonpress.com/index.html


I can highly recommend this book from my own experience. Real treasure!

Re: Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 10:23 pm
by jotham
I am swamped with books for sewing, knitting, etc. What I need is a direct set of directions, maybe with diagrams for making a kilt. I don't need anything fancy.... probably made from chino fabric or mid weight denim, with belt loops and using buttons in place of velcro or straps. I get the idea about laying out the pleats for the back, the two aprons, top stitching the pleats, cutting away excess fabric above the hip line, but where I need help, is tapering in the pleats above the hipline in towards the waist. Any thoughts or directions out there?

I am going to a Quaker conference this summer in Blacksburg, VA and I would like to join the other men who wear kilts, there, mostly utilikilts.

Thanks

Re: Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 11:00 pm
by Uncle Al
For most of us, there really isn't much of a 'Taper' to worry about.

I'd suggest you take the hip measurement and subtract the waist
measurement. The difference would be divided by the number of
pleats in your kilt. If your 'difference' is 2 inches and you have 16 pleats,
that would work out to 1/8" per pleat for the taper.

I have 3 Stillwater Kilts, and they don't have much of a 'taper'.
There is some, but not a lot. I my case, my waist is larger than
my hips but not by much. :oops: I'm in the process of losing
weight, so this will change :alien:

I hope this 'suggestion' helps you out :!:

Uncle Al
Duncanville, TX

Re: Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 11:31 pm
by crfriend
[... W]here I need help, is tapering in the pleats above the hipline in towards the waist. Any thoughts or directions out there?
First off, welcome aboard jotham! It's nice to make your acquaintance.

From recollection, there isn't any tapering of the pleats on a kilt as it trends towards the waistline. Instead, the already pleated portion has a couple of triangular sections cut from it (with the "points" downward to accommodate the cut) and then sewn together. This is known (again, if I'm recalling correctly) as "waist suppression" and is applicable only if the intended wearer's waist is smaller than his hips (in many men's cases this is not true). If your waistline is larger than your hip measurement, then one can simply drop the fabric from the waist, or one can factor in the "beer gut cut" that is done with the Utilikilt style.

Unfortunately, the reference I have here in .DTF (Dead Tree Format) was printed from a link that is now as dead as the tree my reference is printed on. :(
I am going to a Quaker conference this summer in Blacksburg, VA and I would like to join the other men who wear kilts, there, mostly utilikilts.
Do it up! And please post a "trip report". Inquiring minds are always curious about how things go in the world around them.

Re: Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 12:04 am
by AMM
jotham wrote:... where I need help, is tapering in the pleats above the hipline in towards the waist. Any thoughts or directions out there?
First of all, if you haven't made a kilt before, be warned: it's a lot of work, and precise work, too: any sloppiness will really show. I did mine without a pattern, but I don't recommend it if you want to get it right the first time. Folkwear has a pattern, I don't know how good it is. I've also seen on-line guides, try spending a few days Googling.

As far as taper goes, I have Traditional Scottish Kilt(tm), and there is definitely some taper to it, especially at the back. Unless your butt doesn't stick out at all (on most of us, it does), this is necessary. You also need some taper all around unless your waist (stomach) is substantially bigger than your hips, or else the pleats won't lie flat and it'll look like your kilt is too small.

If you're making your own and you aren't trying to make a Traditional Scottish Kilt(tm), then how much to taper depends on how you like your kilt to fit.

I prefer to have it hang from my "belt line", just like my trousers, and I like it loose everywhere else. "Belt line" means, in my case a line that is 3" lower in front than in back. "Loose" at the hips means adding about 8" to my hip measurement, which comes to 58". Since my waist measurement is 46", I taper each pleat from hip to waist in a 4:3 ratio. To be specific, I mark where the visible folds should go on the fabric, and if, say, they should be spaced 2" at the hip when folded, I sew them down for a little way at 2" (so they hang straight) and then, as you get closer to the waistband, I start pulling them closer together until they get to, say 1.5" or so. I also taper the apron, but that's trickier. I tried putting in little gathers, but wasn't happy with the results.

Cutting away the fabric above the hip line may or may not be necessary, I've heard differing opinions. If you are using 15 oz wool, it's probably a good idea. If you're using quilting-weight cotton, it's probably not worth it, and, given how flexible the fabric is, may cause the pleats to sag. I didn't bother.

One place to try asking is at the Usenet group alt.sewing There are a number of people there who have made numerous kilts, and they would know a lot more than me.
jotham wrote:I am going to a Quaker conference this summer in Blacksburg, VA and I would like to join the other men who wear kilts, there, mostly utilikilts.
That's only a month away, I wouldn't count on getting done by then unless you have lots of free time.

Re: Patterns for cool skirts

Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 9:58 am
by Mipi
Don't wont be be "teachy" but there is a lot of thing to know when making the kilt. I have many free instructions found on the Internet and I bought a book "The Art of Kiltmaking" which is regarded as a Bible. There are some general instructions, but following them will not get you to good end result. At least for me this is true (I have never saw a kilt in real life beside my own, or kilted/skirted man other then as a costume or a prank). So I would highly recommend this book with illustrations and photos how to work.

This is the reason why I'm not giving any instructions at all to somebody that even doesn't know in general hove to make kilt. But it's much easier to make modern kilt. You can get good instructions for free on the www (or PM me).