Nylon hiking skirt

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AMM
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Nylon hiking skirt

Post by AMM »

A while back, I posted about climbing Breakneck Ridge in a nylon skirt I had just made, and a few folks asked for details about how I made it, plus some pictures. A bit belatedly (I had a kilt to make, too), I am now responding.

Making the skirt.

The skirt is a basic 6-gore skirt. The outer part is 200-denier nylon, cut from a 50" remnant, and the rest (including waistband) is made from about 2 yards of ripstop nylon. Here you see it laid out, showing the gores, waistband, fly, and the lining. If you look real close, you can also see one of the pockets (it has the same lighter color as the lining.)
purple_skirt1.jpg
The gores are each about 25" circumpherence at the hem and 10" at the top. The length varies from about 24 or 25" at the back to about 22" at the front.

A back view of the outer layer of the skirt, showing the gores and a pocket and the fly, is here:
purple_skirt2.jpg
One thing to watch out for is that the 200 denier nylon ravels very fast. I had to run a zig-zag stitch along the edge of every piece as soon as I cut it, or there wouldn't have been any woven part left by the time I started to sew.

Pockets are put into the seam between the front and second gore on each side, and arranged to "hang" from the waistband. Because the skirt is flared, the back of the pocket ends up further from the waist when the skirt goes out, so it's a bit longer at the back than the front.

The fly is done exactly like for trousers, I just copied the design.

The lining was done just like the outer part, just no pockets, and the fly is just open (no zipper :) )

To see what it looks like on me, see my thread in Pics and Looks. (I've reached the limit on the number of attachments, hence the separate posting.)

One interesting thing about the 200 denier fabric is that it's not very opaque. If you shine a light from the back you get a rather clear silhouette through the fabric. The ripstop, though lighter in weight, actually stops more light. You get some interesting effects if you stand over a light, but some might consider the results too risque' for a "family website."
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hillaryskirt
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Re: Nylon hiking skirt

Post by hillaryskirt »

I realise this is a very old post, well ten years, and hope there is still interest, I would love some feedback albeit on a minor point:
AMM wrote: The skirt is a basic 6-gore skirt. The outer part is 200-denier nylon, cut from a 50" remnant, and the rest (including waistband) is made from about 2 yards of ripstop nylon. Here you see it laid out, showing the gores, waistband, fly, and the lining. If you look real close, you can also see one of the pockets (it has the same lighter color as the lining.)
Just a small side-point about your nylon hiking skirt.
How interesting that you describe it as 200-denier nylon. I thought the denier system applied only to tights. I don't know a lot about this but believe a 'thin' pair of tights would be say 40 denier, whereas a thick one would be 70 or 80.
But 200 really is thick hence your comments about a see-through look are interesting too.

Personally I have a 'thing' about thicker nylon as a material - there is something retro about the look and feel. I wonder what denier sailcloth is (nylon sails) - 1,000?!!!
"The past is never dead. It's not even past." - William Faulkner.
trainspotter48
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Re: Nylon hiking skirt

Post by trainspotter48 »

Regrettably, it looks as though AMM's pictures have evaporated.
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Fred in Skirts
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Re: Nylon hiking skirt

Post by Fred in Skirts »

And where is AMM?? Is he still around?? It would be interesting to ask him about how the skirt looked and lasted after it had seen a few washings.

Fred
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Re: Nylon hiking skirt

Post by crfriend »

AMM hasn't visited in several years. I'd stayed in touch with him for a while, and we had gotten together for a brew and bite a couple of times when he was in New England at various folk-dancing festivals. At last count, he was in the process of adopting an identity of "Allison" and we lost touch somewhere in the dual maelstroms of 2013 and 2015. I have no idea as to his whereabouts today, but his is another voice that I miss.
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Re: Nylon hiking skirt

Post by hillaryskirt »

Nothing would please me more than by resurrecting this 2017 post could have got your guys back together.
And if anyone does know more about the Denier issue just shout.
Have nice days.
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crfriend
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Re: Nylon hiking skirt

Post by crfriend »

Denier is a measurement of the mass-per-metre of the fibres that are used to create fabrics, and the reference for this is the mass of 9,000 metres of a single strand of silk which weighs roughly one gram, so there's your starting point. Needless to say, that's a fairly useless value but does give an indication of the sort of thing one is dealing with. One-denier thread is also incredibly fragile, so the fibres are typically spun into thread before being knitted or woven into fabric.

Needless to say, smaller denier numbers correspond to lighter-weight and sheerer fabrics than larger denier numbers.

Wikipedia has a decent write-up on the matter.
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Re: Nylon hiking skirt

Post by hillaryskirt »

crfriend wrote:Denier is a measurement of the mass-per-metre of the fibres that are used to create fabrics, and the reference for this is the mass of 9,000 metres of a single strand of silk which weighs roughly one gram, so there's your starting point..
Thank you so much, crfriend :pr: :pl: :)
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Re: Nylon hiking skirt

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hillaryskirt wrote:Thank you so much, crfriend :pr: :pl: :)
You're welcome, but it can get even more confusing when one takes into account multi-strand thread or yarn which is then woven or knitted into fabric. The result can be gossamer-fine sheer fabric that's almost not there to fabrics that will keep the elements off one. Contemplate the difference in weight (mass) of a square foot of a fine silk scarf and then the mass of a square foot of heavy gabardine and you'll begin to get the picture.

Fabric is astonishing stuff, and one of the reasons for all the confusing and seemingly arbitrary units of measurement is down to how ancient the art of fabric-making is. Folks can make a life's work out of the study of, and the development of fabrics -- and then there are the people that turn the 2-dmensional fabric into 3-dimesional things that we wear. Even the components of fabric -- yarns and threads -- are a fascinating study.
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Re: Nylon hiking skirt

Post by hillaryskirt »

crfriend wrote:Contemplate the difference in weight (mass) of a square foot of a fine silk scarf and then the mass of a square foot of heavy gabardine and you'll begin to get the picture.
Fabric is fascinating because, I guess it's the ultimate 'stuff' - by which I mean in prehistoric times neanderthal and, later, Homo sapiens would fabricate robe with hemp. The ultimate original thread. Then weave (or weave spun wool). The science and history of this is fascinating.

Then the Chinese, with their 5,000 years of continuous civilisation, were weaving silk from silk worms (they do weave the silk don't they?) and the result are the satin-y and sheen'ed fabrics that are my personal favourites: satin, silk, taffeta also organza, charmeuse etc etc. :mrgreen:
"The past is never dead. It's not even past." - William Faulkner.
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