I’m becoming more and more convinced that a beginning kiltmaker is probably better served using tartan rather than trying to make a self-colored kilt. With no stripes against which to eyeball alignment, it’s easy for things to get a little out of whack. I’m not going to tear out my pleats and start over (again, the solid color will hide a multitude of sins) but I’ll know what to keep an eye out for during the rest of this kilt, and future ones I may make.
I’ve got 7 pleats stitched out of my total of 23. It’s starting to look like a kilt! Observations so far:
- I need to pay more attention to the fold of the pleat at the top of the kilt; it’s wandered a little, and the first few pleats may not be perfectly perpendicular to the waistline.
- My pleats seem to be just a little bit narrow at both the waist and hips. The widths look good when I first pin each pleat, but perhaps the stitching draws things in; I’ll try to be a little more generous from now on.
- I have concluded that I am physically incapable of using the traditional position used to maintain tension on the pleats while stitching, but I think keeping the fabric clamped between my thighs without crossing my legs is working OK.