How to make a 4 yard kilt. Part 3. Basting and pleating. Davidson modern tartan

Easily the most, visually, iconic part of a kilt are the pleats. This is also where the greatest difference lies between a handsewn and a machine made kilt. Each and every pleat is carefully measured and handsewn on to the next until they are all invisibly joined. Through maths and expert sewing the kiltmaker shapes the pleats to fit the wearers specific measurements – once complete it will fit like a glove. A machine made kilt doesn’t allow for this shaping and consequently, will struggle to ever sit 100% right. Basting the pleats involves measuring out each pleat using the hip pleat measurement and attaching it to the next. They are then sewn together using a back stitch at the selvedge, a tailors tack along the middle and a zig zag tack a few inches down from the fell line. The purpose of this is to perfectly align the pleats ready for pressing.