Usually made entirely by hand from tartan cloth, kilts—that traditional Scottish garment—have heirloom value and are worn for special events. Made of cotton twill in solid colors or prints like camouflage, utility kilts are a new breed of garment. Utility kilts use less fabric and wider pleats than their more formal cousins, which can require anywhere from 7 to 9 yards of fabric to create, allowing for a more relaxed kilt ideal for casual events.
Step-by-Step Guide
The things and materials that you need to make a utility kilt by yourself.
- Measuring tape
- Marking pencil
- Pins
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Iron
- Hook and eye
- 6 Buttons of your choice
- Matching thred
- 5 yards of twill fabric (cotton)
Step 1
Measure from your waist to the desired kilt length.
Step 2
Cut your kilt fabric to four inches for the hem plus the measured length. Save the fabric you cut out for later use.
Step 3
Fold the bottom edge up 2 inches, then fold it under once more to make a 2-inch double-thickness hem. Sew the hem with a straight stitch.
Step 4
Lay the cloth wrong side up. At 2 ½ yards, measure to determine the fabric’s middle. Mark with your pencil from this middle point six inches on either side. To create two 3-inch deep pleats in a box pleat design, fold these points so they meet at the middle.
Step 5
Starting at the top of the fabric and working down, pin these pleats six inches deep.
Step 6
Measure three inches to either side of the box pleat folds; mark these points with your marking pencil. To form the next pleats, measure three inches past this mark and fold these three inches on top of the last three inches.
Step 7
Proceed in this way to create 3-inch-deep pleats around the kilt, pointing the pleats so that from the right side, the pleats point toward the rear of the kilt.
Step 8
Topstitch the pleats one-eighth inch away from the fold. Try on the kilt, then iron the pleats.
When you have 11 inches of unpleated cloth left on both sides, stop pleating. To create a 1-inch double-thick hem, fold the side edge under 1 inch, then under once more. Stitch and repeat across from here.
Step 9
Cut a waistband from the remaining cloth. Measure the top edge of the kilt and add one inch for seam allowances. Use this measurement to cut the waistband. Cut the five-inch tall waistband.
With the long edge of the waistband 1 ½ inches down from the top of the kilt, wrong sides together, and leaving ½ inch of the waistband extending beyond the side edges, pin the waistband to the kilt. Stitch in place 2 inches from the top of the kilt, using a ½ inch seam allowance on the waistband.
Step 10
Fold the waistband over the top of the kilt; pin it to the incorrect side and fold under the seam allowances on the inside waistband and side edges. Handstitching is right here. Stitch the hook and eye closure inside the waistband.
Step 11
Mark the positions of the buttons on the front of the kilt, evenly spaced down the apron—that is, the unpleated part of the kilt. Stitch the buttons to the matching areas on the under apron after sewing buttonholes in the top apron.
Content References and Resources
X Marks the Scot – An on-line community of kilt wearers.
Visit Scottish Attire’s Utility Kilt Shop
