Welcome to day two of the kilt chronicle, where the stakes are low but the confusion is high! Today’s mission: practice pleating. No expensive wool was harmed in the making of this blog post; instead, I liberated an old pillowcase from the linen cupboard, sacrificed it to the sewing gods, and sliced it open. It was in this exact moment I realized the iron is no longer just an appliance—it is now the main character of this entire saga. We are practically trauma-bonded already.
After extensive Googling and consulting the internet elders, I opted for "pleating to the sett"—the gold standard of kilt-making. If I’m going to DIY a heritage garment from my living room in my PJs, we’re doing it right. Go big or go home, right?
Step one: measure the fabric. Step two: realize all my rulers are tiny and uselessly small. Step three: destroy a perfectly good cardboard box to construct a weapon-sized DIY ruler. Step four: get interrupted by a house guest who knocked on the door and promptly stole two hours of my life.
When I finally returned to my battle station, I began marking out 26 individual one-inch lines. It took me two agonizing, humbling hours. Two. Hours. For twenty-six lines. But around line 18, something beautiful happened: I achieved enlightenment. I knew what a straight line was. I could eyeball an interval. I was the inch. I felt the confidence rising.
Then came the folding. I wrestled six prototype pleats into submission, pinning each one down before moving to the next, and finally marched them over to meet the steam iron. But as the vapor cleared, I noticed the anomaly. Two of my pleats look absolutely gorgeous, possessing flawless geometry. Two others look like they've had a few too many drinks at the pub.
The piece is currently cooling down to lock in the creases, at which point I will find out the final verdict. Stay tuned to find out if I am a sewing prodigy or if I need to stick to basic bedding!
Day 9 - Measure Once, Distracted Twice
So, after a very busy two weeks, I am officially back to my kilt adventure.
Day 8 - The Frankenstein Kilt Grows
Having officially exhausted my fabric supply, it was back to ironing and wrestling with my trusty sheet. After a quick measurement session revealed I was completely out of sheet real estate, I did what any desperate sewist would do: I started chopping up a curtain for the lining, measuring it alongside my remaining scraps like a textile mad scientist.
Day 7 - Pins, Pains, and Patience
I would argue this was the second most time-consuming part of my kilt journey so far, the first being ironing a king-sized sheet, cutting, marking, and pinning it.
Day 6 - Send Help. Or More Pins.
Day six of my sewing conquest. Back to the linen cupboard I go, this time targeting a king-size sheet. Step one: iron out two weeks' worth of tightly crumpled fabric-box wrinkles. After ironing it for almost an entire episode of what was playing in the background, I had a beautifully ironed sheet.
Day 5 - Sizing Up
After a lovely ten days away with Will, first to Stirling, and then down to Cornwall for a holiday with his family. I have done precisely zero actual kilting. However, I consider the trip while on different types of transport a wild success in terms of research and development . In my travels, I picked up a Munro tartan book (since that’s Will’s surname and he's currently top of my "people to clothe" list), figuring a bit of background knowledge couldn’t hurt. Will also contributed to the cause in Stirling by picking up a knitted Highland cow measuring tape. If that doesn't inspire precise tailoring, nothing will.
Day 4: The Iron and the Curtain—A Beautiful Structural Love Story
So, I have officially upgraded from a pillowcase to a curtain. Will had very sweetly washed all the bedding I am going to be chopping up, but I decided it was time for a change of pace. I started by taking my brand-new, incredibly sharp fabric scissors to a massive curtain, chopping off a small section to practice my eight pleats.
Day 3 - The Pillowcase Chronicle: Leveling Up
Armed with a shiny new stationery folder—which contained a real, non-cardboard ruler, a big notebook, a small notebook, and a stack of sticky notes—morale was at an all-time high. To top off this absolute peak of academic readiness, my long-awaited kiltmaking book finally arrived!
Day 2: I Was the Inch
Welcome to day two of the kilt chronicle, where the stakes are low but the confusion is high! Today’s mission: practice pleating. No expensive wool was harmed in the making of this blog post; instead, I liberated an old pillowcase from the linen cupboard, sacrificed it to the sewing gods, and sliced it open. It was in this exact moment I realized the iron is no longer just an appliance—it is now the main character of this entire saga. We are practically trauma-bonded already.
Letterbox Watch & The Great Linen Sacrifice
So, I’ve had this idea for about two weeks now. I’ve been talking my partner Wil's ear off about it, so he very kindly offered to buy me a book as a gift to support my new dream. I am now officially on letter box watch , waiting for 'Scottish Kiltmaking for Beginners' to hit the mat so I can read it cover to cover before I even think about touching a needle.