You know those pleats I worked so hard on? Now I have to slice a chunk out each one–on the inside, of course–to decrease the bulk. In the photos the top of the kilt is down. I take a deep breath and call on courage from my Scottish ancestors before making the first cut. When they are all done, without any slips that would have completely ruined my beautiful wool fabric, I sigh in relief and have a glass of wine.

See all that white thread? Basting, basting and more basting! The pleats are stitched to the fell (hips) and then hang open. They must be pressed completely straight from the fell to the hem, but not right now. So the basting holds them in place while a whole lot of other things happen. If you have a kilt made for you, the kiltmaker will send it to you with the pleats basted in place–although the basting will look much neater than my sloppy stitches. Please remember to take out the basting before you wear your kilt!