Hi all,

I am working through Barbara's excellent book and contemplating making my first kilt. Like the formal courses, I will start with a children's kilt.

I do have one question to start with though (no doubt many more to follow). Having looked at the cost of fabric at most major Scottish retailers, including this site's Scotweb (as well as Kinloch Anderson and Lochcarron), and all the 16Oz fabrics I can find sell for £65/metre (double width) or about £58/yard. I know it's double width, so I have two questions. Firstly, does one cut or tear the double length to achieve the required the yardage (and splice in the middle of the pleats), and given the cost of fabric, when labour and buckles are added, how on earth can a kilt cost so little? I paid AUD$670 for an 8 yard hand-stitched kilt from Australia's last full-time kiltmaker (who I can name if asked, but I don't want to look like promoting non-advertisers per se). It is a masterpiece and my best kilt, but it seems like I paid less for the entire kilt than it would cost me to buy the fabric (it's Lochcarron strome), even with the current drop in the pound sterling.

Is there some kind of wholesale deal people have access to? If the fabric costs more than a new kilt, what do beginning kiltmaking hobbyists do?