Best material for a test kilt

[Barb T]

The issue here is that kiltmakers do, in fact, get a wholesale discount from the mills. For the most part, though, mills do not sell wholesale outside "the trade", and some mills don't sell at all outside the trade (e.g., Dalgliesh). So, yes, it is cheaper for you to order from ScotWeb than it is for you to order retail from Lochcarron, but it's cheaper for me to order wholesale directly from the mill.

And as a point of information, one kilt length is all that can be sent via Royal Mail small packet.

[Stephan]

Something rather interesting has occured....I followed the link posted by Barb (http://www.thetartansite.com/) just previously and decided to quickly create an account and found the prices to have changed significantly. So, same product (Auld Scotland, 16oz for instance) now priced at 41.67 GBP sterling, down from 50.00 pounds.

Yes, thanks for clarifying the 'Royal Mail' small packet thing!

[crinis]

I'm almost ready to pull the trigger and order the cloth. Of the ones here at scotweb.co.uk for the Scott Green Tartan, is there a brand or a weight which will make a first-time kilt easier? 13oz or 16oz? 11oz seems a little too light, no? The plan is to get 8 yards of fabric (or 4 yards if it's double wide) which for most of the brands (save DC Dal), come out to under US$300 before tax and vat. I can do that, I think. (And then if I get a decent kilt out of this, I'm going to custom some yards of the California Tartan do it again :-)

[ASinclair]

I'm almost ready to pull the trigger and order the cloth. Of the ones here at scotweb.co.uk for the Scott Green Tartan, is there a brand or a weight which will make a first-time kilt easier? 13oz or 16oz? 11oz seems a little too light, no? The plan is to get 8 yards of fabric (or 4 yards if it's double wide) which for most of the brands (save DC Dal), come out to under US$300 before tax and vat. I can do that, I think. (And then if I get a decent kilt out of this, I'm going to custom some yards of the California Tartan do it again :-)

We don't have to pay the VAT since we live outside the EU, but USA customs can assess an import duty on packages valued in excess of $200.

[crinis]

We don't have to pay the VAT since we live outside the EU, but USA customs can assess an import duty on packages valued in excess of $200.

I found the US duty tariff page but it reads like stereo instructions. Now, 13oz or 15oz? Tempted to go lighter.

[sydnie7]

I found the US duty tariff page but it reads like stereo instructions. Now, 13oz or 15oz? Tempted to go lighter.

13 oz is considered "medium" weight and will make a fine kilt. Depending on where you live, the lighter fabric may be more comfortable in summer (although many here wear their 16 oz kilts year-round regardless of climate). Your finished size can also affect fabric weight choices -- the larger the kilt waist/hip measure, the more imbalance between the front aprons and the rear pleaty bits. A medium fabric will still have a front/rear weight bias, but the difference will be somewhat less than when made with heavy fabric.

16 oz does hang and swing beautifully! But there's also sett size to consider -- generally speaking, the sett size grows as the fabric gets heavier, so if you're starting with a large sett design to begin with, it may be huge by the time it's made up in 16 oz.

And you thought that was an easy question, eh? LOL Welcome to the rabble!