Help finding inexpensive tartan fabrics (by the yard/metre)

**Skinnamirink** · 6th June 16, 12:02 AM

Hello everyone! I'm a newbie here, so please bear with my questions! My family and I are planning to attend an event over the summer for which we were hoping to wear some items I am sewing up; hopefully 2 kilts and three tartan-flaired dresses. As the event is outdoors and during the scorching summer of the Midwest USA, I was ideally looking for a tartan that was rayon(poly-viscose)/acrylic or cotton rather than wool, if only to save us from heat exhaustion. We were most interested in finding the Irish National tartan.

It's been days of searching, and unfortunately I cannot find any non-wool bolts or by the yard fabrics--and all of those are a little out of my price range! I'm appealing to your vast collective knowledge at large, then--does anyone know of anywhere I can find non-wool tartans that are relatively inexpensive and might have the Irish National tartan in stock?

Thank you in advance for reading!

**uncle remus** · 6th June 16, 07:36 PM

have you tried USA Kilts? I know they have the tartan you are looking for but don't know if Rocky will sell it by the yard or what it would cost.

**Mikilt** · 6th June 16, 07:56 PM

Inexpensive is a relative term.

USA Kilts actually does not list Irish National tartan as available in PV. I don't know if that specific tartan is woven in PV.

16 oz wool is going to cost around $75-$80 USD/yard. $300 for just the material for an 8 yard kilt. Lighter wool will save you a few dollars, but don't go lower than 13oz for a kilt.

However, since you mention heat exhaustion, wool actually breathes well in the summer. The consensus around here is generally that less yardage is preferable to lighter material for warmer weather. You could make 2-4 yard kilts from nice wool.

I have no idea what yardage might be required for the dresses you want.

**Todd Bradshaw** · 7th June 16, 01:36 AM

Stillwater kilts has a couple lines of lesser priced kilts which are available in the Irish National Tartan and which are made from acrylic. It might be worth checking with them to see if you can talk them out of some yardage. It's not going to be the same quality as wool or PV, but it might be workable.

http://www.stillwaterkilts.com/

My wife makes dresses from 13 oz. Marton Mills wool, and the thing that makes them hot isn't really the wool, which actually breathes pretty well. It's that at least the upper half needs to be fully lined with something fairly substantial or it's pretty scratchy to wear.

**Skinnamirink** · 7th July 16, 08:32 AM

Thank you all for your advice and help! I appreciate it immensely.

Todd, your wife makes STUNNING dresses!!! So gorgeous!

**Todd Bradshaw** · 7th July 16, 10:32 AM

Yep, she's pretty special. She grew up in Latvia under soviet occupation where they even had to make their own blue jeans, so she is pretty adventurous about sewing projects. It's fun to watch her take part of one pattern, another part from another pattern and some added bits and make something new. As long as I keep buying tweeds, designing tartan variations and making most of the leather accessories, she keeps cranking out neat stuff for both of us. The only annoying part is that you can't trust patterns, so in most cases you have to make a test garment from cheap cloth, just to see if it actually fits the way they claim it does before you cut into the good stuff - especially custom tartan.

Did you ever find any fabric?

Marite in the grey version of our T-6 tartan. She got a lot of looks and nods in it at the recent Milwaukee Highland Games.

**argyle24** · 7th July 16, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by Todd Bradshaw

Marite in the grey version of our T-6 tartan. She got a lot of looks and nods in it at the recent Milwaukee Highland Games.

Todd - did she base this skirt off of a commercial pattern or draft it herself? I love the shape and if it's a commercial pattern, I'd love to add it to my stash!

**Todd Bradshaw** · 7th July 16, 12:15 PM

I think that was a commercial pattern, but I'll find out for sure when she gets home and see whether she altered it or not. She has been buying a lot of old patterns from the 1970s and 1980s off of eBay and ETSY and it may be one of them. That one really is a dynamite pattern. It's simple with only four big pleats, but it shows off the tartan well and hangs and swings very nicely.

Just checking the details and swing parameters before giving it my seal of approval.....

**ScotSniper** · 7th July 16, 04:21 PM

@Toddbradshaw you strike an amazing resemblance to Sam Elliot

**Todd Bradshaw** · 7th July 16, 06:18 PM

I'm an inch or two taller, but his checkbook is a lot thicker.

OK, the skirt pattern is an old New Look pattern, #6176 - probably 1980s or 1990s (it has a bar code, but I can't remember when those started). She built the version shown on the left and just added more length to it. You don't find an awful lot of New Look brand patterns around, but there are some out there. I think they were more popular in England and Australia. Always check old pattern listings for the photo of the package. The pattern companies have a nasty habit of reusing old pattern numbers. You might think you're buying a skirt pattern and end up with one for a ninja turtle suit for Halloween.