Hi

I have to disagree with Anthony's posting on fabric weight. A piece of tartan designated as "16 oz" is called that regardless of its width. Even though one might buy one tartan as a single-width piece (26-28") and another tartan as a double-width piece (56-58"), they would both be called "16 oz."

What I'm going to add now relates to traditional kilts and worsted tartan. Many of the postings on this site reflect an interest in other kinds of fabrics, but my experience is with traditional worsted. So, if you're interested in poly/wool blends, cotton, nylon, etc., you can ignore the rest of my comments!

If you order tartan, the source will be able to tell you what the weight is, and any of the web sites I've seen that sell tartan list it by weight. But, how do you choose a weight for a kilt? Here are some guidelines:

18-21 oz fabric is the traditional regimental weight, and it's really bomb proof. Not many people wear a kilt made of fabric this heavy, and there aren't many tartans woven in this weight. No one's ever had me make one in this weight fabric, for good reason, I guess!

16 oz fabric is the traditional heavy weight fabric for a man's kilt. Probably too hot and heavy for a warm climate, but it looks fabulous, because it holds a press _really_ well and swings like a dream. Nice to work on. Personally, I love this weight, and my own piping kilt is this weight. We compete all summer (in the NE US), and I don't find it unbearably hot. The socks are actually much more uncomfortable in hot weather than the kilt is.

13-14 oz fabric is a nice compromise for weight, swing, and stability of the pleats. This is commonly called "medium weight". If you think 16 oz will be too hot, this is what I'd choose.

11-12 oz fabric is great if you want a light-weight kilt (either for hiking or dancing), and most Highland dancers compete in kilts of this weight. Heavier weights are just too much for dancers. Lots of dress tartans come in this weight (e.g., those by D.C. Dalgliesh). You just have to realize that a kilt in this weight will wrinkle more easily than one made of heavier weight fabric and that you have to take more careful care of it and press it more often.

10 oz fabric is just too light for a kilt. I've occasionally made kilts of this weight when no other tartan was available except as a custom weave, and I've been disappointed every time. The swing is poor, and the kilt wrinkles like crazy. If you're trying to decide whether a fabric is too light weight, ask yourself whether the fabric would make a nice shirt. If the answer is yes, then it's too light to make a nice traditional kilt.

Remember - what I've said above pertains to traditional kilts!! You can make a kilt from anything, if you're happy with it; it just won't necessarily be a _traditional_ kilt.

Cheers,

Barb