I just had a thought about making a kilt

[Bugbear]

You can't just unleash all that math on us without warning!!! :blue_ban:

The math looked fine to me...

Why don't you send him an e-mail, asking if he sells yardage?

If you mean from StillWater, I have read that is not an option. This thread, Nick the DSM's thread "nightstalker material," covers the subject. Look for Nighthawks posts.

[The Wizard of BC]

Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe, and not make messes in the house.
Lazarus Long


The reason I was asking him to convert to fabric yards is when I weighed the fabric in a Stillwater and a Frugal Corner Kilt I had only a Kilt, not flat yardage.

I came up with 4.5oz per yard.

But my calculation was perhaps thrown off because I didn't have flat yardage.

[Bugbear]

ardchoille, the StillWater's are made from aprox. 6 Oz acrylic fabric.

I have no comment on the FC material.

When I first read your post, I thought you were talking about the wool heavyweights. Those might be worth fooling around with if you have the kilt making skills. I can't really say anything about what would or would not make a good box pleat kilt. That's for kiltmakers to tell you not to do.

[turpin]

Unless you get one of the wool kilts. they are closer to 13 oz.

[Alan H]

I don't want to step into this sticky wicket about Frugal Corners fabric weight. However, I may be the only person on this board who has actually purchased FABRIC from them. I bought one yard of 60-inch wide material sold to me as their "13 ounce" cloth.. I never weighed it.

1. It made a wonderful liturgical sash
2. the colors are bright and cheerful
3. the pastor loves it
4. I'm glad I made it for her.
5. If I wanted tartan for another sash, or a tablecloth, or a wall hanging or a flag or something like that I would buy more of it in a flash.

AND

A. it has nowhere even close to the density, dimensional stability, weight or thread hold-togetherness of even the least expensive wool or wool blend I've worked with. It doesn't compare to marton mills polyester-viscose, either.

B. it was not a pleasure to sew

C. I would never, ever make a kilt out of it.

I have not touched their 16 ounce cloth, so I have no information about it. I would ASSUME (and you know about "ASSumptions") that it's the stame stuff, only a bit heavier.

I know there are guys on this board who own Frugal Corner kilts and love them. That's great. But I, personally would not make myself or a friend of mine a kilt from that cloth. I WOULD make a vest or a tablecloth or a clan banner out of it.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

One thing I have learned as a kiltmaker is that a kilt will never be better than the material you start off with. If you begin with cheap material, you'll end up with a cheap kilt, regardless of your craftsmanship. If, however, you begin with good quality cloth, you can end up with a good looking kilt even if your skills at kiltmaking are less-than-professional.

I'm not meaning this as a comment on the cloth used by any particular company -- just an observation that I have found to be generally true.

[Bugbear]

Strange... I just had a very strong, almost instinctual, urge to say, "Aye Matt."

[ardchoille]

One thing I have learned as a kiltmaker is that a kilt will never be better than the material you start off with. If you begin with cheap material, you'll end up with a cheap kilt, regardless of your craftsmanship. If, however, you begin with good quality cloth, you can end up with a good looking kilt even if your skills at kiltmaking are less-than-professional.

I'm not meaning this as a comment on the cloth used by any particular company -- just an observation that I have found to be generally true.

That is a very good point indeed.

[ChattanCat]

I have made some kilts out of PV and Polyester/wool. I used the directions from Barb's book and found that the kilt was happily received. The method used to make the kilt improved the feel and swing. With lighter weight materials a traditional kilt can be made and (for our warmer client members) is an acceptable alternative to the economy kilts.

IMHO

[Howard Clark]

I second Matt's voice on good materials. MY effort are strictly amateur in nature compared to his, or Wally, or Barb, or anyone who had done a lot of kilts. But I have made a living making hand made things for twenty years, and it matters not what you are making. The better the raw materials, the better the end product.

The one really nice tartan kilt I have made is better, because I had some practice by then, but also because the material is much nicer. Since seeing the work of real kilt makers, however, my efforts are limited to work wear kilts, and when I go out in the world I wear one made by someone else.