I managed to get a bolt of surplus Ministry of Defence 18oz MacKenzie/Seaforth tartan for a silly price, following the amalgamation of the Scottish regiments.

I made my own kilt, as below, following the instructions from Chris Eyre's excellent website. I don't have a sewing machine, everything was done by hand. Given the choice, I probably wouldn't have set out to use 18oz cloth for my first attempt, but I couldn't say no to a bolt for less than £100.


I found it easier to plait to the stripe.


Next I decided to make a full piper's plaid. This involved minimal sewing, but the pressing and making the fringes was really tedious.


(Yeah, I know my sporran is riding too high, there's a reason for that, a broken strap on route).

I still have some fabric left, and have just started cutting the pattern for my first go at hand sewing a waistcoat, which will take a while but has to be less intensive than making an 18oz kilt.