how to make a kilt

[chef69]

Hi all New to the site I have been looking for a tutorial on how to make a real kilt not the skirts that only use a few yards i mean a full 8yd kilt (no hem just the selvage)so if anyone can help me i would be very happy (there is no help in Scotland which is were i come from.----------Brian

[Paul Henry]

Here is a great resource and well worth a look kilt making link it simply gives you the basic information you need, although it does expect you to know how to sew!
There are many other sources,but this one with pictures is a really good introduction and worth study, it will give you the basic procedures. All of us kitmakers do things slightly differently although I;m sure that all the stages are much the same!
I'm in London, and more than happy to talk to you about kilt making if you like.

and welcome to the forum

[chef69]

Thank you Paulhenry that was fast and looks like what i was looking for , I last made kilts for my twin boys some 30 plus years ago , I have got a kilt but I fancy having a try myself at a lighter one for going on a cruise (our golden wedding) and the kilt i have is to heavy for the med , so iam still open to ideas--------Brian

[M. A. C. Newsome]

The best "how to" I have seen is The Art of Kiltmaking by Barb Tewksbury and Elsie Stuehmeyer. Barb T is a member here at X Marks and always very willing to answer questions. This book is quite thorough. I've seen people who have never sewn a button on anything before make a decent looking kilt after spending some time with this resource.

It's available a few different places, one of which is here:
http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/books.html

[Paul Henry]

Barb's book is also a valuble resource as well, if you do feel that are interested you could go to her site directly and place the order as she gets the benefit herself!
Celtic Dragon Press For us in the UK it is a fairly expensive volume and Chris Eyre's free site offers the basics, especially if you have made kilts before and need some refreshing!

[auld argonian]

With all due respect (you know that it's going to get bad when you hear that, don't you), while The Art Of Kiltmaking is, undoubtedly, THE premiere reference book on the subject....I own a copy...starting from zero knowledge and going straight to the book is like getting thrown in the deep end of the pool when you're a non-swimmer.

Lot's of reference on the internet...use a search engine and look at as much of it as you can...some of it is sound, basic advice and some of it is total crap and when you've looked at a lot of it, you should be able to tell the difference. You will then have, at least, a basic idea of whether you want to tackle a project of this scope...THEN consider getting a copy of Barb's book. No offense to Barb...it's an excellent book and I hope that she sells a lot of them...but I really think someone should get a realistic idea of what they're getting into before they jump in with both feet. The argument may be made that The Art Of Kiltmaking will show you the absolutely correct way to make a kilt and will help you to not make any big mistakes in the process but I would counter that you ought to be able to find enough information elsewhere to do an adequate job and if you feel ready to go on and take the post-graduate class then you can get into the in-depth instructions that TAOK will give you.

Heresy, perhaps, but I don't know too many people who bought a full set of clubs before they ever tried to play a round of golf. (Not that TAOK is going to cost anywhere NEAR the price of a full set of clubs...)

Best

AA

[auld argonian]

duplicate post

[cryerelizabeth]

definately The Art of Kilt Making is a must!

[xman]

With all due respect (you know that it's going to get bad when you hear that, don't you), while The Art Of Kiltmaking is, undoubtedly, THE premiere reference book on the subject....I own a copy...starting from zero knowledge and going straight to the book is like getting thrown in the deep end of the pool when you're a non-swimmer.

With all due respect ... ;0) ... I had some experience hand sewing and was quite surprised at how being thrown in that deep end worked well for me. I found I understood the book better than I had predicted and improved my skills pretty rapidly. It might be a challenge if it's outside your realm of experience, but you might fare well. At any rate, it sure is fun!

[Pleater]

As you are in the UK you might like to look up the seller Batya_1 on eBay. Although there is a lot of waterproof Nylon in his store there are also some useful chunks of woolly cloth - though he does have the endearing habit of describing things as '100% wool blend' and the like, I have bought quite a few 10 metre lengths of what proved to be good quality material.

On one occasion I did get a damaged bolt, and it was no problem, another length arrived promptly. You are not going to get named tartans and worsted wools, but that is a good source of fabric to experiment on until you are sure of making a kilt sucessfully from what could be several hundred pounds worth of fabric. There have been bolts of polyester viscose, some of which were actual tartans, but only Royal Stuart and Black Watch as I recall.

There is useful advice and instructions on the internet, but there is noting like sitting down with a strip of cloth and actually doing the sewing to discover just how things go together and what might happen when they do.

If you are going to make a tailored kilt, with the fell sewn down, then the fabrics used internally to take the strain of the fastenings and to support the pleats will be important too - perhaps more important, as with a sturdy support lightweight fabric will make a proper kilt but wool fabric will distort if put under pressure or strain - that is why it can be pressed to shape in tailoring.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: