My pointers (from experience):

Read the manual when you have the cloth ready. It doesn't make sense to read the whole thing without fabric. But be sure to have washed (hot) the (cotton/cottonpoly) first and dried, before you sit down to work on it. Preshrink now before sewing.

Decide early on: to hem or not to hem the selvedge.

Print an extra copy on a single (full) page of the sketch of the sample kilt diagram with all the lines etc. It's to good to consult it as you mark the fabric. It gives you an overall picture.
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Other than for referring/refreshing the memory, I hardly read the manual on my second kilt (but I still had the diagram quickly available.

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When I couldn't understand something (and I try to decipher the meaning), I just try something, anything. The results will show when it's done and I will have learned something. I also had the experience from using Barb's book before the xkilt.

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Thanks again Alan H for the xkilt manual!