New here with some question.

[The Wizard of BC]

The general wisdom is to use the best fabric you can afford. Even for your first kilt. Good quality kilt fabric is a joy to work with. Stitching the pleats with good quality wool is actually easier for a first time kilt maker than it would be with lesser quality fabric.

Also consider wool as it will mold with steam and this is required when making a kilt. You must get the fabric to take a three dimensional shape and you do that with steam.



Cotton fabrics will not hold a crease. Cotton also wrinkles badly. When I make kilts from Cotton I must edge stitch every pleat, inside and out.
Cotton will also need to be ironed after every washing.



The fabrics you find at your local fabric store will not be heavy enough for a good looking kilt. I must order my Cotton and Poly/Cotton blends special just to get ones heavy enough.



Yes, good quality kilt fabrics cost more. But I think you will find that unlike making a shirt, where you put a pattern down and cut the pieces out along the dotted lines, a kilt is not cut until all the pleats are sewn. So you can take out pleats and re-stitch all you want. Most newbie kilt makers stitch and rip out two or three times. Doing this with light weight or cheap fabric is frustrating as you are not only learning needle work but fighting the fabric at well.

So, please, take some advice from someone who has been there and who teaches this stuff. Go ahead, save your pennies and get some good quality kilt wool.