First time making kilt using The art of kiltmaking

[Sean Wilson]

NPG I've made a few wool kilts now using TAoKM. When I attempted my first I had no experience of sewing and after looking at all the arguments for and against making a practice kilt I decided I'd make my first using quite cheap cotton. The pros were that I got to practice stitching. I got to practice stitching pleats but the most important part for me was I got to practice what was in the book. When i first read it it made complete sense. It was only when I tried to apply what it said on fabric that I came across parts of it that made me scratch my head.

The cons were obvious. Cotton is not wool and some of the parts in the book rely on skew ing the wool especially with steam which you can't do with cotton. In the end I had a kilt I never wear because it resembles a ladies skirt...

Overall I learned a lot from a practice kilt and personally I'm glad I made one. I have to say when I made my first wool kilt I found wool easier to work on than cotton. And after trying out the book on a cheap £20 throw away garment I felt more confident when I purchased my first length of wool.

Ultimately the decision of test kilt or not, is a personal preference. Either way I hope you enjoy the experience of making your first kilt.

[NPG]

NPG I've made a few wool kilts now using TAoKM. When I attempted my first I had no experience of sewing and after looking at all the arguments for and against making a practice kilt I decided I'd make my first using quite cheap cotton. The pros were that I got to practice stitching. I got to practice stitching pleats but the most important part for me was I got to practice what was in the book. When i first read it it made complete sense. It was only when I tried to apply what it said on fabric that I came across parts of it that made me scratch my head.

The cons were obvious. Cotton is not wool and some of the parts in the book rely on skew ing the wool especially with steam which you can't do with cotton. In the end I had a kilt I never wear because it resembles a ladies skirt...

Overall I learned a lot from a practice kilt and personally I'm glad I made one. I have to say when I made my first wool kilt I found wool easier to work on than cotton. And after trying out the book on a cheap £20 throw away garment I felt more confident when I purchased my first length of wool.

Ultimately the decision of test kilt or not, is a personal preference. Either way I hope you enjoy the experience of making your first kilt.

Thank you for your comment and sharing your personal experience. I think I might end up making a "practice" kilt from something lighter than wool, I need a good summer kilt for down here anyways. But I do think I'm going to follow the Wizards advice and practice my hand stitching first regardless.