Hand sewn vs. machine sewn

[Barb T]

Well, stitching on a hand-sewn kilt _shouldn't_ be visible, the stripes should match perfectly, and color boundaries shouldn't wobble around in a pleat. But, not every kiltmaker is meticulous. That's why it pays to know who's making your kilt if these things matter to you.

Machine-stitching kilt pleats from the outside (which is how most machine-stitched kilts are made) is very obvious. I agree with Matt that it's easy to spot and makes a kilt not look like a trad kilt but rather like a kilt skirt.

Machine-stitching kilt pleats from the inside (as described by Rocky) is exceptionally difficult to do well and to make truly precise in terms of stripe-matching, centering of stripes or color boundaries, pleat size, and precise taper for a good fit. My hat is off to Rocky for being able to do it well.

Me, I'm a traditionalist. I do everything by hand, even the fringe edge. Well, that's a teensy lie. If I'm home when I'm working on a kilt, I _do_ stitch the top band on by machine, but that's it. And, if I'm traveling, I even do that by hand. Takes me about 20 hours to make a kilt, a bit more if it's a really big one. But, personally, I think all the hand work makes a better final product.

Barb