I started off my kilt wearing at 50 inches - it was more of an equator than a waist.

I made and remade kilts smaller as I lost in circumference - because I could.

I started off making Kingussie style, where the pleats all face forward, but quickly changed to the reverse of that as it is far less catching.

I began by making 20 small pleats, as it is so easy to measure in metric, divide by ten and have the amount of fabric for each pleat. I then divided the width of pleats on each side by ten and that gave me the reveal of each pleat.

As I was determined to lose weight I did not shape the edges of the aprons at first, as that will take 6 inches of fabric out of the upper apron, and I made the under apron 2 inches smaller than the over apron, as I would only shape one side and so remove 4 inches.

If you lose lots of weight, or size, you could remove the waistband and move the pleat folds slightly closer together, then replace the waistband. Once you have the pleats established either by pressing or sewing the outer edge it is fairly easy to keep them and adjust them as required.

You can start off with the aprons being half the circumference of the waist, and as you get smaller the pleats will move around to the more normal situation of being several inches more than half and the aprons correspondingly less.

I have made kilts out of all sorts of material, and I am not sure about denim - I'd prefer a heavy canvas, simply because denim is made with different warp and weft. Canvas has a warp and weft which are more similar, like traditional tartan materials.

It is easier to make a kilt out of a fabric where you can tear it along the grain line, as you really need to have the edges of the fabric on the grain, as that helps with the pleats lying straight.

I usually start out by washing and ironing the fabric, tearing it into strips and then measuring and pressing the pleats in - before any sewing. It really helps with the eventual neatness of the kilt to press everything possible into the cloth whilst you can still open it out and get to all parts of it. It also shows up any errors in calculation before you put in too much work, and gives you a fair idea of what the finished kilt will look like.

When sewing it really helps to have the machine on a table large enough to hold all the material, as it can make a jog in a seam of the fabric slides unexpectedly whilst you are working. I use a desk and have the machine at the right hand edge of it so there is lots of space for the fabric to lie on, both to the side and behind the machine.