It takes me about 25 hours to make an 8-yard knife pleated kilt. Obviously this can vary because of a complicated sett or a large individual. I find the heavier fabric a bit easier to work with than light weight. I rarely work with PV but it is a different beast altogether than wool especially when steaming/shaping. Also, ordering tartan from Mills like the House of Edgar who offer most of their tartans in single width means a bit of labour is saved by not having to join two pieces of fabric.