I think what some folks don't yet understand is that there is a big difference between how the instructors at the Keith Kilt School teach students to hand sew kilts and the methods used by kiltmakers who never attended such a school or apprenticed under someone who never attended such a school.

For sure its a controversial issue among kiltmakers. Those trained in the old ways call other methods "manufactured method" or "tailored method."

Ironically, one big difference seems to be the use of pins. My kiltmaker once wrote me, "pins are something I never use." That is because she was taught to hand sew kilts without the use of pins.

Your mileage may differ. While kilts acceptable to us may be sewn up in many different manners - both on machines and with differing methods of hand sewing - the members of the Traditional Kiltmakers Guild don't use pins and they consider that a hallmark of their craft.

What I can't figure out is if using pins speeds up kiltmaking, or slows it down due to putting them in and taking them out.

Myself - I remain amazed that a hand sewn kilt can be so well made and the tartan so well aligned without the use of pins. For me, that's a mark of incredible craftsmanship.