Purchasing tartan fabric

[Barb T]

As far as I know, Isle of Skye is woven by only one mill (please correct if I'm wrong - it's a copyrighted tartan, so I'm assuming that's the case). And I also assume that you mean the Isle of Skye District tartan (the one that's purple and brown and green), and not the Isle of Skye Fashion tartan (which is beige and brown and light olive). Anyway, if it's the District tartan, I've made several kilts from the tartan and am actually currently finishing one. The sett size is pretty average in 16 oz (about 7 1/2"). If you're pleating to the stripe, 4.5 meters should be plenty for someone your size. If to the sett, 5 m would be safe, but I don't think you'd really need it.

And if you buy extra and want your kiltmaker to send you what's left over, ask him/her to figure out what the extra will be and cut it off *before* splitting the fabric if you want a wide piece left over. Otherwise, you'll have something that is about 28" wide and the length of the extra.

BTW - I'm curious - why are you ordering the fabric yourself and not having your kiltmaker do it?