Need someone to make a kilt with my fabric

[Guy III]

I recently purchased a considerable yardage of lighter / medium weight tartan (it's hot in the South) and want a modern 8 yard kilt made. I can hand sew historic philabegs but machine sewing a modern kilt with straps is beyond me. Most kilt makers have you choose tartans from their stock / supplier. Does anyone have a recommendation for someone who would make a kilt with my fabric? And at a reasonable cost. Thanks so much.

[Mikilt]

Guy III,
Two things.

The general consensus seems to be that for kilts worn in warmer environments, a kilt of lesser yardage is the way to go. So you might consider that.

Next, there are some kiltmakers who eschew making items from customer-supplied fabric. Others welcome it. I recently had Freedom Kilts (Xmarks advertiser-banner at the top of this page) make a kilt from fabric I already owned.

[The Wizard of BC]

Guy III what you are asking for is called, in the tailoring business, as Cut, Make, and Trim or CMT for short.

But you need to give a guy just a little more detail. Such as, what do you mean by "a reasonable cost"?

And you did not say what style of kilt you are looking for. Do you want a utilikilt style? A "casual" style that is unstructured or make like jeans. Or are you looking for a kilt that is styled and made like a traditional kilt?

And can you be just a bit more specific about the fabric you have. Is it suitable for a kilt in the first place or is it something you found in your local fabric shop intended for quilting?

Freedom Kilts does welcome CMT but we need just a bit more to go on before we would commit to a job like this.

[Guy III]

Thanks, Steve. I certainly understand your questions- just expected to get into this after finding one or more "CMT" tailors to contact offline. "Reasonable cost," I guess is subjective based on the work but I know 5 yard kilts can be purchased made-to-measure with Scottish mill wool for as little as for sub-$400- a Forum advertiser did so for me in 2014. If I understand your next question- traditional style to be worn with a sporran, not the utility style with pockets, etc. The fabric I purchased off Ebay is 14 yds. of MacFarlane tartan wool. But it's not heavyweight. It's more like polyviscose in weight. I can easily make a lightweight philabeg out of it (and sell the rest perhaps) but since my Sept is part of that Clan, I thought perhaps I should do something better with it. I appreciate your consideration and guidance.

[OC Richard]

...want a modern 8 yard kilt made... machine sewing a modern kilt with straps is beyond me.

None of my kilts have machine sewing or loops (is that what you mean by 'straps'?)

They are modern traditional full-yardage handstitched kilts. (In other words not historical kilts.)

You might consider taking the plunge and making a modern traditional kilt! I did, with a class by Elsie Stuehmeyer. It was a lot of fun and I got a wonderful kilt!

Most kilt makers have you choose tartans from their stock / supplier.

I've had kilts made by three different makers, and as it happened none of them seemed to care whether I or they provided the fabric. However they did have preferences as to which fabric they favoured working with, for example one preferred 16oz House Of Edgar fabric, one preferred Lochcarron Strome. And, all three kiltmakers had established relationships with their preferred mills and the fabric was less expensive getting it through the kiltmaker than it would have been for me to buy it somewhere myself (especially if I got hit with import duty).

BTW after taking that kiltmaking class I marvel at how little kiltmakers charge for the actual making.

[bonnie heather]

If you'd like, I could be of service to you. I've made many kilts with customer supplied fabric and people have told me that my rates are quite reasonable. You can find my ad in the lower banner section or you can email me at bonniekilts@gmail.com

I recently purchased a considerable yardage of lighter / medium weight tartan (it's hot in the South) and want a modern 8 yard kilt made. I can hand sew historic philabegs but machine sewing a modern kilt with straps is beyond me. Most kilt makers have you choose tartans from their stock / supplier. Does anyone have a recommendation for someone who would make a kilt with my fabric? And at a reasonable cost. Thanks so much.

[NYClark]

Bonnie Heather,
Does Ann Stewart have a daughter, Hazel, who runs a kilt shop in Penfield, NY?
Is Ann the kilt maker who taught you?
Dean

[bonnie heather]

Yes, indeed! Ann retired a few years ago, but she taught her daughter, Hazel. And now Hazel is carrying on the kiltmaking tradition in the Rochester NY area.

I was apprenticed to Ann back in 2006, and learned a lot from her. Since then, I've been combining the best of Ann's methods with other good techniques that work well for me.

Ann is a wonderful person, and so is Hazel !

Bonnie Heather,
Does Ann Stewart have a daughter, Hazel, who runs a kilt shop in Penfield, NY?
Is Ann the kilt maker who taught you?
Dean

[Guy III]

Thank you all for your comments and offers. I will take all this into consideration as I evaluate what I really want to do with this fabric.