What's all the hubub about hand stiching?

[Riverkilt]

Hand stitching seems practical to me because it seems to produce a better swing to the kilt and to give the klit a bit more flexibility under stress than machine stitching.

And don't overlook the VITAL importance of quality thread designed to withstand the stress we put on the stitches in the kilt. Without quality thread that holds well - machine or hand sewn - we'll soon have a blanket instead of a kilt.

[MacMillans son]

For me, there is something about a craftsperson working with their hands to create something specifically for me that gives the product more of a value to me. It may last the same, function the same, and look the same, but to me it is not the same.

All of my clan tartan kilts (modern, weathered, hunting) will be hand made. Any fashion tartan kilts that I have made will not need to be. Obviously, it's more of romantic notion for me than a rational one. But, I've always been willing to pay a little extra for some romance

[Tobus]

Hand stitching seems practical to me because it seems to produce a better swing to the kilt and to give the klit a bit more flexibility under stress than machine stitching.

I'm asking out of sheer ignorance here, but how would the type of stitching affect the swing of the kilt?

[Barb T]

Doesn't seem to me that it would. What governs the swing is the relative depth of the fell (the stitched portion of the pleats) - too long and the pleats don't swing, too short and the pleats are "flippy" instead of "swingy" - and the weight of the tartan in the back of the kilt (so a kilt with identical fells and identical depth pleats will swing better in heavier weight tartan). I can't see what difference it would make whether they were hand or machine stitched.