How long does it take?

[calanacrafts]

Yes that is my question, when making your own kilts how long does it take you to sew it up, Do you do it all by hand? I'm curious as I was trying to find out and professionals take aa 5 year apprenticeship, my local kilt hire owner put me off

[Barb T]

I've been making kilts for almost 15 years, and I can make a typical 8 yard knife pleated kilt in about 20 hours, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. That's all hand sewn.

[Alan H]

Watch my thread about making a 5-yard Royal Stewart for my cousin. I'm keeping track of time as I go. I estimate it will be about 16 hours, and th ekilt will have rather fewer construction details in it than a fully traditional kilt. My first "almost" fully traditional kilt, which was all hand-sewn except for the hidden parts of the waistband and the right hand (fringed) apron edge, took me 47 hours. I documented the whole process, if you want to search way, way back in the DIY forum..

I'm slower than Barb!

[arrg-isle]

Alas, vendors who make their living renting or hiring-out kilts are very seldom a good source for genuine questions about kiltmaking, or kiltmakers.
But I'm sure there's many fine folks right here on XMTS who can give you good advice.
Just don't stop being determined, no matter who says what!

[Mac Ghille Sheathanaich]

When I make a kilt, I measure my hands-on time in weeks, simplu because I can't sit at my sewing table hours on end. the last one took nearly a year to finish, but that is an exaggeration due to extenuating circumstances.

I would say that if I were to dedicate all n my free time to it, it would take me a month. I have one to make in the near future, I should "clock in and out" to see exactly how long it does take in terms of time spent actually working on it.

Fide et Fortitudine, aye!

T.

[The Wizard of BC]

I can't speak for anyone else because the Kilts I make are different from those Barb makes and those Alan makes.
But to give you an idea, one of my Casual Model Kilts with 2 Side Slash Pockets, 2 Rear Welt Pockets, and Under-Apron Pocket, made from my in stock Poly/Cotton fabrics takes a total of between 18 & 24 man hours.
This includes the cutting & pre-shrinking of the fabric and the time spent boxing it for shipment.
We seldom make just one Kilt at a time though. We usually have 3 or 4 going at once. We have found that if you are working on Hemming for instance, it is easier to do the same step on a couple of Kilts at the same time. Each person in the shop still makes an entire Kilt from start to finish so we're not an assembly line but having a couple on the go just seems to help from getting burned out.

[Alan H]

OH, PS: I estimate that a total newbie who knows how to use a sewing machine, can make an X-kilt from the manual in 13-16 hours. That doesn't include fabric shopping, or pre-shrinking time. I can now make an X-Kilt in about 9-10 hours time.

[Southern Breeze]

Twice as long as half of one.

[Rex_Tremende]

Alas, vendors who make their living renting or hiring-out kilts are very seldom a good source for genuine questions about kiltmaking, or kiltmakers.

I think we have some kiltmakers here on this forum who are more than generous with their advice and insights into the art of kiltmaking.

Regards,
Rex.

[Daibhidh O'Baoighill]

It usually takes me between 14 to 16 hours [estimated] to sew a kilt. I am just getting started and only make kilts for myself and my children. I hand sew the pleats and machine sew the fringe and waistband.