Every kilt is currently hand made by me to a standard I believe is unequalled by any kilt maker in Scotland.

The tartan used in all kilts comes from the mills in Scotland and in some cases other parts of the United Kingdom. Some people say unless the cloth is woven in Scotland it is inferior. I would say unless the cloth is woven in the United Kingdom it is inferior and I do not use it. There are quality mills in England producing high quality tartan despite the traditionalist's view, which is just as good as that woven in Scotland. Outside of the United Kingdom, the weave loses its integrity and quality because the weaving processes and quality assurance standards are not maintained. They produce an inferior copy of the cloth we call tartan.

The one aspect of tartan which we have no control over is the price. In some cases the cost of the cloth varies as much as 80% because some mills believe they are producing a far superior standard of cloth. The truth of the matter is that kilt tartan woven in the United Kingdom is all 100% pure new worsted wool. This is why there is a surcharge on some tartans from some mills and not others. This is totally out with my control, and there is nothing I can do about it except add on a few pounds to the higher cost of a kilt made in "old and rare", or "rare select" tartans. This in no way changes the quality or workmanship of the kilts I make.

No expense is spared in the sewing of the kilt with top quality matching Coats Terko Satin thread being used for the pleats: top quality matching Gutermann thread is used for all the invisible stitching of the aprons.

Extra strong thread is used to sew in the canvas on the pleated section and the inside of the waistband. The canvas in the pleated section is sewn into place with between 8 and 10 rows of stitches through every 3rd or 4th pleat to ensure it stays in place. The sporran loops are sewn onto the pleats with matching thread, and then folded back to the top of the kilt with extra stitches at the bottom to stop the loops becoming detached.

The matching buckle tabs are sewn through the kilt for added strength.

The kilt straps which are made from "Grade one leather" are hand sewn into place using extra strong thread and are sewn right through the front apron with invisible stitches. This ensures the straps are not going to come off with stitches through all 15 of the holes made in the straps for hand sewing. Having a special cutter made for the tabs costs me a few pounds

The lining is high quality cotton drill and is completely hand sewn into place within 6 mm (1/4") from the top of the kilt.
Making a kilt sounds a wee bit difficult, more so than say, making a table cloth. Once you get into it, you will find that proper kilt making is really an art; a feat of sewing engineering, and probably one of the most complicated items of any national dress in the world. It takes patience to learn and a whole lot more to perfect.

Making a kilt from scratch takes between 18 and 23 hours depending on how good the kilt maker is. It is certainly impossible to produce a genuine hand sewn kilt to the standard I use in any less time. Making a kilt in 8 to 10 hours to this specification is impossible. To do so I would have to eliminate some of the steps which no one ever sees and probably would never realise, this is a compromise I refuse to accept.

There are steps such as the "Steeking", the row of stitching just above the fell which holds the back of the pleat in place and stops it hanging down when the kilt is worn. This step cannot be eliminated at all, but it can be done in such a way as to be totally ineffective and a waste of time. It must be there and it must be a continuous row of stitches of no more than ½", 13mm in size, otherwise it defeats the purpose of having it, and it must be made with extra strong thread. Very few kilt makers do this.

Making the buckle tabs sounds like an easy part of the process, but if you do not use enough cloth you will end up with frayed tabs which I am sure everyone has seen on a kilt. In my opinion a kilt with frayed buckle tabs is a sign of laziness in kilt making. It is a step which takes a few minutes and takes just as long to do correctly as it does incorrectly, so there is no excuse for a poor quality tab. I use a small rectangle of stiff canvass in every tab to ensure it keeps its shape. This may sound excessive, but the end result speaks for itself.

Another important difference in my kilts is the "rise" from the waist. In many kilts today, the kilt straps are right at the top of the kilt with no rise at all. All of my kilts have a 2 ½" rise from the centre of the waist straps to the top of the kilt, so the kilt will sit slightly higher than say a rented kilt. The size of the kilt at the waistband is approximately 1 ½" larger than the measurement taken for the waist. This allows the wearer to bed in comfort. All traditional kilts have a rise on them of between 2" and 3", so I opted for something in between as I felt the 3" rise was just a wee bit too high. It means that the top of the kilt will sit just below the bottom rib, and it also avoids much of that unsightly "shirt scene", where the shirt is hanging out under the Prince Charlie jacket and vest on top of the kilt.

The rise is very important in kilt making. It means the kilt is worn where it was intended to be rather than the modern method of having the kilt almost on the hips like a pair of trousers. The kilt was meant to be worn higher, but over the last few years especially, it has gradually slipped to almost hip height, which can be quite unsightly when dressed in formal wear.