Not Black Watch, but not too shabby

[RockyR]

I would be suspicious about a fabric which is 60 inches wide being called wool - so far I have not come across any material which turned out to be all wool - that is it dissolved in bleach, which was not woven 54 inches wide.

I have found wool mixtures 60 inches wide, but they are not so densly woven as I would have liked for quality clothing.

MANY mills carry wool at 58" or 60" wide. In fact, Lochcarron is the only one I know that carries it in UNDER 58" wide at 54".

Marton Mills, Batley, Strathmore all carry at 58 to 60" wide.

HOE USED to carry material at 60" wide, but has since moved to a single width loom (and cut their prices in half). They now weave at 32" wide for most of their tartans.

All that being said, I don't think that this material is 'quality wool' just by the look of it. And the old motto... 'if it's too good to be true, it usually is'...

It ACTUALLY looks like a cotton blend Farquharson fabric we had bought a LONG time ago (before we started buying MM PV Fabric) at Jomar... a fabric chain store here in the US. The fabric was really not 'kilt material', but it was cheap (and all we could find at the time).

[The Wizard of BC]

I'm going to second Rocky's thought that this is probably not fabric produced by any of the leading Kilt Wool weavers.

It is also not true Farquarson Tartan. The Farquarson Tartan as posted above is a Black Watch derivative. Every other Red stripe should have Black guard stripes.

[Nighthawk]

It's not stewart Hntg... it's Farquharson:

Wow! They're remarkably similar! My dad wears Stewart hunting. That's what I thought it was, too.

[Pleater]

Ooouups - should have prefaced that with 'On the genral fabric market in England' - should not sneak in reading of nor writing to X Marks whilst dinner is burning - er cooking - no was right the first time.

I got some nice black wool because the person who spotted it first found it was not 60 inches wide and decided it wasn't enough of a bargain at 54 inches wide - so I bought the lot and could hardly get it back to the car it was so heavy.

Annt the Pleater :ootd:

[The Guy in the Kilt at UC]

I would be suspicious about a fabric which is 60 inches wide being called wool - so far I have not come across any material which turned out to be all wool - that is it dissolved in bleach, which was not woven 54 inches wide.

I have found wool mixtures 60 inches wide, but they are not so densly woven as I would have liked for quality clothing.

I was tempted to buy some of those fabrics though, at those prices I think I could manage to make something out of it.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

The "wool" Royal Stewart material I bought was 63" wide.

[Oddern]

I have bought from this seller. I bought the "Royal Stuart" tartan, but the weave was not completely rectangular. Certainly not made in a country that knows about tartans. The material was quite heavy but very loosely woven, probably a wool/poly blend. I made 3 mini-kilts for my daughter and her friends but I would absolutely not make a "real" kilt of this garment.

[Pleater]

I wonder if these wider materials are being made on modern looms - in factories either recently set up, or replacing their more elderly materials.

I have a wool mix which is 60 inches wide where the right side - as decided by the slope of the twill, has been brushed, and so I have had to cut from selvage to selvage and use the inside face, which has the diagonal of the twill running the wrong way - as a 'bend sinister' for those into heraldry.

I did manage to offend someone with a nice new kilt from a Scottish kilt maker (Hector Russel is the name which comes to mind) by pointing out that the diagonal of the twill was the wrong way - I suspect that fabric was woven on a modern loom - and the thread count looked to be slightly coarser than the few pieces of real, traditional, 54 inch tartan I have seen close up.

The North of England did have a - possibly rather too proud tradition of weaving, though most of the factories are long gone now, and the looms sold off for scrap.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[RockyR]

I did manage to offend someone with a nice new kilt from a Scottish kilt maker (Hector Russel is the name which comes to mind) by pointing out that the diagonal of the twill was the wrong way - I suspect that fabric was woven on a modern loom - and the thread count looked to be slightly coarser than the few pieces of real, traditional, 54 inch tartan I have seen close up.

Anne,

One little known fact... Lochcarron's STROME (16 oz material) has the twill running the wrong direction (/////). Their 13 and 10 oz fabrics run the proper way (\\\). I was told this fact by their Sales Manager, Doug Young, so it comes from a reliable source.

Every other mill that I know of ALL have their 'good side' twill running the proper way (\\\).

[slohairt]

Anne,

One little known fact... Lochcarron's STROME (16 oz material) has the twill running the wrong direction (/////). Their 13 and 10 oz fabrics run the proper way (\\\). I was told this fact by their Sales Manager, Doug Young, so it comes from a reliable source.

Every other mill that I know of ALL have their 'good side' twill running the proper way (\\\).

Yep, that's why I get out my trusty clothes shaver (read 'fuzzy selvedge shaver') whenever I order Strome!

[Bugbear]

Yep, that's why I get out my trusty clothes shaver (read 'fuzzy selvedge shaver') whenever I order Strome!

Whoa, this is new information to me...