Where do Kiltmaker's Learn Their Craft?

[Riverkilt]

I know Kathy Lare went to the Keith School and got certified there, and has gone back to be certified in new skills...think she's the only certified kiltmaker in the U.S.....?

I know other kiltmakers learn the craft by figuring it out, or reading books, or by apprenticing with more experienced kiltmakers.

Got to thinking about it when folks mention ordering kilts from mills...who are the people who sew them up over in Scotland?

How do you tell the difference between a schooled and certified kiltmaker, an apprenticed kiltmaker, or a self-taught kiltmaker when choosing your craftsman/craftswoman?

Talking about hand sewn traditional kilts here, not contemporary kilts.

Posted here rather than the kiltmaker's forum since this is about the kiltmakers of traditional kilts rather than kiltmaker's products. Hope that was right.

Don't mean to question anyone's "credentials." Just trying to understand the craft.

Thanks for any input.

Ron

[Panache]

Ron,

What a great idea for a thread. I hope we can get to hear from Matt Newsome, Rocky, Cannuck, and Barb (among our other kilt makers) about where and how they learned their art.

Cheers

[Scottish Chi]

Very good question! While looking to have my first traditional kilt made I was concerned about the kiltmaker's training, qualifications, and level of experience. There isn't much to help someone make an informed decision. I feel very lucky to have found X Marks for guidance. Here I found out about folks like Kathy Lare, Barbara Tewksbury, Matt Newsom, and others. I feel more confident knowing the person who is making the kilt than I do relying on a business who may "farm out" my kilt. As you stated this is not meant to question anyones creditials. It's just that anytime I invest what is to me a large sum of money I prefer to know the Craftperson/artist.

I am not aware of any other source of information on kiltmakers that is as informative as the collective experience of the members on this website. But then you know that I'm sure - your posts were some of the first that helped me. And I thank you.

Cheers! Bill

[Southern Breeze]

I'm looking forward to these replys as well. I've made several myself and being certifiable helps. :rolleyes:

[MacHummel]

Well
I learned my craft from a very nice elderly women here in Fergus who wanted to pass on all she knew, as a young girl she and her mother made kilts in Scotland Pat is a wonderful lady and I hope I have made her proud.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Ron, great topic. I too look forward to hearing others responses. It is not like kilts are mainstream enough, like car mechanics, that we can ask our neighbors/coworkers/friends their recommendations for a good kilt maker!

[smaughazard]

Ron, great topic. I too look forward to hearing others responses. It is not like kilts are mainstream enough, like car mechanics, that we can ask our neighbors/coworkers/friends their recommendations for a good kilt maker!

That's one of the key reasons I joined XMarks in the first place: the amount of knowledge represented here is amazing! Lucky, too, I guess, that my closest kiltmaker is Matt Newsome!

[Canuck]

snip

Talking about hand sewn traditional kilts here, not contemporary kilts.

snip
Ron

My name came up in a couple of posts but in reference to Ron's Question. I do not do traditional kilts. I have done them for myself and will continue to do so if time permits. I learned from books, the internet and other kiltmakers. I apply as much as I can in the traditional format in constructing my kilts. I must have about thirty versions that I built before I even built one for someone else.
It is amazing when at the shows that people ask me to build a tartan kilt ...to the point that they insist I make them one...I smile and say thank you but there are people who do it everyday (making traditional kilts) I make contemporary kilts everyday and I will stick to do that. If they want an RKilt I will be more than pleased to do so.

[TecScot]

Yes there are other Master Kilt Makers in the US. There is Cathy McWilliams in Puyallup Washington certified by the Association of Master Kilt Makers of Scotland (AMKM). I am currently apprenticed with her. As an apprentice I am already making superior kilts to what you see from many sources. When my apprenticeship is complete I will apply to The AMKM by sending a kilt for an independent appraiser to examine. If it does not meet standard I will not be recognized.

By the way, I am blown away that Barbara Tweksbury's responded to this thread. Her book was the best $30 I spent on this quest to become a kilt maker.

Yes there are bad kilts made in Scotland - I've fixed a few - and worse made elsewhere. Also be wary of kilts where it says "Tartan made by X", the X standing for a Scottish weaver. I've seen lovely tartan ruined by inexpert assembly.

The way to be positive that the kilt you are getting is quality is to look for a Association of Master Kilt Makers logo or the Guild of Master Craftsman logos. If it doesn't have one of those certifications you need to be sure that you are dealing with someone with a good local reputation. It helps if you can see someone wearing one of their kilts. Does it hang well? Does is swing the way it should? Is the wearer comfortable in the kilt? Is it made of quality materials? Good kilt makers exist without certification, but certification provides assurance.

As someone pointed out, anyone can copy a logo for their web site and literature. The AMKM provides its members with a woven label to sew inside their kilts. It is harder to get a bogus label woven than to steal a web image. As the union folk say "look for the label".

By the way, the BBC ran a story this summer about the Keith Kilt School. They are in trouble for funding. I haven't heard anything new since June but they were reported to be at risk of not existing by the end of the year. I sure hope they find a way to prosper, it would be a shame to lose them.

I haven't named my kilt master as I didn't get her permission to publish her name to the world before starting this post.

Annette Mentzer
Seattle Washington

[ardchoille]

I am learning to make kilts. My skills aren't close to those of Barb, Matt, Rocky, Steve or others yet, but I'm getting better with each kilt I make. I have studied kilt construction, including taking apart a damaged tank, read everything I could find about kilts, and learned quite a bit.

Since being a member of these boards, I have asked lots of questions and recently purchased a copy of Barb's book - I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about kilt construction. This book has taught me quite a bit and I now find that I am able to judge the quality of a kilt simply by looking at it.

Self-taught shouldn't be held against someone. It's the quality of the product that matters. If someone is making a product that looks like a kilt should, has all the interior construction that a kilt should have (e.g., the steeking mentioned above, which isn't obvious from the outside of a kilt), and is beautifully made, who cares how he/she learned the craft??

And she's absolutely right.