The Gem State

[McElmurry]

For my first kilt I would like a relatively versatile tartan to which I have a direct connection. The most obvious choice would be the state of my birth, Idaho. Here is a link to an example.

http://www.scotweb.co.uk/sr_swhdr_ta...r_weight=Heavy

I would appreciate the opinions of those of you with a trained eye for such things. My basic questions are how would you pleat it, what do you think of the mill and or fabric, would it dress up and down, are there any obvious flaws that are not obvious to me? There is quite a lot of white and I am a bit concerned it looks either too feminine or too much like a flannel shirt. Other than those minor concerns I really like the colors. I have not found a description of the design but my interpretation is green for the forests, blue for the water, white for the snow, brown for the high deserts, and red for the First Nations.

[toadinakilt]

IMHO, that's a pretty sweet tartan. Wear it with a leather jacket and boots, nobody will think it looks feminine.

[Hothir Ethelnor]

Not too much white and white isn't especially feminine.

It just happens to be that most Highland dancers are female and wear white "dance/dress" tartans.

Go for it if you like it.

[Mr. bone]

Well, here's what I could find out. I like it as well and would be proud to wear it. And I'm not seeing that feminine issue at all. If you wear it and you're a guy, you'd look like, well... a guy in a kilt! I was born here some 52 odd years ago, (and believe me, many of them have been very odd) and love every inch of this state. If I could ever get ahead financially, I'd get one in a heart beat.




]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]]
Fifty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2006


IN THE SENATE

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 107

BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

A SENATE RESOLUTION
DESIGNATING APRIL 6 OF EACH YEAR AS "IDAHO TARTAN DAY" IN RECOGNITION OF THE
CONTRIBUTIONS OF THOSE CITIZENS OF SCOTTISH DESCENT.

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Idaho:

WHEREAS, April 6 has a special significance for all Americans, and espe-
cially those Americans of Scottish descent, because the Declaration of
Arbroath, the Scottish Declaration of Independence, was signed on April 6,
1320, and the American Declaration of Independence was modeled after that
inspirational document; and

WHEREAS, we honor the major role that Scottish Americans played in the
founding of this nation, such as the fact that many of the signers of the Dec-
laration of Independence were of Scottish descent, the governors in nine of
the original thirteen states were of Scottish ancestry, and Scottish Americans
successfully helped shape this country in its formative years and guide this
nation through its most troubled times; and

WHEREAS, we recognize the monumental achievements and invaluable contribu-
tions made by Scottish Americans such as Neil Armstrong, Alexander Graham
Bell, Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Alva Edison, William Faulkner, Malcolm Forbes,
Billy Graham, Alexander Hamilton, Washington Irving, John Paul Jones, John
Marshall, Andrew Mellon, Samuel F.B. Morse, James Naismith, Edgar Allen Poe,
Gilbert Stuart, Elizabeth Taylor, General Douglas MacArthur, and Arnold
Palmer, to name but a few; and

WHEREAS, we recognize the many great Idahoans of Scottish-American
descent, including, but certainly not limited to, Senator John McMillan, Colin
McLeod, Thomas McMillan and Andy Little; and

WHEREAS, we commend the more than two hundred thousand organizations
throughout the United States that honor Scottish heritage, tradition, and cul-
ture and that represent the hundreds of thousands of Americans of Scottish
descent, residing in every state, including Idaho; and

WHEREAS, these numerous individuals, clans, societies, clubs, and frater-
nal organizations do not let the great contributions of the Scottish people go
unnoticed.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Senate, assembled in
the Second Regular Session of the Fifty-eighth Idaho Legislature, that the
Idaho Senate recognizes April 6 of each year as "Idaho Tartan Day."

[Mac Ghille Sheathanaich]

I recently tracked down the designer of the Idaho Centennial tartan. She was on faculty with the North Idaho College in Coeur d' Alene, back in the 1980s

She is semi-retired and lives in California now, but still does some weaving and lectures.

She was teaching a course in Scottish studies then and was approached to design and register our tartan. She has also done one for the state of Indiana, and numerous others.

As a kiltmaker myself, I would recommend pleating to the sett, rather than the line, a.k.a. military style. It ought to make an awfully handsome kilt.

Regards aye,

Tim Cayler,
Clan Shaw
Caldwell ID

[piperdbh]

I'd have it box-pleated to show the white stripes. Usually I like to see the lighter colors hidden until the pleats open while walking, but with this tartan, I think you should show off the white.
I don't know anything about the fabric. The kiltmakers will have to take care of that.

[macwilkin]

A brief description of the Idaho tartan may be found in Teall & Smith's book on District Tartans, if I remember correctly.

T.

[MacMillans son]

Hey neighbor,

Hello from Roseville!

I think it looks fine, and the fact that you have a personal connection to it will enable you to wear it with pride no matter what colors are in it.
The white my not make it the best for hiking or other such activities, but that's what inexpensive casual kilts are good for.

The price would be the thing that held me back. At $58 a yard single width, plus shipping, puts it at around $500 just for the material (for an 8 yrd kilt that is). As Idaho is, or at least used to be, a pretty big sheep state, I wonder if any local weavers were involved with the developing or production plans for the tartan? Might be worth a little research.

Good luck, it will look great!

[McElmurry]

Thanks for the great responses. I just got back home from a weeks visit in Boise. I am now leaning toward the Idaho tartan for my first kilt although I still need about six months to get my weight where I want it. Here is a link to an article about the tartan. I thought brown for the high desert was a good choice but I guess you can’t represent Idaho without using the “P” word.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=4115,3138663

[Nighthawk]

Thanks for the great responses. I just got back home from a weeks visit in Boise. I am now leaning toward the Idaho tartan for my first kilt although I still need about six months to get my weight where I want it. Here is a link to an article about the tartan. I thought brown for the high desert was a good choice but I guess you can’t represent Idaho without using the “P” word.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=4115,3138663

...brown for the potatoes? That's awesome!! So, anyways, here's my thoughts on the subject. I'm from Colorado. I wear the Colorado state tartan with a lot of pride. It's your home. A kilt in your clan or family tartan represents one thing only- your heritage. A kilt in your state tartan, on the other hand, represents your pride in both your home and your heritage! So to me, it's a no brainer, which is why I got the Colorado state years before I got one in my clan tartan. Oh, and were I from Idaho, I would gladly wear that tartan- it's really nice! It would killer in a box pleated kilt! Although I personally would have it pleated to the darker colored fields, as opposed to the earlier suggestion of the white. The white would flash when you walk, which I think would look really cool. Just my thoughts though- our boy Hothir Ethelnor can advise you a lot better than I can. He made my box pleated kilt for me and did a bang up job for a great price.



The tartan is MacLeod Hunting.