My Last Tartan Kilt???

[Alan H]

I've just done an interesting thing...I've bought two kilt skirts off of ebay. Sum total for the two skirts is $45. They are both in the Gray Stewart Tartan, from the same manufacturer, made from identical cloth.

I asked this vendor, about a year ago when she had two Gray Stewart kilt skirts for sale, if the material was the same in both skirts, and it wasn't. Now, a year later, she e-mailed me and said she had two skirts that were identical. Ebay Item number 220074688376

Here's the plan.... both skirts are 27 inches long. They're almost for sure about 2 - 2.2 yards of material. I know the material is twill weave 'cause she sent me a close-up photo of the cloth. I rip out the seams, remove the waistband, iron the bedickens out of it to iron out the old pleats, and cut to length. I then combine the two pieces into one 4-plus yard piece and sew up a box-pleat Grey Stewart kilt. Instead of costing me $150 for material, it cost me $45. I can justify $150- $180 for the California Tartan; in my mind that is truly something special, and I'll never get it any other way, but I just can't justify that expense for the Grey Stewart. At $45 plus shipping, I rest a bit easier.

When I bought my first kilt, like many of us, it was a Stillwater Standard Black Watch. That was great and I was hooked. It was followed very shortly by a USA Kilts casual model in Ramsay, blue. I spotted a solid black (2004 model) Stillwater standard on ebay for cheap and bought that. I still have the USA Kilts Ramsay and the black Stillwater.


After I'd been into this kilt thing and decided that I liked it, almost eighteen months ago now, I made a short list of what tartans I wanted: California State Tartan and Gray Stewart and MacNaugthon made up the original list. That list expanded to include Holyrood after I saw a swatch of it from N. Bately, the X-Marks tartan (of course) and then the Scottish National. I also have two more...MacNicol Modern and a lightweight grey/blue tartan that was on sale from Fraser and Kirkbright. I have them because I bought the cloth to practice making kilts before I tackled the X-Marks tartan. There are eight kilts in My closet now.

X-Marks tartan 6- yard ..I made it
MacNicol Modern 7-yard...I made it.
Fraser and Kirkbright grey/blue 6-yard ... I made it
Ramsay blue.... USA kilts
knockoff Pakistani Scottish National 5 yard
Solid Black Stillwater Standard
Holyrood 5-yard ....Caledonia Kilts
MacNaughton, muted 5-yard...Caledonia Kilts

TO ME...and this is just to ME, enough is enough, I don't need 30 kilts! But missing out of the collection are two of my original "wants".

Well, this Christmas the Luminous Joans family all chipped in and got me 2.3 yards...enough for a box pleat kilt...of California Tartan from Rocky. That's the next project. I'm looking forward to my first tartan box-pleat.

...and now I have a quantity of Grey Stewart tartan coming for the Grey Stewart kilt.

I think that might be enough. Now I *must* admit, Rocky's new "American Heritage" Tartan is MIGHTY tempting, and I might go for it...you never know. that's a handsome tartan. Nonetheless, the end is in sight. I have several "dress" kilts, a couple of "knockaround" kilts, a "fake" Great Kilt for Ren Faire and a kilt in my Clan tartan. The luminous Joan has an X-Marks sash, and will have a MacNaughton sash by summer. Enough.

After the two box pleats I'm going to make two more X-Kilts, one for Me and one for Panache and then call it quits with my kiltmaking career.

I think....

Or maybe it will just be a long , long "break", eh? ....Time to make a sgian dubh or something different.