Anyone ever have any dealings with Bonbright Woolens?

**Thistle Stop** · 5th April 05, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome

I checked the STA listing for the tartan:
http://www.tartansauthority.com/web/...p?txtID=002454

Nothing there indicates that it has any restrictions on who can weave it. If you want me to try to find alternate weavers for you, I'd be glad to. Are you looking for just enough for one kilt, or a whole bolt of cloth?

Cyndi, you said you thought Bonbright owned the rights to produce it... are you certain, or just guessing? Let me know if you know for sure, I don't want to step on any toes!

I don't know for sure. Jim Anderson said something to me about it a few years ago, but I can't remember exactly what it was. (It was just general chat about it -- I wasn't looking to get any of the tartan.) I was under the impression they were the source for it, possibly exclusively (at least back then) -- but even if there were a copyright, it most likely would be either US or EU but not both, so I don't think there would be a problem in having it woven in Scotland. Did you look at Keith Lumsden's notes, too? Jim and Keith are rather thick with each other.

I just looked it up in Keith's database. It says 'The control of the weaving of this tartan is with the designers.'. See http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tart...tartan_id=1612. So... I just don't know. The designers are J. Howard Standing (Tarzana, California) and Thomas Ferguson (Sidney, Vancouver Island, British Columbia). J. Howard Standing used to be the president of the St Andrews Society of Los Angeles, so he could probably be reached through them, or through the St Andrews Society of Southern California. The contact info I have for him, which may or may not be current, is: jhowstan@pacbell.net; P.O. Box 571-825, Tarzana, CA 91357-1825; Phone: 818-343-0734; Fax: 818-343-2634. The only Thomas Ferguson I know of that is involved in weaving is the famous Irish linen company in County Down, and I doubt they have any connection to someone in BC.

Some other email addresses to try at Bonbright are ian@tartanplaid.com and weejock@tartanplaid.com.

I hope some of that may help!

**Silverlake_Punk** · 5th April 05, 11:01 AM

Matt - all I want is enough for a light (poly-vis or 8oz wool) casual kilt. Maybe 4 or 5 yards.

Cyndi - thanks for the additional contact info.

And thank you to all for your help and advice. I'm pretty much giving up on Bonbright, but someday that tartan will be mine... all mine...

**Thistle Stop** · 5th April 05, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by Silverlake_Punk

Matt - all I want is enough for a light (poly-vis or 8oz wool) casual kilt. Maybe 4 or 5 yards.

Cyndi - thanks for the additional contact info.

And thank you to all for your help and advice. I'm pretty much giving up on Bonbright, but someday that tartan will be mine... all mine...

You're welcome!

By the way, the California tartan is almost identical to the Muir tartan, on which it is based (in honour of John Muir, the Scottish naturalist who emigrated to America and founded the Sierra Club). So you might want to have your kilt made in that tartan, if the CA one is not available.

**Thistle Stop** · 5th April 05, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by Silverlake_Punk

Matt - all I want is enough for a light (poly-vis or 8oz wool) casual kilt. Maybe 4 or 5 yards.

Cyndi - thanks for the additional contact info.

And thank you to all for your help and advice. I'm pretty much giving up on Bonbright, but someday that tartan will be mine... all mine...

By the way, the California tartan is almost identical to the Muir tartan, on which it is based (in honour of John Muir, the Scottish naturalist who emigrated to America and founded the Sierra Club). So you might want to have your kilt made in that tartan, if the CA one is not available.

**Alan H** · 5th April 05, 04:28 PM

The White Hackle Pipe Band

http://whitehackle.home.comcast.net/

wears the California Tartan. I wrote the director about 6 months ago and he told me that the guys got measured for kilts at a Highland Games a year or two ago, but he didn't offer any details. You might write them and ask if they know where you can get the Calfiornia Tartan as well. I can't commit to a 16 oz. 8 yard kilt, but I'd be very interested in a lighter weight (11 oz) 4 yard, like you are.

I'd be surprised if it was ever available in poly-vis but a lightweight wool or a wool/synthetic blend....now if we could find 3-4 other guys who wanted 4-5 yards so that the weaver could crank out 20 or 25 yards of the stuff, then we could probably get an almost-decent deal on the fabric.

**Alan H** · 5th April 05, 04:48 PM

Oh, what the heck....the Pipe Band is pretty close to where I live so I just called 'em up.

They bought their kilts about 2-3 years ago from Celtic Craft Center: http://www.members.aol.com/ccckilt/ccc.html

Now, apparently the San Francisco Store is closed. Supposedly they're moving and opening a new store somewhere further south in California, but I don't know where. The pipe major of the band told me that Celtic Craft usually exhibits at the Sacramento Highland Games, in Woodland this month. I won't be at those Games, though I'll be at the Livermore Games.

The pipe major told me that the kilts were made in Scotland NOT California and the material had to be woven twice because the first lot had flaws of some sort. That suggest to me rather strongly that the cloth was woven in Scotland, and thus NOT by Bonbright Woolens. The band wears "8 yard" medium weight kilts. They cost about $500 each....the usual.

The pipe major was reasonably keen to have me let him know if we came across any way to get more California Tartan kilts made as his new members in his growing pipe band need to get kilts.

I'll e-mail Celitc Craft Center and see what's going on with them.

Alan

**Alan H** · 5th April 05, 06:02 PM

Uhhhh.....um. I just called the phone number on the web site and talked to the proprietor of Bonbright Woolens for 20 minutes about a lightweight wool kilt in the California Tartan. His name is Jim Anderson and he's a very nice guy.

The web site is hurting because of the usual headaches...spam, etc. associated with putting up a web business site. I gave him the XMarks URL so perhaps we'll be hearing from him.

Alan

**Alan H** · 5th April 05, 06:32 PM

And finally. some pics of the California Tartan, pleated to the stripe are on the bands web site photo page:

http://whitehackle.home.comcast.net/page4.html

**Thistle Stop** · 5th April 05, 08:59 PM

I'm glad you were finally able to get hold of Jim! I was beginning to think something might have happened to him!

**Silverlake_Punk** · 6th April 05, 01:15 PM

It took a gentle word in a private message to make me realize that I needed to apologize to all who have read my posts in this thread. It irritates me how people sometimes feel free to turn all nasty when they get on the internet, and there I go, doing it myself. My apologies to everyone.