An X Marks tartan

[Declan Rowan]

I prefer number one (with the single yellow stripe), and while I would love wool, it is a bit out of my ability to afford. If we can get a rough price on the Wool/Acryl and its within my budget I'll lean towards that.

[The Wizard of BC]

I think my preferance for No. 3 is more because of the larger sett.
I like deep pleats and a larger sett allows that.

On re-looking at all of them you guys may be right that no.3 may be too bright for a manly look. But then I like the antarctic tartan.

Also, the larger sett would take more fabric.

Hank, can a poll be set up on this? More to get a feel for what the consensus is, than setting the pattern in stone.

[Alan H]

Hey, you Canucks on the site.... I've got contact information for some small mill/fabric outlets that were recommended to me as possible sources of wool blends in our tartan. However, these are very long-distance phone calls for me. I have two more besides the ones I'll list below but they have 800 telephone numbers, so I'll call them. Anybdy want to call up either or both of these places?

Loomcrafters in New Brunswick...1-566-488-2400

and

Macauslands on PEI 1-877-859-3005

Inquire about a run of 20-35 yards of double width wool blend....polyester or acrylic, in a weight and finish suitable for kilting. If they can't do double width, then ask about single width.

Here's my thinking. I bet we can get six guys to commit to kilts. If three of those are "8 yard" kilts and three are "4 yard" kilts, then that means we need 36 yards, more or less of single width fabric to cover our orders. You know how things go, so in fact we probably need more like 40 yards of single width fabric to get around everybody's hips. If it's double width fabric then we need 18-20 yards.

We might do better than six kilts, but I'd be leery of committing anybody to a larger amount than that.

[Alan H]

Oh, when you've got them on the phone you might as well ask about 100% wool. I mean, why not? But I think that the majority of our X-markers want a less expensive alternative, so a wool blend is probably the ticket for most of us. Those that want a 100% handcrafted kilt will probably go to Matt for it, seeing as it looks like the tartan will be his baby!

[Thistle Stop]

Hey, you Canucks on the site.... I've got contact information for some small mill/fabric outlets that were recommended to me as possible sources of wool blends in our tartan. However, these are very long-distance phone calls for me. I have two more besides the ones I'll list below but they have 800 telephone numbers, so I'll call them. Anybdy want to call up either or both of these places?

Loomcrafters in New Brunswick...1-566-488-2400

and

Macauslands on PEI 1-877-859-3005

Inquire about a run of 20-35 yards of double width wool blend....polyester or acrylic, in a weight and finish suitable for kilting. If they can't do double width, then ask about single width.

Here's my thinking. I bet we can get six guys to commit to kilts. If three of those are "8 yard" kilts and three are "4 yard" kilts, then that means we need 36 yards, more or less of single width fabric to cover our orders. You know how things go, so in fact we probably need more like 40 yards of single width fabric to get around everybody's hips. If it's double width fabric then we need 18-20 yards.

We might do better than six kilts, but I'd be leery of committing anybody to a larger amount than that.

In any enquiries you make, be sure to specify that you want 2-over-2 twill weave, not a plain weave, or it will not be suitable for a kilt.

[Alan H]

A couple of things we need to get straight,here. I'll list them. In the Real World, this is called "managing expectations".

1. M.A.C. Newsome can get you really nice material and can make you a great custom 4-yard box pleated kilt out of the material he'll get you. It will be a first-quality kilt that you can enjoy for decades. But it will cost you what a custom wool kilt will cost you.

If you don't want a box-pleated kilt, but rather an 8 yard knife pleated kilt, he can get you material and point you to someone who will make you an exquisite kilt. However, it will cost what an exquisite kilt costs. Not everyone can afford that.

2. To make a "go" of this and to make the X Marks tartan kilt accessible to a significant number of people, the item has to be affordable. The target should be to get a kilt out there at more-or-less the same price that most "better quality" casual kilts cost. I'm aiming for somewhere between $100 and $150, though if that climbed to $175 and there was a serious increase in quality for the extra money, it would be worth it. There's little point in getting out a $300 "budget" kilt. If you want to spend that kind of money, order a custom one from Matt.

3. We can't get a commercial run of Poly-Viscose. As has been noted by Bear and others, the minimum order is for 120 yards and there's no freaking way that's going to happen. 20-30 yards of double-width is much more like what we can support. These things are going to require some compromises. The fabric might be a wool blend. It might be completely synthetic. It might be commercial "homespun"....and God forbid, it might have to be be made somewhere besides the USA or Scotland or Canada. This is just reality. If we can get a quality fabric at a price that makes sense to produce a $150 kilt here in the USA or Canada, YOU BET I'll be all over it.

It's possible that we can obtain a certain amount of the material and one of our regular kiltmakers that posts on this board will stock a quantity of it, if they have guaranteed orders. It could be that we order 30 yards of it and ship half of it to Rocky or Bear or Steve or King Kilts. There are lots of ways that this might pan out. It might be that we buy kilts from a different supplier. I'd sure like to help out the kiltmakers that support this forum, but the world is full of compromises and I know all of "our guys" are plenty busy as it is.

What WILL NOT HAPPEN..... is that you will get your X Marks 8-yard tartan kilt in 16 ounce wool from Scotland for $100. It's NOT going to happen. If you get asked to review a "casual" kilt from a potential supplier and you rip it apart because it's not the same thing as a $500 custom job from Scotland, then you're not being realistic. So please, get your expectations in line with reality.

I don't want to rant, here. I really don't. I just want folks to have realistic expectations.

I personally won't pursue getting a kilt that I know is made in abusive or exploitative conditions. However, I personally will purchase a kilt that is made "offshore", or is made of material that is produced "offshore" because it may be that doing so is the only way that makes any sort of sense to get a kilt out to X Marks participants at a price where people can afford them.

Please keep your expectations realistic, and we'll pursue this as it makes sense.

[bikercelt1]

We can't get a commercial run of Poly-Viscose. As has been noted by Bear and others, the minimum order is for 120 yards and there's no freaking way that's going to happen. 20-30 yards of double-width is much more like what we can support. These things are going to require some compromises. The fabric might be a wool blend. It might be completely synthetic. It might be commercial "homespun"....and God forbid, it might have to be be made somewhere besides the USA or Scotland or Canada.

Maybe I'm missing something but 120 yards of Poly-vicose is only 15 guys who want an 8 yrd kilt or 30 who want a 4 yrd kilt. With the initial response we've had is this really so unrealistic?

Jamie

[Doc Hudson]

We can't get a commercial run of Poly-Viscose. As has been noted by Bear and others, the minimum order is for 120 yards and there's no freaking way that's going to happen. 20-30 yards of double-width is much more like what we can support. These things are going to require some compromises. The fabric might be a wool blend. It might be completely synthetic. It might be commercial "homespun"....and God forbid, it might have to be be made somewhere besides the USA or Scotland or Canada.

Maybe I'm missing something but 120 yards of Poly-vicose is only 15 guys who want an 8 yrd kilt or 30 who want a 4 yrd kilt. With the initial response we've had is this really so unrealistic?

Jamie

Double width cloth would mean 120 yards = 30 8-yard traditional style, or 60 4-yard casuals.

[bikercelt1]

We can't get a commercial run of Poly-Viscose. As has been noted by Bear and others, the minimum order is for 120 yards and there's no freaking way that's going to happen. 20-30 yards of double-width is much more like what we can support. These things are going to require some compromises. The fabric might be a wool blend. It might be completely synthetic. It might be commercial "homespun"....and God forbid, it might have to be be made somewhere besides the USA or Scotland or Canada.

Maybe I'm missing something but 120 yards of Poly-vicose is only 15 guys who want an 8 yrd kilt or 30 who want a 4 yrd kilt. With the initial response we've had is this really so unrealistic?

Jamie

Double width cloth would mean 120 yards = 30 8-yard traditional style, or 60 4-yard casuals.

Okay, that's twice as many as I was thinking, but maybe it's still a concievable number. Certainly a bigger number than homespun or a specialty weaver, but maybe it's still concievable. Didn't we just pass 500 members? 10% of the membership ordering for a combination of 4 & 8 yrd kilts.

Jamie

[Manu]

Yes, I thought about that before, and it doesnt seem so impossible. Lets try to get a count!!