An X Marks tartan

[herminator]

Yes, it will look different, but will it look worse, will it be less good to wear?
I made my first kilt in a plain weave wool material, it is the best falling, least wrinkling one I have.
I know it is not Traditional(TM) but why not use such material?

[Thistle Stop]

Yes, it will look different, but will it look worse, will it be less good to wear?
I made my first kilt in a plain weave wool material, it is the best falling, least wrinkling one I have.
I know it is not Traditional(TM) but why not use such material?

You can make a garment that is constructed like a kilt out of nearly any kind of fabric. I'm just talking about a traditional type of Highland kilt. For that, you need a heavy-ish woollen twill woven to a tartan sett. If you want something other than a traditional kilt, make it from whatever pleases you. It could be just as good to wear, or possibly better to wear, depending on what you like! A lot of people love their leather kilts, for example, which obviously have no 'weave' at all! So the question is not what is better, but what is suitable for a traditional kilt, since we're talking about tartan to begin with.

PV, acrylic, wool blends, etc. can all be woven in a twill weave, the same as worsted wool, and I imagine the PV, etc., that the kiltmakers on the forum use is a twill, but not being familiar with all their fabrics, I can't say that for certain.

[Alan H]

Again, just for purposes of comparison, what mills have you already contacted and what prices have you been quoted?

I've got mainstream Scottish cloth going for around $65 a yard. That's, like Locharron.

Matts' cloth, which is about the same.

Fraser and Kirkbright weave cloth that sells for less, about $33.00 a yard, in 10.5 ounce weight.... look here: http://www.thescottishweaver.com/stockwool.html

That might be a bit light for kilts, depending. Also, I don't know if they'll do a run of 20-30 yards or if they need 100 yards, minimum or something.

And finally, Marton Mills which produces Polyester-Viscose which retails for around $27.00 a yard. Here's a sample of PV in the "Oakleigh" tartan, which is really Ramsay Blue. http://kiltstore.net/sr_swhdr_tartan...igh%27:stage=2

I have a kilt in this fabric and it's nice, though it's NOT wool.

Finally I might have a lead on an acceptable Pakistani-made wool fabric that's going for around $30 a yard. I'm getting swatches of that and will pass it around to some of our kiltmakers for review.

So the prices you have here are really good, if they're for a Scottish-made, "appropriate-for-kilts" fabric.

[Mike1]

So the prices you have here are really good, if they're for a Scottish-made, "appropriate-for-kilts" fabric.

I don't know if you would want their 330-340 gram wool for a kilt, but the 400-410 gram should be just fine.

[Alan H]

So the prices you have here are really good, if they're for a Scottish-made, "appropriate-for-kilts" fabric.

I don't know if you would want their 330-340 gram wool for a kilt, but the 400-410 gram should be just fine.

I tired faxing, we'll see how that goes. I also e-mailed.

Their heavier-weight wool, which they say is suitable for kilts and is about 13.5 ounces per meter, retails for just about $50 a yard and they will weave a minimum of 10 yards of it. That's the 410 gram stuff. Their lighter wool is marginal for a traditional kilt at 11.6 ounces per meter, or probably 10.5 ounces per yard, but for a lightweight kilt it would be OK. That retails for $30 per meter and it's the 310 gram stuff.

They also produce poly viscose in a weight comparable to the Marton Mills product that everyone uses, for $19 a meter. Now, THAT is spot-on what we're looking for, for casual kilts. Between the wool and the PV, from the same supplier no less, we've really got something. If they will weave 20 - 30 yards of any or all of these, we're seriously onto something.

Mike1...dude... THANK YOU! You're a gentleman and a scholar, and you just made a HUGE contribution to this project!!

[Thistle Stop]

You might want to ask if they will give you a wholesale price as an organisation (The X Marks the Scot Forum). It never hurts to ask.

[Mike1]

Mike1...dude... THANK YOU! You're a gentleman and a scholar, and you just made a HUGE contribution to this project!!

Shhhh, don't talk so loud, I've spent years developing this shoddy reputation of mine.

Actually, this just came up in casual conversation with a friend in Alba. It was her source, so I will tell her that she done good.

THIS is a picture of her, wearing her weathered Buchanan arisaid at the Battle of Falkirk Commemoration, earlier this year. The tartan for her arisaid was woven at N. Batley.

[The Wizard of BC]

Fraser-Kirkbright is closed right now but they have our tartan thread count and a request for minimum order quote.
I should hear back from them some time next week.

A note on their fabrics;

Avoid their light weight fabric at all costs. I've seen and felt it and in my mind it is not suitable for what we want.

The selvedge is not of kilt quality and all kilts will need to be hemmed.

Their yarns are not of long fiber Melton style Wool so the fabric has a much softer hand.

Their weave is looser and has fewer threads per inch.

All in all, This mill would not be my first choice for a traditional kilt.

But we will see what their prices are.

[Alan H]

Nice pic of your friend, Mike, and the cloth looks good.

Steve, we'll seewhat F & K has to say, then. That will be interesting. I'm in communication with the folks at the Celtic Croft abut their requuirementsfor the homespun, so we have at least three possibilities out there for material, and possibly budget kilts.

Don't forget, get your tartan design for the X Marks tartan into your gallery, and a post in this thread by the end of the week to be in the running for the vote at the end of next week. This friday is the deadline for submitting a tartan candidate.

After we vote I'll submit the vote of the membership to our Chief :P Chief MacHighlandtide for approval. Or do I drop the "Mac", there 'cause he's th first and original Highlandtide?

[highlandtide]

I would actually like to interceed here and make an executive decesion. I say if there is to be a vote then it needs to be between these two tartans:


Tartan One




Tartan Two


I will post a new thread with a poll...