Maple Leaf Tartan

[Barclay]

Congrats on the new kilt, cuz!

Thanks, man. I am diggin' it! (And I'll respond to your email shortly. )

In the way of a review of this kilt, after owning it for 24 hours, I'll first offer that I was thoroughly impressed with the kilt when I first saw it and have become more impressed after having an opportunity to wear and study it.

When I first arrived at McHummel's home to pick the kilt up, I thought I was going in for tweaking of the fit only. I had, based on seeing the tartan on the computer, envisioned what the tartan that Pete had woven (weaved? ) would look like and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was even better than I was expecting.

The tartan

The tartan that Pete had created is amazing. Period. The colours are rich and deep and really represent the changing shades in the life cycle of the maple leaf. I was expecting much brighter colours and was very pleasantly surprised to see how much care Pete took in spec'ing the colours and in accepting what the weaver sent. The tartan is beautiful, plain and simple.

This is my first PV kilt and I was expecting a much looser weave than what I found and was expecting the kilt to be much lighter weight - it is a very tight, reasonably heavy weave that hangs, looks and feels like a light wool. Again, I was completely impressed by the quality and feel of the tartan and I look forward to getting it broken in.

Pete took a great amount of care to work with the mill and it shows. They did a brilliant job, together, to create a really great fabric.

The kilt

While I was a wee bit apprehensive about ordering a made-to-order kilt without a personal fitting from the kilt maker, I took care to be as accurate as I possibly could to get my measurements right. I gotta say, Pete nailed it. The thing fits me like a glove. I could not have asked for a better fit. It is a very traditional cut and look, but epitomizes the concept of a traditional casual kilt - it looks, fits and wears like a kilt that would cost much more. I haven't yet counted the pleats, but there is a bunch of them and the depth is nice, the swish is substantial and the reverse pleat is impressively deep (4"?) and allows the kilt to flow nicely when it moves. The selvedge is tight, the buckles and straps are top shelf and the workmanship just can't be beat. (He even went to the trouble to allow it to be size adjusted easily in the future to allow for additional weight loss, and even - god forbid - weight gain since I have recently lost a fairly substantial amount of weight.)

In summary, I am an experienced kilt wearer with almost 30 years in a kilt, on and off, and while this is my first CCK kilt and my first PV kilt, it will not be my last. Pete created an excellent product at a great price. This kilt rivals other handmades that I have and exceeds some. Pete has proven his skills as a traditional casual kilt maker, and I am very impressed, and very pleased, with the kilt I received. To summarize, I'm thrilled with this kilt and Pete's skills as a kiltmaker.

Thanks, Pete. It is an exceptional kilt, and I am grateful. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to have met you and your lovely wife and Kilted Stewart (and, of course, the intrepid ccga3359). I look forward to seeing you guys at Emma's tomorrow and hearing what these other maple leafers have to say about their kilts.

[Tartan Hiker]

Wow. After reading your review I feel the need to stand, face North, and sing "Oh, Canada"!

Just kidding. Chris, I'm really glad you finally got your new kilt and that you are so pleased with it. (stage whisper to the rest of the board: I can verify that he has talked about little else for the past several months.)

When you get back to the good old South, how about we christen it with a dressy kilt night at the pub?

[HeathBar]

good old South... dressy kilt night at the pub?

So does that mean T-shirts and hose with no holes in them?

[Barclay]

You know it, Heath.

Wait till you see this thing, Bill. You'll want one then - I guarantee it! My argyle from David Pope should be altered by early next week, so yes, let's do.

[Kilted Stuart]

I think Barclay said it all in his review. This tartan is amazing, it truly outclasses the other Maple Leafs I've seen. I could not believe how that kilt fit Barclay. I think if it was closer to ccga3359 size there would have been a bit of a tussle for ownership.
I own a lot of CCK's from the beginning stages of MacHummel's kilt making to now and have seen how they've grown into a professional traditional style casual. He's made his mistakes and moved on, his kilts and components have grown into a kilt that rivals the others. Every kilt maker has there own unique thing, thats what makes this fun but the CCK product has evolved into a substantial kilt for the right price.
i hope everyone enjoys there new Maple Leaf kilt when they get it. Once he gets on a roll they'll be flying out the door.

It was a pleasure to finally meet ccga (Grant) and Barclay after all the kilt nights I have missed. I hope to see you again soon, before Fergus or at our games.

It's too bad you all didn't get to see the look on Barclay's face the night he got his Maple Leaf. It looks like he is going to love that one for quite a while.
Good news to all that are on the list in waiting, yours will be there shortly, but i'm sure not fast enough to curve you're jonesing!!

Kilted Stuart

[Kilted Stuart]

McMurdo,

It was nice to finally meet you the other day at MacHummel's house and to shoot the breeze for a few minutes. I hope you enjoy those kilts you ordered when you get them and I'll see you in Fergus in Aug. if not before.

Kilted Stuart

[starbkjrus]

Ok, Pete was right to have us re-measure since it's been a while since we started this. Yes, my tape measure shrank over the winter time. :food-smiley-002:

Pete you have the new figures in your inbox.

BTW, did you email Grant to tell him that since you liked the wine, cheese & fruit basket with chocolate I sent that his kilt will have to wait until after mine is done?