Strathmore Woollen Company

[Captain]

I was wondering if anyone has dealt with Strathmore Woollen Company when it comes to ordering tartan wool. They seem to be the only ones that carry a particular tartan I am looking for in anything heavier than 11 oz. Though their pic online is a little different than how I normally have seen the tartan.

So, is their cloth up to snuff? I hear about the House of Edgar and Lochcarron (sp) all the time, but have heard little of these guys.

Also, does anyone know if they will send out swatches? I didn't see a way to order one online and I haven't received an email back from them...

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I occassionally order cloth from Strathmore and find their fabric to be of a good quality. My only beef is that they do they have a large 11 oz range of tartans and a smaller range of 13 oz tartans, but don't do any 16 oz from stock -- all custom in that weight.

But I've worked with some of their 13 oz cloth and find it to be very good quality.

What tartan is it you are interested in? If you like, you can order a swatch from them off of our page:
http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/material.html

[Captain]

Swatch ordered! Thanks for the info!

[Barb T]

I agree with Matt. Good tartan, but _very_ limited range in kilting weight. Their T7 weight is listed as 11.5 oz, but my experience is that it feels much lighter than, e.g., Dalgliesh's 11-12 oz. I made an Air Force tartan kilt for my daughter several years ago out of it, and it is, to my mind, unacceptably flimsy for a kilt. The Dalgliesh tartan of the "same" weight, on the other hand, makes a great lightweight kilt.

Matt - do you know if they've increased the weight of their T7 range since two years ago, or is it the same as it's always been?? I don't want to give outdated information.

Barb

[M. A. C. Newsome]

As far as I know it's the same. To my knowledge, here is how the major mills' light weight tartans compare:

Lochcarron: Revier 10 oz
Strathmore: T7 11 oz
Dalgleish: K7 12 oz
House of Edgar: Never worked with their light weight, so can't say.

Subtle differences, but very important. The difference especially between Lochcarron's light weight and Dalgleish's is amazing.

The cloth in question in this thread, however, is the Cian tartan, which is available in their W60, 13 oz cloth, which is comparable in my experience to the medium weight cloth from other major mills.

BTW -- I just got a new kilt in Dalgleish's 12 oz, will be posting pics in another thread soon.

[cessna152towser]

I bought my Royal Air Force tartan kilt from Strathmore Woollens because the tartan is exclusive to them. They sent me swatches of the tartan in W60 13oz and K16 16oz before I ordered. I got a well made kilt, which arrived quite quickly.

[pdcorlis]

Is there a link to a website that shows their tartan range?

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Phil,

From the museum's gift shop site, we link to the availability lists (with images) of most of the major mills:
http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/material.html

However, here's the direct one to Strathmore:
http://strathmorewoollen.co.uk/tartanfinder/

This list includes both their T7 (light weight, 10 oz) and W60 (medium weight, 13 oz) ranges. You click on an image and it will tell you what it is available in.

They also do a W100, which is a heavy weight 16 oz, but that's not one they support from stock. From what I understand, they only offer W100 as an option for custom runs of cloth. I've never heard of a K16 weight from them.

Aye,
Matt

[pdcorlis]

Good Grief - what was I thinking? Thanks Matt and sorry for being as dense as a brick!

[Riverkilt]

While I have not dealt directly with Strathmore, my kiltmaker Kathy Lare has. She ordered my 16oz Royal Air Force and my 13 oz Leatherneck through them. The material seems well woven and looks great to me. Kathy had no known complaints working with the material. Hope that helps some. I'm a happy camper.

Ron