musings on kilts, hose, String, magic and my brain

[Alan H]

I am So looking forward to hose that String knitted for me. w2f has commented on it in my PM's. I just wrote a long note to String about it, and that got me to thinking.

First of all, the hose are beautiful, in and of themselves. I have no doubt that I will love them the moment I open the box and for many years to come. But it's more than just that. These hose have come to be more than just a nifty pair of kilt hose. You see, during the process, String and I have written back and forth many times. I've talked to Yeti on the phone about his in-progress box-pleat. And so, totally unexpectedly, what's happened is that I that through this kilt hose project, I've gotten to know two really wonderful young people...String and Yeti....just a little bit. They're great! That is worth so much more than the price of the hose!

When I realized that I got to thinking. You know, it's one thing to go buy a kilt or sporran or a sgian dubh. But when someone you know takes their own two hands and crafts something for you, the process somehow turns the thing itself into something much more wonderful.

Panaches Dad has a jacket altered by the F-H.C.A.G
WalkerK and Panache have kilts made by way2fractious
TimC and Panache and Piper George have kilts made by me, the F-H.C.A.G. has a skirt I made for her.
the F-H.C.A.G made an X-kilt for Cloves who lives on the other side of the continent!
I have a sgian don't given to me by Panache, as do several others

...the list goes on here in the Nor Cal Rabble... I think that I would do badly at being a professional kiltmaker. Most of the joy I get out of making kilts for others is that they are for those people. Does this make sense? Besides, I'm not good enough to go pro!

Through these hose, I have a contact with String and Yeti, and that is, well....in a way it's kind of magical. They live on the other side of the county and yet we're friends and String made kilt hose for me. That's incredible. I really like that. I've made a lot of stuff for other people and I really enjoy it. But it's magical to be on the receiving end, too.

I'm really glad I followed the link to Strings blog and them PM'd her. Thanks Yeti. Thanks, String. Y'all rock. If you're ever out here in California, the pizza is on me!

[Alan H]

DRAT, I wanted to put this in "off topic"...can a mod move it?

[Splash_4]

One of the great things about this board is the friendships built. even if you never have a chance to meet folks in person.

A couple of months ago, I was in Dallas on a business trip and was invited to a local kilt night. What a great time it was and the only thing that any of us had in common was the love of the kilt and things Scottish.

[Bugbear]

Moosedog sent me the exact zebra pin that I was looking for without knowing I was looking for one. It's a very odd story, but I'm not going to tell it to you. It's my favorite kilt pin now.

[cacunn]

One of the great things about this board is the friendships built. even if you never have a chance to meet folks in person.

This board is made up of a lot of really good friends, some we just haven't met face to face yet.

In a couple of years we will have a kilt night in the middle of the country, with 20,000 kilted X-markers, and all meet. Could imagine Branson, MO with 20,00 kilties all walking around at the same time.

[BEEDEE]

Alan - I think you have very neatly encapsulated what it is that is so special about this forum. It is more than a common interest in kilts, it's a social network that is working really well.

Brian

[Howard Clark]

And hand made goods made by or for people that you know are just more special, always.

[Panache]

DRAT, I wanted to put this in "off topic"...can a mod move it?

A Mod could.

At my dance class the people are always amazed that everything I wear has a story:

"Oh yes I am very fond of this sporran, it is my favorite. It was made by this splendid gent in Norway ..."

"This pin? It was made in Holland by Robin Lous, a great guy..."

"This is the X Marks the Scot tartan, a good friend made this after carefully studying a genuine military kilt with military box pleats..."

"...actually it's a Pictish Boar. Tom hand carves the designs on all his sporrans..."

"...I love this kilt, it was made by Matt Newsome, the currator of the Scottish Tartans Museum, great guy..."

"It is a handsome buckle, I agree. My friend Michael Steinrok couldn't believe the Western belt buckle I was wearing with my kilt and gave it to me. He even pointed out where to get the right belt and helped me set the thing up..."

"...not a Utilikilt! An X Kilt, designed and made by it's creator my friend Alan..."

"...no this is made in the United States out of washable polyviscose a couple of doors down from where they filmed "The Blob" you should check out Rocky and Kelly's site..."

"This is from a crazy/wonderful ex marine up in Canada, Steve Ashton, kiltmaker and coffee addict extraordinaire..."

" It's a modern take on the whole "Jacobite Shirt" design. This shirt was handmade in Minnosota by this fellow Kevin Kinney at Empire Canvas Works..."

"My friend Jon owns a shop called Highland Warmth, this buckle and kilt pin is from him..."

"Thank you, actually it's a variant on the Lamont tartan, this very nice guy named Jerry runs a little online shop called Stillwater Kilts and this is one of his..."

"I call him "Rocky", believe it or not the same fellow that made my Military Box Pleat kilt made this full mask sporran. Can you believe it? "

"Thank you, it is a special kilt pin designed and made for the members of X Marks the Scot


I wear kilts at least 4 days out of the week, and most of the time I feel a personal connection with at least one item I am wearing.

It's a nice feeling

Cheers

Jamie

[OFCJAX]

Could you imagine a Kilt Camp-eque DIY'ers get together?
Kiltmaking for dummies
Sporrans and you.
Kilt pins: The other "Bling"
Knitters Annonymous
Thrift store Treasure hunts
Sgian Dubh and Don'ts (You'll put your eye out)

Can't wait!

[The Wizard of BC]

Alan, From what I have read from you, you would make a great Professional Kiltmaker. The personal touch is what keeps me doing this. I get to meet the wonderful folks who end up wearing my work. I have met many of you and feel a real bond.

Sure, I could go wholesale as others have, I could farm out the actual work and just sell them. But that would take away the experience of actually handing over a kilt or a shirt that now has a story. I can tell my customers exactly where the flaw is, where the little blood spot used to be.

Every time the customer wears what I have made they can re-tell those stories. And when they stop back into the shop their experiences in their kilt can come back to me in a growing tale of the life of a kilt that started out as nothing but a piece of ordinary fabric from some place we have never been.

This is also why I know all my suppliers personally. David and his sporrans, Steve at Oconee, Henry and his First Peoples silver pins. All these people and their products started a raw materials and have become the start of fantastic stories.