2008 Kilt Kamp in Franklin, NC

[way2fractious]

I read the book to know generally where I was going. I handed over a pocketful of cash to learn those things that I wasn't going to get from the book.

My experience prior to a kiltmaking seminar was making a few cotton kilts using instructions from the internet. Then I purchased The Art of Kiltmaking and tried to read it... soon finding myself lost. My first wool tartan arrived and I embarked on the step-by-step process. Barb answered a couple emailed questions at the conclusion of that project. My next tartan kilt for a friend made up a little better. I learned of one of Elsie's seminars through XMarksTheScot and, like wsk, paid a pocketful of cash for a wonderful week-long experience. However, Barb's book is still consulted each and every time another kilt project is undertaken.

So, I agree with Barb that reading the book "cold" won't give you everything. But certainly pick it up ahead of the seminar and spend some time with it. There are examples and discussions in it that will help you in the future - on your tenth kilt or with that oddball tartan. Pick up some fabric, wool if possible, and go as far through the directions as possible - use your hands, bend some fabric, get used to threading a needle and sticking yourself with it.

Ahhh... now you're ready to pay Barb to stand over your shoulder - and yell at you - and thwack your knuckles with a ruler if you do something dumb.

BTW, wsk, what possessed you to pick the hardest first project and pleat 16 oz XMarks tartan to the sett? You should be very proud of the kilt you made! (And I sincerely apologize for Elsie calling you "you-know-who". Teachers too often remember their "problem" students.)

w2f

[turpin]

Sorry - I didn't mean to dump on what worked for you. Lots and lots of people actually don't do as well as you clearly do in reading this kind of thing ahead of time, and I don't want people to think that they wouldn't be able to make a kilt if they couldn't make sense of the instructions in the abstract.

Unless you're left-handed! Says so right in the book!

[wsk]

BTW, wsk, what possessed you to pick the hardest first project and pleat 16 oz XMarks tartan to the sett? You should be very proud of the kilt you made! (And I sincerely apologize for Elsie calling you "you-know-who". Teachers too often remember their "problem" students.)

w2f

So, for everyone else's benefit, in a PM to w2f, I wrote that Elsie had remembered him from the workshop that he took from her. Likely, this is because he made his kilt from Xmarks tartan, she very often called me by his name. I assume that this is the reason for his comment about problem students.

I picked the 16oz Xmarks tartan because I could get some of the Fraser & Kirkbright remnants without having to empty my wallet completely. And why to the sett? Precisely because it is harder - but with Elsie there to rap knuckles and keep me going in more or less the right direction that seemed the right choice at the time and in retrospect was the right choice.

Despite my somewhat disparaging remarks about the quality of the finished kilt, I'm quite happy with it. Wore it to the theater last Friday (a local production of Mel Brooks' "The Producers" - which I liked much better than the movie). It fits me better than just about every kilt I own and I love the swish of it. Walking up the hill to the theater with the setting sun behind me, it was a pleasure to watch my own shadow.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Just bumping this back up to the top. Kilt Kamp is almost upon us! Deadline for registration is May 31, and right now there are 4 spaces open!

Also, I'm extending the "early bird" discount price until the actual deadline, so anyone thinking of signing up at the last minute can still get the same price.

We are getting down to the wire on ordering cloth, but both Barb and I have a few kilt lengths lying around that we'd be willing to sell, if you aren't too picky about the tartan.

And remember the Friday seminars -- if you can't commit to a whole week of kilt making classes, you can still come on Friday and spend the day acquiring more kilt knowledge than any human has business knowing!

Here's the web site again:
http://kiltkamp.scottishtartans.org/

And plan to stay the weekend for the Taste of Scotland Festival!
http://www.tasteofscotlandfestival.org/

[Barb T]

If there's anyone out there who might like to come to Kilt Kamp for only a day or two, I'd be happy to work with you to get a kilt started, which you could then finish at home. I have several lengths of tartan that I could sell you, if you don't have a piece and you're not picky about what tartan you work with.

If you're interested, you can PM Matt or me, and we can figure out how to pro-rate the tuition fee.