Hemming a kilt

[ThreadBbdr]

The reason why I thought it might be hand loomed is that there is a bit of a "waver" here and there in the twill line that I would expect to see on a hand loom, but not on the big commercial looms. The twill line isn't perfectly even, but I'm not sure if that's an artifact of the way the kilt's been treated, pressed, ect over the years. It's very subtle. And there are marks from a "temple" here and there in the selvage area as will as the weaving flaw. Both of those things I'd expect to see on a handloomed piece, but not on commercial fabric. It could be a mill second, perhaps.

I just haven't handled enough tartans, especially vintage ones, to be sure.

(A temple for the non weavers is a device with little teeth that a weaver uses to keep the cloth stretched full width on the loom. It makes a mark on the edge of the cloth that sometimes remains after the cloth is fulled/finished.)

Barb, do you know if the mills that you mentioned use any kind of device to stretch the fabric on the loom? Also, the hand is much 'fuzzier', softer than either the Lochcarron that I have or the tartans that the guys let me examine in KC.

Reading in your book, Barb, is it possible that I might be looking at the softer Dalgliesh F/1? It's described as a soft finish worsted.

At any rate, it's a lovely old kilt and Michael is very lucky to have it in his collection. On the documentation I'm putting together for him, I'm not going to mention the handloomed, since I'm NOT in anyway sure. But it's definately the old school lovely selvage! I so wish that everyone still used that kind. I may have to try to get my hands on some of the Dalgliesh, it sounds wonderful from the mention in Barb's book.

[Barb T]

Barb, do you know if the mills that you mentioned use any kind of device to stretch the fabric on the loom? Also, the hand is much 'fuzzier', softer than either the Lochcarron that I have or the tartans that the guys let me examine in KC.

Reading in your book, Barb, is it possible that I might be looking at the softer Dalgliesh F/1? It's described as a soft finish worsted.

It's very common to see what look like little holes along the selvedge of tartan. They aren't holes that will ravel - they are just plces where the web was spread a little around a set of pins that held the fabric stretched either during weaving or fulling (I can't remember which, actually). I think these little pins are called tenterhooks, but I might be out to lunch on that one.

PM me, and I'll send you a scrap of Dalgliesh's K1 and F1 tartans!

[ThreadBbdr]

It's very common to see what look like little holes along the selvedge of tartan. They aren't holes that will ravel - they are just plces where the web was spread a little around a set of pins that held the fabric stretched either during weaving or fulling (I can't remember which, actually). I think these little pins are called tenterhooks, but I might be out to lunch on that one.

Cool, good to know. That's exactly what I was talking about. Handweavers call them "Temples". (link is to one of my two favorite weaving supply houses, the other being the Yarn Barn of Lawrence). You can see the 'teeth' and how they might leave a flaw in the selvage. It's looking less likely, then, that this is handwoven or handloomed cloth.