Who actually OWNS a Scottish hand-sewn?

[kiltiejimbob]

I have three hand made kilts. One I got from Cairngorm in Toronto as an ex-rental for not too much money. Nicely made, they assured me it was handmade. It is in the Baird tartan. Looks great with just a bit of purple in the blue green to add something to the over all look. 13oz.

The next one is an Earl of St. Andrews Strome kilt. Also bought second hand from Richardson's in Toronto. It is much older yet still looks good and hangs well. There is a definite difference in the weight of this one compared to my medium weight kilt. This one was made by Burnett's when they were still just Burnett's. I have washed this kilt and it came out very well indeed.

My most recent kilt is a 16oz kilt as well, but this one is much heavier than the others.(I think there can be differences in the weight of the Strome fabric depending on the mill etc.) I ordered it from Houston's of Paisley over the internet. It is in Cameron Hunting Weathered. There is a link to the Cameron Clan in my lineage, so had my first new kilt in one of the Cameron tartans. This one was expensive. I asked for the top of the line hand sewn version and the 16oz wool. It is a very, very nice kilt indeed. Ken MacDonald is a great person to deal with. Honourable and kind. It is very finely made with both hand sewing and machine sewing evident. It hangs well and the swing is truly awe inspiring. In the end, I am willing to accept finely done machine sewing as well as hand sewing. I think this one can truly be called a "tank", in the best sense of the word.

I don't keep my newest kilt just for special occasions. I tend to wear it around the house a lot. I have even gardened while wearing it, albeit very carefully. It is so comfortable, hangs well and the colours of the tartan are fascinating to look at as they tend to change depending on what the light is like. Odd but true. I was wearing it to walk the dogs quite regularly, but have stopped that lately as I gathered I was becoming the town eccentric, and that was a little more than I bargained for. I like to wear it with my socks scrunched down, a big sweater and my Blundstones. I also wore it this past winter in -15c to shovel snow. A few sweaters, couple of pairs of socks a hat and nothing could be warmer.

kiltiejimbob