Where do Kiltmaker's Learn Their Craft?

[TecScot]

Yes there are other Master Kilt Makers in the US. There is Cathy McWilliams in Puyallup Washington certified by the Association of Master Kilt Makers of Scotland (AMKM). I am currently apprenticed with her. As an apprentice I am already making superior kilts to what you see from many sources. When my apprenticeship is complete I will apply to The AMKM by sending a kilt for an independent appraiser to examine. If it does not meet standard I will not be recognized.

By the way, I am blown away that Barbara Tweksbury's responded to this thread. Her book was the best $30 I spent on this quest to become a kilt maker.

Yes there are bad kilts made in Scotland - I've fixed a few - and worse made elsewhere. Also be wary of kilts where it says "Tartan made by X", the X standing for a Scottish weaver. I've seen lovely tartan ruined by inexpert assembly.

The way to be positive that the kilt you are getting is quality is to look for a Association of Master Kilt Makers logo or the Guild of Master Craftsman logos. If it doesn't have one of those certifications you need to be sure that you are dealing with someone with a good local reputation. It helps if you can see someone wearing one of their kilts. Does it hang well? Does is swing the way it should? Is the wearer comfortable in the kilt? Is it made of quality materials? Good kilt makers exist without certification, but certification provides assurance.

As someone pointed out, anyone can copy a logo for their web site and literature. The AMKM provides its members with a woven label to sew inside their kilts. It is harder to get a bogus label woven than to steal a web image. As the union folk say "look for the label".

By the way, the BBC ran a story this summer about the Keith Kilt School. They are in trouble for funding. I haven't heard anything new since June but they were reported to be at risk of not existing by the end of the year. I sure hope they find a way to prosper, it would be a shame to lose them.

I haven't named my kilt master as I didn't get her permission to publish her name to the world before starting this post.

Annette Mentzer
Seattle Washington

[ardchoille]

I am learning to make kilts. My skills aren't close to those of Barb, Matt, Rocky, Steve or others yet, but I'm getting better with each kilt I make. I have studied kilt construction, including taking apart a damaged tank, read everything I could find about kilts, and learned quite a bit.

Since being a member of these boards, I have asked lots of questions and recently purchased a copy of Barb's book - I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about kilt construction. This book has taught me quite a bit and I now find that I am able to judge the quality of a kilt simply by looking at it.

Self-taught shouldn't be held against someone. It's the quality of the product that matters. If someone is making a product that looks like a kilt should, has all the interior construction that a kilt should have (e.g., the steeking mentioned above, which isn't obvious from the outside of a kilt), and is beautifully made, who cares how he/she learned the craft??

And she's absolutely right.

[Pleater]

I don't know if I can be classed as a kilt maker.

I make kilts for myself.

I am so meticulous that I could not charge for the time, but I do not make a reinforced type of kilt. Everything is in the sewing of the waistband and how the shaping is pressed in and tried on, to be sure that the pleats lie properly.

I studied what I could find about making kilts on the net, and after a few trials, rejected it.

I have been making all sorts of clothes for a long time. I started dressing my dolls over 50 years ago. I still read about tailoring and sewing technniques. I look at the way materials are used in museum pieces. Maybe I understand how to twist the grain of cloth. I can see when it needs to be done.

I made kilts, I wore them, I changed the design to the reverse Kingussie, I am getting ever closer to Zen and the Art of making kilts.

Anne the Pleater

[Stewart Rendall]

I missed this thread first time around.

I undertook a five year apprenticeship here in Scotland. Trained by a woman who made kilts for a few Edinburgh shops and private customers for many years. She in turn had been trained by a very elderly lady who had spent her life making kilts, having entered into the trade in her teens.

I was very lucky to have had the benefits of such a wealth of experience and the knowledge passed on has been invaluable.

I'm not sure one could easily find such an apprenticeship today. I rarely meet other kiltmakers in Edinburgh. I'm sure they're not all sitting on 'assembly lines' as mentioned earlier, at least I hope not. I'd like to think there are a few passing on their trade to others through apprenticeships.

[Highlander31]

When I ordered my 16oz 8 yard kilt from Celtic Craft Centre's San Francisco store, I asked about who would be making my kilt. It was explained that they used individual kilt makers. It took six months for my kilt to be completed (part of the time involved the mill in weaving the tartan.) I called the San Francisco Store after three months to check on the progress. I learned about the delay in the mill at that time. The person in the store was helpful and said they would call the Edinburgh shop and learn the status. I decided to call myself. Fortunately for me, the gentleman who had fitted me in the San Francisco store was the person who answered the phone in Edinburgh. He stated the material for my kilt was sent to a woman by the name of Mary, she had been sewing kilts since her teens and had some 25 years experience (if memory serves me.) She was considered to be the best kilt maker they had under contract. Unfortunately Mary did take ill and that did delay the kilt as well, however, the workmanship is fantastic. Five years later, it still looks like it did the day I picked it up. I have recommended Celtic Craft Centre to several others. Each has received the same high quality kilt (in less time than I did.)