Hand Tailored

[Phil]

I'd add that hand-sewn is not necessarily better. Some people prefer the more 'natural' uneven-ness that comes with a totally hand-stitched garment. Others prefer the more precise lines that 'hand-machined' sewing gives (and with these garments there are always at least fiddly bits done by hand). Both involve lots of expertise and lots of effort (when done properly). But the finished result is largely a matter of taste. That's why on most of our kilts we offer the option of either, so the purchaser can specify their preference.

I couldn't agree more - I once had a kilt made by a very well known Edinburgh firm (not Kiltstore I must add). I paid extra for a hand stitched job and what I got was an inferior and botched kilt where the pleats did not sit properly and the stitching was crudely done. And this was a top price kilt (£400+) from an Edinburgh firm who describe themselves as kiltmakers to the Royal family! Their head seamstress told me they no longer had anybody with the skill to make a proper hand-sewn kilt but they were happy to take the money nevertheless.
So don't think what you pay necessarily gets you top quality. I do know how a properly made kilt should look but heaven help some poor novice who would probably accept such inferior goods.

[The Wizard of BC]

Nick, I now think I know what you were talking about. My problem with trying to understand comes from the example of hand-stitched kilts I own, have seen and made.

I regard a hand-stitched kilt to be far superior in aesthetics because I was taught the the stitches should be completely invisible. This was the beauty of them. There are no lines of stitching for anyone to complain about.

To me the less pleasing aesthetic is a machine-sewn kilt where each and every line of stitching is visible and in some cases distracting to the Tartan.

My Tewksbury appears to be a single piece of fabric across the entire Fell area. This is my example and goal I strive to with every hand-sewn I have done. There are also no stitches visible anywhere else on the kilt with the one exception of the stitches of the leather straps.

I guess I can understand that some people would prefer to see multiple lines of machine stitching on their kilts. The stitching on my Contemporary Kilts is done with a machine and is visible. In fact we have done kilts with contrasting stitching to enhance the effect.

My Traditional Kilts all have not one visible stitch. This is to me what a Traditional should look like. But I'm not the kilt cops and others sense of aesthetics is not my worry.

[Rex_Tremende]

I saw a hand-stitched kilt in kiltmaker's booth at a celtic festival once that was very uneven. I also own a kilt hand-stitched by Barb Tewkesbury that has seams so plumb and fine you'd think it was sewn by machine. I'm not sure I understand the draw of the former.

Regards,
Rex.

[Nick Fiddes]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. What I meant is that however skilled a hand-sewer, the individual stitches done with a single needle and thread will never have the linear precision that a machined line of stitches does. My point was that this slight uneven quality can be a good or a bad thing in the eye of the beholder, almost like comparing a painting with a photograph. Each is better in its own way. Does that make sense?

[The Wizard of BC]

Are you referring to the Jaggies or stair steps you can sometimes see in the alignment of the Tartan lines? Where one line does not line up perfectly with the next.

Or are you referring to a shift in the fabric over time that could be caused by uneven tension of the hand sewn stitches?

Or perhaps an un-evenness of the spacing of the individual stitches?

I'm sorry to ask for so much clarification but as a kiltmaker who strives for perfection I would like input from someone with your background.

[SteveB]

tartanfish,
First: a very warm from rainy Boston, Massachusetts.
Second: You picked the right place to ask your questions!
When it comes to kilts, there are different levels of clothing, much as is true with trousered kit. One does not attend a high society evening event dressed in a tee shirt and ragged jeans, nor does one lube their motorcar dressed in a tuxedo. On this thread you have read of the opinions of a few fine kilt makers.
If the kilt is to be made in your clan tartan to be worn with a Prince Charlie and evening sporran for special/major events, then a hand made garment by Matt, Barbara, or other made to measure kilt makers is in order. If the kilt is to be worn every day for knocking around the house, gardening, and tending the motorcar, then a less expensive and easily cleanable garment is in order. A tour of the advertisers to this site will give you an idea of the variety of kilts available. I own several kilts as I prefer to be kilted most of the time. My hand sewn to measure clan tartan wool kilt that I got when I was eleven years old lasted until I reached fifty-two. I out grew it horizontally, it has since been passed down to a nephew that it fits. I am saving for the wool made to measure tartan kilt to replace it, along with a new PC (Prince Charlie - not computer). For around the house I wear a SWK thrifty. For going to church I have an SWK semi-trad (my Avatar), an Amerikilt solid colour, and a self made denim kilt in the traditional style. I have made a few kilts that work for me, but the quality is not close to the work of Barb or Matt. In fact I am in jones mode at present for a semi-traditional that is in que at Rocky's (USA Kilts). Some of the men in my church wear Freedom kilts, Utilikilts, and a couple from the kiltstore. For competing in the Celtic Games locally, I have a Sport Kilt, as it is designed for the dirt and rough and tumble it gets when I participate in the caber toss.
For a full understanding of the make up of the kilt, you may want to read Barb T's book The Art of Kiltmaking. Not only can you learn to sew your own kilt, but it gives a lot of information as to what to look for in the quality department.
When you get your kilt, please put it on and get some pictures. Then post them here.
Ye rabble likes piccies.
----- Steve

[Nick Fiddes]

Are you referring to the Jaggies or stair steps you can sometimes see in the alignment of the Tartan lines? Where one line does not line up perfectly with the next.

Or are you referring to a shift in the fabric over time that could be caused by uneven tension of the hand sewn stitches?

Or perhaps an un-evenness of the spacing of the individual stitches?

Steve, I very much respect your wish to produce the best quality work. And I apologise again if my words lacked clarity. Really what I was trying to make was a point about aesthetics more than about skills and techniques.

Questions of alignment & co. are certainly hallmarks of a kiltmaker who cares about their craft. As you may well have experienced yourself, we've had quite a few occasions when a customer has actually written a complaint to us on delivery of their kilt that it is missing belt loops for example... only for us to explain that if they look more closely the loops are all there present and correct, but well camouflaged by the kiltmaker's care in aligning the fabric used to perfection. The same applies to the 'jaggies' you refer to, which is mostly a matter of care and experience and is definitely an exemplar of how a well made kilt will usually be objectively better than a hastily produced cheap one.

But that wasn't what I was trying to get at. I was more referring to your third, and to some extent second, examples. And my point was that (within reason) these are not necessarily cases of better and worse, but rather matters of preference. A skilled hand-sewer will of course strive for even tension, straight lines, and regular stitches. But with the best will in the world, this will never be as 'perfect' as machine sewing. However this very irregularity can be what gives the garment character and perhaps publicly denotes more personal (and so generally more expensive) involvement in its making. Which is "better", as I say, is largely a subjective matter of individual taste.

[The Wizard of BC]

Nick, thank you for that explanation. I hope my questions did not hijack this thread but instead helped to further it.

I have not had the opportunity to have a customer complain that a kilt was too perfect. Of course I can't hand sew worth beans. It is truly a skill and an art.

I do think I understand what you have been trying to tell me. With the average customer who knows very little about the process of constructing a garment I can understand how some may make assumptions based on little or no real information. That is what makes forums like this so valuable.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. What I meant is that however skilled a hand-sewer, the individual stitches done with a single needle and thread will never have the linear precision that a machined line of stitches does. My point was that this slight uneven quality can be a good or a bad thing in the eye of the beholder, almost like comparing a painting with a photograph. Each is better in its own way. Does that make sense?

Nick, what you say makes perfect sense, at least to me. I prefer the hand sewn kilt because the stitches don't all have the same tension-- this means that the kilt eventually "shapes" just a tad bit better to the way I wear it. At least, that's what I tell myself, based on how my jackets and suits fit after they've "worn in". There is another intangible in the "bespoke" hand sewn garment that in my mind, at least, makes it worth the extra bucks. It is the feeling that someone actually made this for me, using their own two hands and a single needle and thread.

I believe in rewarding people who have skills and talents not found in the mainstream, like kilt makers, and so I'm willing (and thankfully able) to pay that "bit extra" to keep those skills and traditions alive and hopefully passed on to future generations of enthusiastic eccentrics, like me.

[Nick Fiddes]

Nick, what you say makes perfect sense, at least to me. I prefer the hand sewn kilt because the stitches don't all have the same tension-- <snip>.

Indeed, whilst Rex (above) says he doesn't understand the attraction of the more uneven product (if I understand him correctly). Thank you gentlemen - between you, you make my rather ineloquently expressed point perfectly for me! :-)