More Pics Macd of the Isles Weathered Hunting

[Draelore]

I would say if you go with Lochcarron Strome weight you have found an exceptional mill and an excellent fabric for your first 8 yard 16 oz kilt, my Isle of Skye my Graham of Mantieth, and a few others are of from this range, the hang and swing of it are both excellent, I would say most 8 yarders that are 16 oz are from the Lochcarron mill. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to go to your local tartan shop if you are lucky enough to have one close look at the swatch book, and see how it feels to you.
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Ron wonderful pictures glad you had a chance to take them, you wear it well.

Unfortunately there are no Tartan Shoppes nearby, does anybody know of a good one in the Chicago area?

[andyfg]

Very nice Ron.

[Arizona Scot]

A beautiful kilt Ron I love the muted colors especially against the red rock back drop.

[JerseyLawyer]

Unfortunately there are no Tartan Shoppes nearby, does anybody know of a good one in the Chicago area?

There's another recent thread about Chicago kilt shops. I think the consensus was that there aren't any great ones.

Very nice kilt, Ron. I wanted to get the MacDonald weathered from B&S, but I missed out on it. I like the brown and grey tones.

[Riverkilt]

Andy,

You are so wise to go with quality. I believe Strome is the mill or mill town that makes the 16 ounce fabric...or it may just be their trade name for the 16 ounce fabric....whatever, its top of the line, first quality, best you can get. Not to put down any other mill, it just is...have kilts from other mills including a 16 ounce from Strathmore. I'd defy anyone to tell the difference in the mills....Strome has sort of become a way to say top of the line....

A lot of folks don't realize that most tartan shops and on line vendors don't make their own kilts. They subcontract them to nameless kiltmakers. Nothing wrong with that in the United Kingdom where most kiltmakers are schooled at Keith Kilt School or apprenticed under a mentor. But you'll save some money eliminating the middle man and going directly to a kiltmaker.

I don't even recall how I first hooked up with Kathy Lare. Probably a recommendation from this board. But I now own nine of her hand sewn kilts and she has received the fabric for the tenth. You can check out her credentials etc at www.kathyskilts.com

There are other hand sewn kiltmakers like Barb Tewksbury, who is active on this board, and you can click on the Scottish Tartans Museum link, USA Kilts, and Freedom Kilts for kilts with some machine sewing in them that you can save some bucks on.

And I've probably missed a few. But the point is, you can work directly with a kiltmaker. They can find and order the cloth in the weight and tartan you desire....that service is a key part of why I chose to work direct. Kathy gives me all the options, when there are options. She's worked wonders for me working with mills and trademark holders to find difficult tartans like my 16 ounce RAF and the Antarctica that's waiting to be sewn up.

Don't know about other kiltmakers. Kathy, and I'm sure others, works from a down payment. So she can order up the kilt fabric, then you pay the balance on completion. This has helped me afford hand sewn kilts. I save enought for the down payment. Then I have time to save for the balance while she's ordering the cloth and sewing it up.

And, I would suggest you choose your kiltmaker by their craftsmanship, not by geography. While its true its best to have your kiltmaker measure you, it can be done by having someone else follow their instructions for measuring.

Ron

[cessna152towser]

That's a lovely kilt Ron which tones in well with your long hair and with the landscape.