Why hand-sewn?

[Scotus]

Didn't the founder of Utilikilts, though, say something to the effect that he never based the Utilikilt on a traditional Scottish kilt? Hopefully someone will help me out on this, but I seem to remember reading this somewhere.

I wanted to jump in here; sorry it's a bit late. Yes, Todd, I believe this is true.

Now, on to hand hand sewn kilts. I think there is a certain amount of care that can be taken in a hand sewn kilt that just isn't possible in a machine sewn kilt. I used to be involved with theater and we have a small theater group here at the parish. The costumer does a lot of hand sewn work, and when it comes to pleating and other details, it is so much nicer than machine. I think the same can be said of kilts. I know I haven't offered anything earth-shaking to the conversation, but I wanted to give my two cents.

[Barb T]

Please don't think I was offended by any of the statements made in this thread, and I certainly don't view this exchange of ideas as a donnybrook!! I was just trying to clarify the current state of certification (and offer my viewpoint on the same) so that people could put the certification issue into perspective and make informed opinions about kiltmakers who are not certified and the value of the kilts they make.

Barb

[Blu (Ontario)]

Are handmade kilts better than machine sewn?... it all depends on the kiltmaker. Even with handsewns, the quality can vary.

.... To me, these statements need to be balanced on X-Marks by knowledge of the current state of certification... etc... By all means value the kilts made by those fortunate enough to be able to afford the time and the money to go to the Keith School or by those who are employed by Hector Russell. But it hardly seems fair to kiltmakers for consumers to downvalue kilts made by those who cannot meet those very narrow requirements.

From what I'm reading, these kiltmaking certifications have been conceived primarily as a marketing tool.

Certification may offer peace of mind to potential consumers, but it does not warrant the end product and there is no inspection agency.

And where many professional certifications carry a "Life / Health / Safety" responsibility to them, kiltmaking does not. Nobody has died from a bad kilt.

At the end of the day, reputation means more to me than a piece of paper.

.

[Aggie]

Todd,
My preference is to be able to read the back and forth. This "donnybrook" if handled by private mail would never had educated me as to aspects of the certification issue. I would rather see these kind of banter as a valuable learning process rather than have it hidden from the forum.
Cliff

[RockyR]

At the end of the day, reputation means more to me than a piece of paper.

To draw a parallel... who is better at their job... someone with several years experience or someone fresh out of college with a degree in that field (I know... it depends on the field)? As stated earlier... the degree doesn't necessarily mean that they're better. It also doesn't mean that they're any worse... you have to take it on a case by case basis.

Having gone through college and earned a degree, I can tell you that my REAL LIFE job experiences FAR outweigh anything I learned in a class, although the classwork did prepare me for certain things I would have otherwise had to learn the "hard way".

[macwilkin]

Todd,
My preference is to be able to read the back and forth. This "donnybrook" if handled by private mail would never had educated me as to aspects of the certification issue. I would rather see these kind of banter as a valuable learning process rather than have it hidden from the forum.
Cliff

True, and I'm glad Barb did post the information about the certification process -- all I asked for was a PM about my comments so I could have edited them to clarify my meaning, that's all.

T.

[bubba]

My 2 cents, I'm sure that the certificates are very good and all that, but until and unless there is a single central certifying agency open to all certification really doesn't mean that much and remains in the realm of marketing. No offense intended here for those that are certified, just my personal observation. In the end certification as it exists now isn't a factor in my decisions.

[Freelander Sporrano]

To be honest about it when I bought my first kilt I did'nt know machine sewn was an option.(It wasn't at the time at HR it is now however). Hand sewn was what I ordered and what I got.I always feel very special when I wear it.I wasn't lucky enough to talk to the kilt maker .I do however thank her who ever she was.

I have 2 machine sewn 8 yard wool kilts too. I remember Linda at HR explaining the difference to me.For example.Hand sewn are easier to alter in size than the machine sewn(The way they machine sew them I pressume). The stitching on the machine sewn is tighter and in her opinion if worn everyday a better bet as regards wear and tear.

I wear my hand sewn for when I want to look my best with PC.Norwegian National dress is all hand sewn.I think It complements my wifes well. Then I have my machine sewn for other uses.

I also have a Bear machine sewn PV which is my hiking kilt....'Orses fur courses as it were

[Riverkilt]

I think this has been a good exchange by intelligent adults.

Hopefully, I understand both sides of the issue.

My point is simply, the kiltmakers who have chosen to attain what certification there is should not be belittled because of that choice and effort, nor should the certification itself be minimized.

I do feel certification does certify a certain minimum level of competence in any field, and thus deserves recognition for what it is.

It seems mean-spirited to me to call certification an advertising gimmick. Anyone, in any field of practice, with certifications, licenses, awards, and honors is going to proudly display them as part of their marketing efforts.

If the Keith Kilt School certification were bogus I doubt the SQA would have it...though I think there was a post minimizing the SQA itself...

Maybe we just need to agree to disagree.

Ron

[bubba]

Ron, it isn't saying the certifications are bogus at all, just that for it to be meaningful in the broad market it has to be universal with a central authority. Since it isn't universally available it doesn't mean the certified makers have any more standing than uncertified makers regardling the quality of work.