Help Me Choose a Tartan!

[guitarmatt]

So here's my dilemma:

I need a kilt. And by a kilt I mean of course another kilt. And by another kilt I mean of course a tank. I'm in a bit of a sticky situation because there's no real obvious tartan choice for me, so help me choose!

A little background. My background is Welsh, English and German, with my family name, Price, being Welsh. Bruce has been used as a second (middle, for the Americans out there) name for men in my family for generations but I'm not sure if there's a Scottish connection. In fact, I didn't think much about Scotland until I moved here unexpectedly with my wife nearly 4 years ago. We had our first child here and it's become about the most important place in the world to me.

The problem: There's a Price Welsh tartan which would suit me very well, except that it doesn't really look like a traditional tartan, and I feel a bit weird buying a pattern I know was made up only recently in order to drive sales to sentimental pseudo-Scots (which I may or may not be, I'm not really sure yet.) The other problem is that the quality of the fabric from the Welsh mill is not that great, so I'd have to have it woven in Scotland, adding to the cost.*

Other options I've thought about are the Bruce tartan, since the name is important in my family, or the Wallace tartan, since Wallace does mean "Welsh", and my son was born on 11 Sept. (You know why that date's important, right?)

I'm going to do a little more poking around in my genealogy, I realize I may need a bit more to go on before I make this decision. What are your thoughts? What do you think about Welsh tartans in general? What sort of reasoning do those of you without Scottish blood have for the tartan you wear?

*Scotweb's website says they have some 16 oz Price Welsh tartan woven by Bately in stock. I read that mill shut down last year, so I assume they've only got a limited amount left. If I go with the Price family tartan, that could save me special weaving costs. I should add that my wife really likes the Price tartan.

[Paul Henry]

You are right about the Welsh tartans being very recent, and being made essentially for marketing reasons, however many if not most of the Scottish ones were made for exactly the same reason, Wilsons( the weavers) were great salesmen, admittedly some time ago, so time lends authority!
I've used theWelsh tartans, they are made in Wales by one mill( with one exception) and I wasn't really very impressed with the quality, it's lovely wool, but really a bit of the soft side to be as hard wearing as other mills tartans!
The bottom line is, if you feel an association with, or you like a particular tartan, choose that one.
~Paul

[Tobus]

The problem: There's a Price Welsh tartan which would suit me very well, except that it doesn't really look like a traditional tartan, and I feel a bit weird buying a pattern I know was made up only recently in order to drive sales to sentimental pseudo-Scots (which I may or may not be, I'm not really sure yet.)

Honestly, if you're going to wear the kilt, which is not necessarily part of your family history anyway, I wouldn't worry about the "sentimental pseudo-Scots" thing. Pretty much everybody who dons the kilt that didn't grow up in the Highlands is kind of doing the same thing. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Wearing a kilt was originally a very localized tradition, and the idea of a tartan being tied to family lineage is a relatively modern concept. But we can all honor the Highland traditions by incorporating them into our lives.

If it's your family name, and you like the look of the Price tartan, go for it. It's the one you're most "entitled" to, anyway. Whether it has centuries of tradition is meaningless. GIVE it meaning! When someone asks you what tartan it is, it's always most acceptable to tell 'em it's the tartan of the family whose name you bear. No matter who designed it or when.

Just my 2 cents.

[ThinBlueLine]

guitarmatt,

I agree with Tobus. I am Welsh through an Owen in my ancestry and possibly even closer, depending on whether my own surname is German or Welsh and I would have no problem wearing a Welsh tartan. I say go with what feels right for you.

[wildrover]

I like that you're seeking a tartan that means something to you, vs just picking one you like the looks of.

Bruce has been used as a second (middle, for the Americans out there) name for men in my family for generations but I'm not sure if there's a Scottish connection.

Scottish or not, that's interesting enough IIWY I'd find out more about it. That's pretty cool...no such traditions in my own family that I'm aware of.

We had our first child here and it's become about the most important place in the world to me.

Is there an overall Scottish regional tartan, similar to the state tartans in America, or the various "American" (red/white/blue themed) tartans?

my son was born on 11 Sept. (You know why that date's important, right?)

Yeah...your son was born then . That actually seems more important than any geopolitical force, because it's family...and tartans denote familial, tribal, and cultural connections in one sense or another, right? Unless you have another connection to that date you're not mentioning.

I'm going to do a little more poking around in my genealogy, I realize I may need a bit more to go on before I make this decision. What are your thoughts? What do you think about Welsh tartans in general? What sort of reasoning do those of you without Scottish blood have for the tartan you wear?

I have no opinion on Welsh tartans, but IIWY I'd look at regional tartans. You could even have a tartan designed for your family, based on a regional tartan that holds some significance for you (for example, the locale where your son was born, or where you currently live, etc). Personally, I think that'd be pretty cool.

Just an idea...take it for all an opinion is worth ;).

-Sean

[bricelythgoe]

I took a little different route. For example, recently I purchased an 8 yard pv kilt from Skye Highland Outfitters (they offer 8 yard tanks as well). I chose who was going to make my kilt FIRST and then I chose my tartan from what they had available. I decided Josh from SHO was going to do it, then I looked at the tartans he offered and settled on the one he liked. He had the right price on the kilt I wanted and a good selection of tartans. Not only that, but it helped me narrow down the list of tartans to choose from. Not sure if that helps or not but that is how I do/did it.

I also looked at ALL the genealogy from both my side and my wife's. Luckily, there was a lot available on from the LDS Genealogy website. I wrote down a good portion of the last names that I could find in my genealogy and used the Scottish Tartans Authority to link them to certain tartans. With that list I new what ones I had ties too, even if the tie was 4 or 5 generations ago, I knew I had the link. This is probably a little un-orthodox, but it worked.

Brice

[guitarmatt]

I took a little different route. For example, recently I purchased an 8 yard pv kilt from Skye Highland Outfitters (they offer 8 yard tanks as well). I chose who was going to make my kilt FIRST and then I chose my tartan from what they had available.

I'll almost certainly have my kilt made by Celtic Craft Centre here in Edinburgh. I've gone in for a few things and they've been really nice and helpful, and their kilts are gorgeous. They can get pretty much anything, at least that's the impression I got looking through their swatch books.

Unless you have another connection to that date you're not mentioning.

I was thinking of a particular event in 1297.

[bricelythgoe]

I'll almost certainly have my kilt made by Celtic Craft Centre here in Edinburgh. I've gone in for a few things and they've been really nice and helpful, and their kilts are gorgeous. They can get pretty much anything, at least that's the impression I got looking through their swatch books.

If that is the case, I would try and find a connection to a tartan through some family history research and using the Scottish Tartans Authority. I have seen those swatch books and there are a lot of tartans in there. I have found that trying to find one that looks good can be difficult. That is, it can be difficult to narrow it down because there are TONS of good looking tartans. Good Luck.

[guitarmatt]

David,

You bring up a good point in that I'm looking for more than just an article of clothing, but something to carry some meaning. Now, will the tartan I use come along with some of that meaning built in already, or will I have to start from scratch making new meaning for myself and my family? If I go with the Welsh tartan I recognize that on its own it's not worth much. But, through my own intentional investment, I'm sure it would come to mean something.

[Heming]

I'll almost certainly have my kilt made by Celtic Craft Centre here in Edinburgh.

I would think twice about that. Their work is impeccable, but they are very slow, and will lie to you without a wink when you start asking questions about when you might expect your kilt and why it's so late.

This is the personal experience of a good friend of mine (he ordered his kilt in january 2009 to make sure he had it in time for a wedding i june, which he told them when ordering. Got the kilt in december 2009 with no good explanation. When complaining in august, they said "your kilt is hanging in the shop and will be shipped tomorrow").

I have seen others with the same complaints here on XMTS as well, so just a friendly word of warning.

I can recommend Geoffry (Tailor), though, although he is a bit more pricey.