Another Twilling Question

**ScotFree** · 11th September 12, 11:02 AM

I recently acquired what I believe to be a vintage Gordon Highlanders kilt (c. 1950's I was told) and as I was donning it today I noticed that the twill line runs what I believe to be backwards. I understood that the twill line should be a "backslash" (according to Barb T's wondrous tome), but this one is a "forwardslash". Not that this makes the weeist bit of difference to me (or probably anyone else) in the long run, but I'm curious what the tartanologists and rabble general have to say about it.

Comments, opinions, historical detritus?

**Tobus** · 11th September 12, 11:20 AM

If it's any help, my MOD (Queen's Own Highlanders) kilt has the same twill direction:

I had never really paid attention to the direction before. Both of my civilian 8-yard wool kilts have the twill going the opposite direction (backslash). But my 4-yard wool box pleat is going the same direction as my MOD kilt.

I seem to recall that tartan cloth has a "right side" and a "wrong side". Does someone know why it would be reversed? Or does it not matter on the cloth from certain mills?

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 11th September 12, 11:30 AM

Tartan cloth does have a "right" side and a "wrong" side, the wrong side being where you will find any knots, etc., from where threads were joined and so forth. So you will want the kilt made with the right side facing outward, so any imperfections like that will be hidden. What this usually means is that the twill line runs up and to the wearer's right, when worn.

For whatever reason, sometimes mills weave cloth with the twill running opposite. For example, Lochcarron's strome range has the twill running in the opposite direction than the norm. This is why when I make kilts from Lochcarron cloth (such as Tobus's four yard box pleated kilt) the twill will run the opposite way.

Some kilt makers will use the other side of the cloth in these cases, because they were taught that the twill should go in a certain direction. And that's understandable. However, the reason why they were taught that has nothing to do with the twill direction per se, but rather the need to put the right side of the cloth on the outside of the kilt, in order to hide any flaws.

Now, as it so happens, most of the time the flaws on the "wrong" side of the fabric are pretty minimal and sometimes non-existant, depending on the particular length of cloth you happen to be working with. So what side is facing out on the kilt is pretty much a non-issue.

But there you have it. If I had a kilt with the twill running in the opposite direction as normal, I wouldn't really give it a second thought. It could be that there was an issue with the other side of the cloth so that the kilt maker did it that way intentionally. Or it could be that the "wrong" side of the cloth was so indistinguishable from the "right" side that the kilt maker made the mistake of putting the wrong side on the outside of the kilt, in which case if he/she couldn't tell the difference, why worry about it! :-)

**MacMillans son** · 11th September 12, 11:33 AM

post deleted, Matt beat me to it, and with more detail>

**Tobus** · 11th September 12, 11:39 AM

Great info, Matt!

For example, Lochcarron's strome range has the twill running in the opposite direction than the norm. This is why when I make kilts from Lochcarron cloth (such as Tobus's four yard box pleated kilt) the twill will run the opposite way.

What's weird is that my box-pleated kilt has the twill the opposite way, as you describe, but another of my traditional kilts (which I know for a fact is Lochcarron Strome) is running the usual way. That kilt was made by a certain person who we will no longer mention on this forum. Let's just say it's the kilt I had to send to Steve for retrofitting so it wouldn't fall apart. I may just have to go home and look at it closely to see if perhaps they used the "wrong" side of the cloth, or if I can even tell a difference.

Do you know if our military kilts shown above are the norm for MOD kilt-making? Or does it seem to just depend on the kilt-maker?

**ScotFree** · 11th September 12, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome

Tartan cloth does have a "right" side and a "wrong" side, the wrong side being where you will find any knots, etc., from where threads were joined and so forth. So you will want the kilt made with the right side facing outward, so any imperfections like that will be hidden. What this usually means is that the twill line runs up and to the wearer's right, when worn.

For whatever reason, sometimes mills weave cloth with the twill running opposite. For example, Lochcarron's strome range has the twill running in the opposite direction than the norm. This is why when I make kilts from Lochcarron cloth (such as Tobus's four yard box pleated kilt) the twill will run the opposite way.

Some kilt makers will use the other side of the cloth in these cases, because they were taught that the twill should go in a certain direction. And that's understandable. However, the reason why they were taught that has nothing to do with the twill direction per se, but rather the need to put the right side of the cloth on the outside of the kilt, in order to hide any flaws.

Now, as it so happens, most of the time the flaws on the "wrong" side of the fabric are pretty minimal and sometimes non-existant, depending on the particular length of cloth you happen to be working with. So what side is facing out on the kilt is pretty much a non-issue.

But there you have it. If I had a kilt with the twill running in the opposite direction as normal, I wouldn't really give it a second thought. It could be that there was an issue with the other side of the cloth so that the kilt maker did it that way intentionally. Or it could be that the "wrong" side of the cloth was so indistinguishable from the "right" side that the kilt maker made the mistake of putting the wrong side on the outside of the kilt, in which case if he/she couldn't tell the difference, why worry about it! :-)

Thanks Matt. I knew I could count on you for a good explanation. I'm really not the least bit worried about it (I hadn't noticed it up til now after all). I just found it curious and wondered about. Love the kilt and it doesn't affect my enjoyment of it. But you never know if this would inspire the revelation of some historical oddity heretofore unbeknownst. Never hurts to ask