Starting another kilt belt... have questions

[Tobus]

I've built myself a couple of kilt belts with double buckles on the front, but I want to build another that's more traditional with the buckle. I bought a Saltire motif belt buckle from Paul and will be using it for a standard 2-1/2" wide belt.

What I'm wondering is how 'fancy' a kilt belt should get before it's just too much.

See, while I'm mostly just a hobbyist when it comes to leatherworking, my wife does it for a living. She is by all definitions a master tooler and saddlemaker. She specializes in Sheridan-style tooling, which you can see below on a saddle she built for herself:



She designs all her own patterns, does all the casing, carving, tooling, dyeing, airbrushing, antiquing, finishing, and whatever else. Everything she does is a custom job. She designed, tooled, and built me a custom briefcase for my laptop computer (with built-in holster!) that I proudly carry every day. But she's never done anything kilt-related, as most of her business is saddles, chaps, bridles, purses, canteen covers, and the typical 'western' stuff. She built one Celtic pattern tooled saddle, but that's it.

Anyway, I want her to build and tool a kilt belt for me that is tooled and decorated. She made an amazing gun belt a while back that had a nice large tooling pattern on the back but the rest was just basket-stamped and decorated with "spots", or silver studs:



She really loves using spots on things, and I like the look. I'm thinking about a Sheridan-style tooling job on the kilt belt, probably dyed a dark brown like the gun belt, and decorated with some spots, although not as many as the gun belt had. If that's too over-the-top, maybe the tooling would just be a custom Celtic knot pattern around the sides with maybe a simple thistle tooled in the back. And maybe only a couple of spots; perhaps 4 spots to "frame" around the thistle at the back as a simple accent.

But would this just be too gaudy for a kilt belt? I know it's certainly not "traditional". I'm just wondering what you would think if you saw a nicely dressed kilted fellow with a belt like that. Would you think it was over the top? Or would it be a nicely stated accent?

I don't want to ask her to go to all the trouble to make this if it's something that'll be grossly overstated. But at the same time, I have seen many kilt belts with some stamping/tooling/embossing on them, so I know there's got to be a balance in there somewhere.

[DougC]

I say try it out and if you don't like it you can make it a gunbelt.

Your wife does great work!

[KiltedKnome]

Well, I am just drooling over the detail work on the saddle. I will let others comment on the pros/cons of this for a kilt belt.

[Stiavo89]

That is some incredibly beautiful leather work! I have a similar project to yours on the go at the moment -- I am putting together a kilt belt from scratch, and my next decision will be just how much ornamentation will go on it! I will put together a few patterns on some scrap material and see what I like the best. My intention is to wear my kilt and belt for mainly casual occasions, and I have designed my belt and buckle accordingly. (I hope to finish it this weekend, and will post pictures of the finished product in the DIY forums!) It sounds like you are considering going a much more detailed and original route that me, and the most important thing to my mind is that YOU like what you are wearing!

~Steve

[Good Egg]

I don't think that the belt would be overstated especially if it is made by your wife. How amazingly talented, I'm in awe.

I don't know what you call the straps that are dangling down under the silver 'coins' on the saddle but I had been thinking about trying to find something like that as a sporran strap.

You also have the opportunity to have the world smartest day sporran.

[Jock Scot]

Wow! That is some very impressive leather work there! Sadly, I think that amount of "Work" on a kilt belt would be too much. Let me try and explain. From a traditional(lets say the last 150 years anyway) kilt point of view the tartan is the loud bit and the rest is rather understated. Now before some one chips in, there is the exception of the ultra formal outfit with all the bells and whistles and possibly a tartan jacket and waist coat too.In this particular case, apart from the buckles etc, the leather work is plain and to my eyes it does look right that way.

Having said that, Highland attire is, apart from the kilt, is generally rather "quiet", so in my humble opinion some "quiet" leather work would be fine on your belt although I cannot ever recall seeing a tooled kilt belt before. Mind you, if I had a wife who was a skilled artist at leather work, like you have, then I would most certainly want to wear some of her work!

Have you seen the leather work on Ian Grant's website? Google Ian Grant of Edinburgh silversmith and you should find it. Anyway there are some "tooled" sporrans on show there. It is slightly unusual,I think, to see "tooled" leather sporrans, but I do think the thistle design looks very nice. As in most circumstances with highland attire "quiet" is the general effect to go for, BUT some "quiet" leather work would not go amiss.Steady with the spots though!

[druid]

I just saw his $1,700 Sporran and almost choked on my coffee..http://www.iangrantofedinburgh.com/i...roducts_id=226

[Schiehallion]

Saddle.... fantastic craftmanship!

Kilt belt... limited embossing on black or dark brown leather.

Tend to agree with Jock Scot and go for an understated look as the kilt is the star of the show.

[fluter]

Tobus, please give your wife a tremendous hug on our behalf. Whooo-eee! that is gorgeous.

Now, Jock Scot has given you the verum verbum, as it were. I'll just point out that some of us will don a lace jabot without hesitation, and others blanch in horror if their hose have cables, let alone lace-work. Seek the Middle Path.

Were I in your shoes, I'd proudly wear anything the DW made for me.

[Brian K]

Tobus,

Your wife is an artist. The two examples of of her work above are amazing. In the highly unlikely event that I would want to carry a brace of pistols, I would hope I had a belt as beautiful as the one here to carry them, and any horseman or woman would be well served by that saddle.

I tend to agree with Jock that understated is the usual route to go with Highland dress. That being said, I also agree with the statement that the fact that your wife had made you the belt would make it acceptable, or at least understandable, by all but the most stubborn auld crabbit out there.

Despite the fact that tooling can be highly decorative, I am sure it can be done in an understated way. For example you could stick with your idea of a simple thistle in the back and keep the Celtic knot work to a subtle and delicate pattern at the edges of the belt. It might also be good to keep the spots near the hardware in the front so it's in what appears to be a more natural place for it.

Another way to approach would be go with the thistle in the back and do the rest of the belt in something like the basket stamping on the gun belt. A small pattern like that would look like a texture from a distance and would only look like a pattern up close and would bring a great degree of subtlety to the pattern.

I think a superb artist such as your wife should be able to create a belt with a bit of understated elaboration that would celebrate her talent, your love of and pride in her splendid work, and your Celtic heritage without doing violence to tradition. I'm sure you'll end up with a kilt belt that will make us all envious.

Regards,

Brian