Kilt No.79 - at last!

[McClef]

Well, at last, Kilt No.79 in my Kilt Kollection was delivered this morning. It is a 5yd casual cilt in the Welsh 'Edwards' tartan which I ordered when in Cardiff with Derek and Elaine back in May. The fabric is 100% wool but is very lightweight - my guess is 11oz although no weight is quoted - and it is randomly pleated, and not very sharply at that! It is machine sewn and is hemmed. To give the Wales Tartan Centre credit, they completed the order and despatched it after seven weeks - earlier than expected - BUT it was 2" too big at the waist!! Now, as brother Trefor knows, the Wales Tartan Centre seeks only two measurements for kiltmaking: waist and length! When I was being measured, I insisted that my seat figure also be noted down and that, I think, is where the error occurred - my seat measurement must have been taken for that of my waist!

Sorry to hear about the error that occurred brother Hamish! Yes they do only use the two measurements but they do also ask for one's overall height which some kiltmakers like to know and some don't. All I can say is that the seat is fine on the 2 cilts I have had for them.

My Roberts is a 5 yard casual and pleats to the sett fine and the pleats are sharp but not deep, as you would expect for a 5 yarder. I understand that they use several different kiltmakers (not necessarily in Wales although the material is all woven in Wales) so perhaps it was luck of the draw or it could be that one proved easier to pleat than the other? Yes, I have to agree the material is light but I have worn mine in winter and still not found it cold though it would be useful to know what the actual weight is for comparison purposes. Certainly the 8 yarders are in a heavier material and pleat very well, I have my St David's as proof of that and have seen other 8 yarders from WTC including today at the Royal Welsh Show when I met the MD Tony Collins sporting an 8 yard Evans and his assistant sporting an 8 yard Pride of Wales. I have now ordered a ysgrepan (Mr Collins allowed me to try his on) and I liked it so it will be ready for collection from the stand on Wednesday. I can ask tomorrow what the comparative weights are as I'm curious myself on this point.

And I don't know if your ears were burning but I told Tony about my 20 kilts, a number he found amazing, and I had to mention you and your nearly 80 and that you had ordered the Edwards at the Cardiff shop!

The fit of the kilt is now as perfect as it is going to be (with only two measurements) and it will be an adequate lightweight everyday kilt for a hot summer, if ever we get another one! What they actually did to make the adjustment I do not know, but it worked.

The staff at the WTC could not have been more helpful and courteous, and acted with speed when the mistake was spotted. However, the cilt is something of a disappointment both in the lightness of the fabric and the finish, when compared with the standards set by the many Scottish kiltmakers I have dealt with over the years.

Would I order another cilt from the WTC? Probably not - instead, I would have a known-to-me kiltmaker obtain the tartan and make it up for me.

I wouldn't know what they do to make the adjustment either, I have mentioned before that Hector Russell totally messed up the waist on the first Hunting Robertson Ancient I had from them and they ended up having to make me a completely new kilt so mistakes can happen.

I have found customer services at WTC to be good too. (Still no response from Howie btw....)

But despite all, the pictures of you modelling the cilt are good