My order from Lochcarron arrived

[jsrnephdoc]

I ordered tartan cloth from Lochcarron, and I'll be sewing the kilt myself.
While I was trying to decide what kilt I wanted, I became increasingly interested in all aspects of the kilt. I realized that sewing the kilt myself would be the best way to satisfy my curiosity, and give me a greater sense of connection to the kilt as opposed to if I bought it from someone else.

If you don't have it, I'd advise you to buy Barb Tewksbury's book (The Art of Kiltmaking). In it's current (3rd) printing, color plates have been replaced by B/W, but there's a link to download the color images, and the book (available from Amazon, or The Celtic Croft, or from Barb herself) is much cheaper in monochrome. Her kilts are made entirely by hand and are exquisite.

[SF Jeff]

I'm a little late to this thread so I'll cover some of the several topics that have been raised in one shot.

1. Lochcarron: Two of my three kilts are Lochcarron wool (the third is a mystery) and I find it to be of high quality and I have no complaints. The OP will feel the same I'm sure. I'm considering a new kilt in a tartan that, as far as I know, is only spun by HoE in 13oz wool. If I do go ahead, it will be interesting to compare it to the Lochcarron wool.

2. PV kilts: Not interested. Perhaps if I participated in heavy athletics, but otherwise, no. I also don't judge anyone who goes this route, especially if it's for financial reasons; you do what you can do.

3. Casual kilts: All three of my kilts are casual kilts. 5-6 yards of 13 oz wool, machine sewn, and they work just fine for me. I'm not sure a 16oz 9 yard tank hanging on my skinny waist would look good or even be practical. I essentially have no hips and that's a lot of weight and fabric to hang from my waist with no hip support.

4. Bargains: They're out there, you just need to look. My first kilt was an incredible bargain. Custom made kilt that the buyer had paid for and never picked up. The retailer just wanted to get rid of it (it being an uncommon size) and I got it for $100 USD. It is well made, fits well, and has picked up a stain here and there and moth hole or two along the way, but I like these battle scars and in a sentimental way it's my favorite kilt.

5. 38R's are everywhere: I guess I need to look a little harder. I'm a 38 R/L (depends on the manufacturer) and I don't see them too often. Most everything is 40 or above. That being said, I did score a deal on Etsy for a 38R tweed kilt jacket in near perfect condition. Probably vintage late 60's or early 70's judging by the design of the label sewn inside. $75 USD included shipping from the UK.

6. Speaking of shipping... A few years ago I ordered lederhose from a shop in Vienna. I put the order in Sunday night (monday morning their time) and Fedex delivered it Thursday afternoon. And that was not expedited shipping. I also recently ordered from Kinnaird in Canada and got the package in four days, and Canada Post is not known for their speed, especially when the US is the destination. The above mentioned jacket from the UK also got to my local post office quickly, but they sat on it for 5 days before delivering it.

7. HoE Argylls in peat etc... They are everywhere now. It seems to me that many highland wear retailers are now carrying HoE jackets and vests as their default offering, whereas before it was Gaelic Themes. I might be wrong on this though, because I spend more time on piping supply websites and they're all about Gaelic Themes apparel, maybe because the lower cost appeals to bands. But I might be wrong on this also.

That's all. Carry on...

[jsrnephdoc]

One difference between Lochcarron and House of Edgar is that fabric from HoE is coated in Teflon (making it stain repelling).

If you're in or near SF, a visit to Wm Glen & Son might be fun. They do Scots Whisky tastings as well as offering made to measure kilts using cloth from pretty much all the premier mills in Scotland. I don't know whether they sew them themselves or import them from a house that sews them in the UK.

Regarding the yardage of cloth in your kilts: one thing I like about St. Kilda kilts is that they actually indicate approximately how many yards of fabric are required for a kilt, based on body size (and incrementally priced accordingly).

[SF Jeff]

One difference between Lochcarron and House of Edgar is that fabric from HoE is coated in Teflon (making it stain repelling).

I've heard this. I wonder how it affects the hand and drape of the fabric.

If you're in or near SF, a visit to Wm Glen & Son might be fun. They do Scots Whisky tastings as well as offering made to measure kilts using cloth from pretty much all the premier mills in Scotland. I don't know whether they sew them themselves or import them from a house that sews them in the UK.

I just posted about them in another thread. Nice store and it's where I bought my first kilt. Label says "Made in Scotland." I'm no longer in the bay area and only visit occasionally, but next time I do I'll make an effort to get into the city and stop in.

Regarding the yardage of cloth in your kilts: one thing I like about St. Kilda kilts is that they actually indicate approximately how many yards of fabric are required for a kilt, based on body size (and incrementally priced accordingly).

I think the more reputable kilt makers do this. They don't promise an exact yardage to be used, but give a range based on the size of the kilt and the pleating options. Others just say "Full 9 yard kilt!!!" and that may not be the case.

[RGM1]

Is all HoE fabric Teflon coated?

[jsrnephdoc]

Is all HoE fabric Teflon coated?

I don't know, but House of Edgar have an email inquiry address. The folks at USA Kilts might know as well. My sense from my own kilts and their varied origins is that the coating doesn't affect the way the garments feel or hang on one's body.

Of course, given that "Teflon" (trademarked by DuPont) is the ORIGINAL "forever" chemical, one wonders what that unearthed fragment of the Glen Afrric tartan might have looked like had Teflon been invented in the 17th rather than 20th century.

A cousin one generation ahead of me was a DuPont chemical engineer who played some important role in the development of PFTE. When I was a little boy, he was regarded as THE true wizard of the family. Today people would be blaming the plastic merging with itself in the Pacific on him. Go figure.

[tripleblessed]

Of course, given that "Teflon" (trademarked by DuPont) is the ORIGINAL "forever" chemical

Off topic but related, Teflon reportedly has showed up in the blood of people in remote parts of Siberia thousands of miles from any known source. Of course,
you can read all kinds of stuff without being able to verify.

[jsrnephdoc]

Off topic but related, Teflon reportedly has showed up in the blood of people in remote parts of Siberia thousands of miles from any known source. Of course,
you can read all kinds of stuff without being able to verify.

Most of the mills use "finishers," who specialize in cleaning the fabric once it's woven. Some may do that in-house, but Lochcarron sends their fabric to a dedicated finisher who say that they're "certified organic," which of course means they don't coat their fabric with teflon.

[DCampbell16B]

Off topic but related, Teflon reportedly has showed up in the blood of people in remote parts of Siberia thousands of miles from any known source. Of course,
you can read all kinds of stuff without being able to verify.

More off topic, but I can actually speak to that. This was back in the late 90's. Our lab was one of only about three in the country that had specialized instruments to do sensitive development work for pharmaceutical companies. One of the projects was to find this drug in rabbit plasma. Two of my lab partners worked on it directly, while I was only peripheral. Dave Anderson could not find blank rabbit plasma for this drug. This interference kept getting in the way. It was even in our high purity water generator. Commercial sources of rabbit plasma had this interference. Then we found it in human plasma. Eventually we did find a source of rabbit plasma without this interference, and it was from rabbits raised in Siberia (at that time, I don't know about now). The interference was PFOA/PFAS from Teflon. Whether Dave was the first to find it, or just found how far it had traveled I don't remember. We did get some journal papers out of it. And the owner of the company was asking me a few months ago what I remembered, as he had to discuss it at an upcoming conference.

[User]

If you don't have it, I'd advise you to buy Barb Tewksbury's book (The Art of Kiltmaking). In it's current (3rd) printing, color plates have been replaced by B/W, but there's a link to download the color images, and the book (available from Amazon, or The Celtic Croft, or from Barb herself) is much cheaper in monochrome. Her kilts are made entirely by hand and are exquisite.

Thank you kindly. That is the text I'm using. I was really hoping to get a copy of Mr. Ashton's kiltmaking book. But, upon hearing that it will never be available, I purchased Ms. Tewksbury's book.