Quality Sporrans for less money

[OC Richard]

https://kiltsociety.com/collections/...avyweight-wool, the pricing is more in line what one might expect from a kiltmaker in Scotland, although CERTAINLY less expensive than what one would pay at Kinloch Anderson, for example.

Ah, thanks, I had missed that page.

What they don't say is whether the pleats are machine stitched or hand stitched.

[jsrnephdoc]

Ah, thanks, I had missed that page.

What they don't say is whether the pleats are machine stitched or hand stitched.

Never having attempted anything more complex with needle and thread than re-attaching a button, I'm in the dark about the actual differences in quality between one with hidden but machine-stitched pleats and one with hand-stitched pleats. I'm guessing that some of it relates primarily to tradition.

Next week my NYC son and I will visit USA Kilts. They make two different price-point types of 8 yd woolen kilts, one where the pleats are made using"top-stitching" (easier to do and visible to anyone who knows what to look for) vs. hidden stitching. In both instances, however, the stitching is done by machine. I wonder whether there really IS any difference in quality between a carefully made kilt made by someone who stitches the pleats by machine vs. someone who does it by hand, given that a well-operated machine is capable of incredibly uniform output, but I hope to find out. I have only one kilt made by hand, and I'll wear that for my visit and see what I learn.

I'm excited for my visit because the people at USA Kilts seem uniformly happy about their work (and that's evident in their emails and phone calls). On topic for the thread title, however, I'll ask them about the "puffy-faced-dog" dress sporrans they sell (SOMEONE else must like them, since they offer them for sale, but they also sell the "Ghillie Shirts" so maligned so often here.

[jsrnephdoc]

Ah, thanks, I had missed that page.

What they don't say is whether the pleats are machine stitched or hand stitched.

What they DO say suggests they may be hand sewn:

A traditional 8 yard kilt, cut from pure wool, deeply pleated to sett and finished with elegant double fringing. A waistband finished with 100% cotton lining, fastened with three adjustable leather straps and belt loops to allow for additional accessories. A beautiful kilt, crafted to last a lifetime.
High quality materials are combined with traditional tailoring techniques to create your bespoke kilt. Our range offers crafted pieces, made to measure by experienced local tailors using your choice of cloth.

[jsrnephdoc]

I was closing browser tabs and discovered, just before "saying goodbye" to those from <kiltsociety.com>, THIS:

There's an American film comedy named The Runaway Bride, in which Julia Roberts escapes repetitively from the altar, once on horseback. Maybe this guy is the runaway groom, or maybe Scots just flaunt conventions as much as Americans do.

[OC Richard]

A traditional 8 yard kilt, cut from pure wool, deeply pleated to sett and finished with elegant double fringing. A beautiful kilt, crafted to last a lifetime.
High quality materials are combined with traditional tailoring techniques to create your bespoke kilt. Our range offers crafted pieces...

That reminds me of the AI descriptions I'm seeing on Ebay nowadays.

They give lots of icing but not much cake (flowery verbiage short on specifics).

With some not-quite-idiomatic English thrown in for good measure.

[RGM1]

Never having attempted anything more complex with needle and thread than re-attaching a button, I'm in the dark about the actual differences in quality between one with hidden but machine-stitched pleats and one with hand-stitched pleats. I'm guessing that some of it relates primarily to tradition.

Next week my NYC son and I will visit USA Kilts. They make two different price-point types of 8 yd woolen kilts, one where the pleats are made using"top-stitching" (easier to do and visible to anyone who knows what to look for) vs. hidden stitching. In both instances, however, the stitching is done by machine. I wonder whether there really IS any difference in quality between a carefully made kilt made by someone who stitches the pleats by machine vs. someone who does it by hand, given that a well-operated machine is capable of incredibly uniform output, but I hope to find out. I have only one kilt made by hand, and I'll wear that for my visit and see what I learn.

I'm excited for my visit because the people at USA Kilts seem uniformly happy about their work (and that's evident in their emails and phone calls). On topic for the thread title, however, I'll ask them about the "puffy-faced-dog" dress sporrans they sell (SOMEONE else must like them, since they offer them for sale, but they also sell the "Ghillie Shirts" so maligned so often here.

Ask about their Premier style which they outsource to Scotland.

[jsrnephdoc]

Ask about their Premier style which they outsource to Scotland.

Actually, on USA Kilts's website, they state plainly in their description of their "Premier" 8 yard kilts that they produce them themselves at their own shop. Here's the text of that:

Our reputation is built upon the beauty, comfort and durability of these premium kilts. In fact, we are known for over-building essential parts: Extra-strong embossed leather for the straps, Reinforced stitching on all stress points. Attention to every detail. And by making them here in the USA, we actually bring the cost to you down.

It's my understanding that the very first kilt they made for me WAS outsourced to Gaelic Themes, but only because they had too many orders of backlog to get it done on time. I never verified that, but on their monthly YouTube session they make it clear that the pleats on their own 8 yd premier kilts are machine stitched (but from the backside so that the stitches do not show).

But, checking on this on their website, I discovered something I'd not seen before, which is what they charge for one-off "custom" kilts when that includes custom tartan design and or weaving of a rare tartan. Makes me glad that there ARE > 40 varieties of "Robertson" fabric readily available! But I'm also confident that the elevated price ($1485) accurately reflects their cost to make such garments.

They've promised to give me a tour of their facility. Unfortunately, I'll be there on a "first Friday" (of the month), the day they do their You Tube live shows, so they'll likely be pretty busy.

[OC Richard]

Back to quality sporrans for less money!

Nicoll Brothers (a favourite maker of mine) black leather seal-fronted "semi dress" sporran for under 30 pounds

https://www.ebay.com/itm/39639376769...Bk9SR66k0a2_ZQ

There's a seller with two Nicoll Brothers musquash animal-mask sporrans up on Ebay at the same time.

Not super cheap but much less than such a sporran would cost new.

I would pay the extra money for the one with the much nicer face, it's 250 Pounds.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17697521364...Bk9SR4C98K2_ZQ

[OC Richard]

USA Kilts' description of their "Premier" 8 yard kilts:

Our reputation is built upon the beauty, comfort and durability of these premium kilts. In fact, we are known for over-building essential parts: Extra-strong embossed leather for the straps, Reinforced stitching on all stress points. Attention to every detail. And by making them here in the USA, we actually bring the cost to you down.

Interesting that they mention as a positive something that I dislike in their kilts, the super thick leather straps.

As soon as I received my USA Kilts kilt I switched them out for traditional leather straps. Scottish kilt makers have had a couple hundred years to figure out what thickness and suppleness of leather works best.

They don't mention there that their "Premier 8 yard kilts" have machine-sewn pleats, which I'm told they do.

It's my understanding that the very first kilt they made for me WAS outsourced to Gaelic Themes

It would be really nice to have both a Gaelic Themes kilt and a USA Kilts "Premier" kilt to hand simultaneously to do an in-depth side-by-side comparison.

I assume that both are "traditional kilts" in having a stabiliser and cut-out pleats.

What I'd like to see up close in particular are the stitched portions of the pleats.

[RGM1]

The stitching is invisible to my eyes.