Do Your Research (aka Buyer Beware)

**Phogfan86** · 25th May 09, 09:16 PM

Not to make light of your concerns, Rocky and Matt, but after reading about your plight, I heard a little voice in my head saying, "If only there were a place -- maybe a website -- where a well-respected kilt maker could tell hundreds of kilt wearers that they have a handmade wool kilt in a unique custom woven tartan for a bargain price. If only..."

**sathor** · 25th May 09, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by Spartan

Or, you could end up with the Michigan State Police tartan with blue and gold among its colors (not to be confused with maize and blue).

Are you a Spartan?

No, I am an Eagle/Huron. (I prefer the mascot they dropped to become 'pc' at Eastern Michigan Univ. )

Both schools are green/white for their colors, based on your user name, you know that part.

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 26th May 09, 04:35 AM

Originally Posted by ronstew

If somebody made the point before, I missed it:

With a custom weave, you can't order a swatch, which makes things even more risky.

Bingo.

I will occasionally get people asking for a sample swatch of a custom tartan before it is run. The minimum amount for a custom tartan to be woven is four yards. That's the minimum. So if you want a sample swatch, it will be four yards long. :-)

What we can do is send thread samples first, but this is not as useful as you might imagine. Unless you have a really good eye for color and some experience with how colors come together in a tartan, most people would be hard pressed to envision what a woven tartan would look like, with it's half-tones and color combinations, from looking at a few bundles of twisted thread.

**Dianne B** · 26th May 09, 04:44 AM

Maybe a (limited) market for a hobby weaver with a tabletop loom making swatches of custom tartan??

**McClef** · 26th May 09, 06:49 AM

Originally Posted by Dianne B

Maybe a (limited) market for a hobby weaver with a tabletop loom making swatches of custom tartan??

The time it takes to set up the pattern on the loom can be little different and therefore no economies of scale can really be made. Rarer tartans are therefore inevitably more expensive.

**Dianne B** · 26th May 09, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by McClef

The time it takes to set up the pattern on the loom can be little different and therefore no economies of scale can really be made. Rarer tartans are therefore inevitably more expensive.

Indeed. I have done weaving in the past, on an 8-harness 6 foot floor loom. Doing a 3x3 sett on a tabletop would be much easier and use less material.

Some weavers weave for the love of it.

**dfmacliam** · 26th May 09, 07:38 AM

It's a difficult situation, that makes light of all the checks and balances a kilt maker experiences. When you believe you have all bases covered... Mr. Murphy raises his ugly head.. And I am sure what makes this even more hard, is the customer is not accepting any blame for this situation.... If he conceded, a resolution might be easier. This is only my opinion..

**RockyR** · 26th May 09, 09:02 AM

The problem with a swatch on a home loom is that the MILL that will be producing the final cloth is not the one weaving the swatch, so it's almost pointless, since the colors will vary ANYWAY.

I find that if I don't know something (or know just enough to be dangerous), it's ALWAYS best to seek the advice of an expert, no matter WHAT type of product it is (jewelry, cars, kilts, whatever). Find someone who KNOWS what they're doing that you TRUST and follow their advice. More often than not, you'll be much happier in the end.

When it comes to buying jewelry for Kelly, I have NO IDEA what I'm doing, so I have a woman who owns a jewelry store who I TRUST who tells me what to buy. She's SO honest that I don't have to worry about her ripping me off. Kelly's always liked ther pieces 'I' pick out.

I have a mortgage guy who I trust who got me locked in at an unbelievable rate for our house. I trusted his financial advice and we've got a much lower mortgage payment b/c of it.

I know enough to know that I DON'T know enough and need to find someone who DOES know enough.

There's nothing wrong with admitting you don't know something and asking for assistance. Any good store owner would prefer you ask questions to make sure you're happy with the end result.

**Dianne B** · 26th May 09, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by RockyR

The problem with a swatch on a home loom is that the MILL that will be producing the final cloth is not the one weaving the swatch, so it's almost pointless, since the colors will vary ANYWAY.

Well OBVIOUSLY! That's why the swatch is woven with THE SAME YARN as will be used in the production run!