Matthew A. C. Newsome

It's not cute

2012-03-07T09:40:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week I was walking down the sidewalk in my kilt, on my way to procure a cup of coffee from the coffee shop at the end of the block. It was a chilly, rather windy day. I was dressed, if I may say so myself, rather conservatively. I was wearing one of my MacQuarrie kilts, brown House of Cheviot Lewis hose, a tattersall shirt, sweater-vest (pullover for you Brits), and a tweed kilt jacket. As far as "showing skin" the only flesh visible to anyone was on my face, hands, and knees.

As I was walking a woman a good 10 to 15 years my senior pulled into one of the parking spaces along the sidewalk. She opened her door and called out, "I hope you're wearing thermal underwear!" She was smiling, so I politely smiled back, gave a little wave, and kept walking. But in my head I was thinking, "What is it about me wearing my ethnic dress that makes you feel you can comment freely about my underwear (or lack thereof)."

I've worn a kilt for more than half my life at this point, on a fairly regular basis. I've been asked so many times what I'm wearing underneath that I lost count long ago. And yes, I've even had people (men and women) attempt to find out for themselves -- though thankfully that has been rare. As a regular kilt wearer, I am here to tell you now, it's not cute. It's not amusing. At best it's rather tiresome. At worst it's downright offensive and abusive.

I often tell people to take a moment and consider if roles were reversed. What if a man approached a strange woman in a skirt and asked her what she was wearing underneath? What if he tried to find out for himself? He'd get a slap in the face, more than likely, and if he's not careful he would get arrested and placed on a sex offenders registry. Self-respecting women would never tolerate such crude and boorish behavior. So why should men have to tolerate it simply because they are wearing Scottish national dress?

Yes, without a doubt, there are some men who think it's good fun to throw on a kilt, head out to the pub, or to a concert, and attempt to get hit on by women curious to know the answer to "the question." They would be thrilled to have a "kilt check" made on them, and are actually disappointed when they do not get such solicitations.

Well, in my opinion this all gives the kilt a bad name. It's ethnic dress, it's not meant to be some cheap party gag or an item of fetish wear.

There was a thread recently on the X Marks the Scot kilt forum where someone related a story of unwanted advances made on him (in the presence of his wife, no less) simply because he was wearing a kilt. In the lengthy discussion that followed, I was quite shocked to read a post from a female member of the forum basically saying how much she enjoyed putting her hand up men's kilts! (She went into far more detail than that, I'm afraid).

I felt compelled to reply and ask her how she would feel if a man did that to a woman wearing a skirt. To my amazement, she replied that it happened all the time to her when she went out in short skirts, and she'd learned to accept it. I was horrified, and told her I certainly hoped that my wife or my daughters never had that experience and that they would not simply "accept it" if they did.

But her contention was that if men went out wearing a kilt, they should simply expect that sort of attention. Sorry, I don't buy it. I don't have to put up with being groped, fondled, or asked about my underwear when I venture out in blue jeans, shorts, a three-piece suit, or even in swimwear at the beach. Wearing a kilt doesn't change the fact that personal boundaries and certain standards of common decency should be respected.

So the next time you see a man in a kilt and are considering asking about his underwear, please consider the fact that he's likely heard it all a thousand times before, and won't find your comments any more amusing than the last 999. Ask yourself whether you'd be so bold if he were wearing slacks. Chances are the answer is no. Well, he's the same man in kilt or in trousers, and he deserves your respect either way.

I know some people will read this and think me a stick-in-the-mud. No matter. Most kilt wearers I speak to agree with me in this matter, but are too polite to say anything to those who accost them. On their behalf, let me say it again. It's not cute.

Thanks for reading!

Expanded color range for Genmore hose!

2012-03-03T13:31:00.000-05:00

I am very pleased to announce that the affordable Glenmore hose, from House of Cheviot, is now available to the North American market in an expanded range of colors!

New House Highland is now stocking a full range of nine colors of Glenmore hose.

As shown above...
Top row: ecru, charcoal, black
Middle row: tartan green, blue mix, navy
Bottom row: bison, ancient green, brick red

These hose are made from a super comfy merino wool blend that is also easy to care for (machine washable in cool water, gentle spin).

Click here to find a retailer near you!

Hello, my name is...

2012-01-29T08:19:00.004-05:00

It is time to share with you another of my Highland dress pet peeves... name tags.

Yes, that's right. Name tags. What on earth does this have to do with Highland dress, you might ask. And why is this a big deal? No one really wants to wear a name tag, anyway, right? People only wear them if they are forced to for their jobs - sales clerks and fast food employees and the like. Why would people want to wear a name tag with their kilt?

Well, people do. This is something that I believe stems from the Highland Games culture here in the US (and I can only assume the practice is similar in other nations where Highand Games are held, though not in Scotland).

For many people, their first exposure to the kilt, and the major influence in how they think the kilt should be worn, is what they see at Highland Games. And at Highland Games, all of the "important people" wear name tags. Just pay attention the next time you are strolling about the field at your local Games or Scottish festival.

You will see name tags identifying people as a commissioner in their clan society, as an officer in their St. Andrews society, as a member of the Highland Games organizational committee, as the president emeritus of the local Burns Club, and the list goes on.

Now don't get me wrong. These name tags have a purpose. When one is staffing an information table at the Highland Games it is helpful for people to know that your name is Bill Wallace and that you are the southeast regional commissioner for the Clan Wallace Society. It helps people feel more confidant that the information you share with them is accurate. It tells them both that there is an active clan society in the region and that you are a good person to talk to about it for information.

If you are a member of the grounds committee of the festival, your name tag helps to identify you as someone who could help if a patron can't find their clan tent, or needs assistance with getting their vehicle on to the field.

The unstated assumption is that those kilted men with the name tags are those who are very involved in Scottish cultural activities in the area. They are "in the know." They are the important people. I say this not to belittle anyone with a name tag (far from it), but just to point out why to many people having such a name tag becomes something of a badge of honor.

Which brings me to my pet peeve. As I said, I have no problem when people wear such name tags when representing their society or organization at a Highland Games info table or a similar situation. It has a purpose then. My pet peeve is when these name tags are worn at any and all times someone is in the kilt. I've seen it a lot. I'm sure you have, too.

The most recent example was just yesterday. I attended the funeral of a friend who was a very active member of the Scottish-American community in my area. Many men there were kilted. And among the tartan clad figures I spied more than one name tag. In a church. At a funeral.

Really? Is this the place for your name tags? Some people think so. The minister was not wearing a name tag. The grieving family were not wearing name tags. Absolutely none of the non-kilted guests were wearing name tags. And, I must say, most of the kilted guests were not wearing name tags. But a few were. Why?

I think it has to do with the tendency people have to view the kilt as a uniform. And no, you do not need to be in a regiment or a pipe band to see your kilt as being part of a uniform. For these people, the kilt is part of their "Scottish uniform," as in, "this is the outfit I wear when I do Scottish things." And the name tag has become part of that uniform.

I see a parallel in certain fraternal organizations. For example, at my Catholic parish, there are many men who belong to the Knights of Columbus. These men are not in the habit of generally wearing a name tag to Mass, or to pancake breakfasts or church picnics. However, if they are attending any of these events as a Knight of Columbus, with their tuxes, sashes, capes and fancy hats, you bet they will also be wearing a name tag. It's not because we all don't know who they are. It's because it is part of their uniform.

The kilt has become the same thing for many people in the Scottish-American community. If the kilt goes on, so does the name tag. It doesn't matter if they are attending a Highland Games, a Robert Burns Dinner, a Tartan Ball, a church service, or simply going for a hike. The name tag is pinned proudly to their chest.

I suppose part of the reason this bothers me is that I do so much to try to steer people away from the "kilt as uniform" mentality. It is not a uniform. It is an article of clothing that can be worn as a part of a uniform, but does not have to be. So wear your name tag when you are representing your clan society (or whatever) at the Highland Games. But leave it at home for Burns Night, or for that church service. You will look much better without it.

For formal functions especially, adding a plastic name tag to an otherwise elegant Highland outfit ruins the effect. It turns your nice formal clothing into... well, a costumed uniform. I don't know how else to put it. I have even known people to have their formal portraits made with their name tag on!

So let's all make an effort. The next time you don your kilt, if you have a name tag in your drawer, before you put it on, ask yourself, Is this really needed? Is this an appropriate situation where a name tag might be useful? Or am I just wearing it because that is what I am used to wearing with my kilt? If I were not wearing my kilt, would I still be wearing this name tag? If the answer is "no," best leave it home.

It's ok. So people might have to ask for your name. That will give them a good opportunity to also tell you theirs! And your kilt will look more like a natural part of your clothing rather than a uniform you have put on for the occasion. To me, that's a very good thing!

Got Kilt Hose?

2012-01-09T09:01:00.000-05:00

Got Kilt Hose?
http://www.scottishkilthose.com

This Just In...

2011-12-16T19:25:00.000-05:00

Select House of Cheviot products are now available from your favorite online retailer!

Hopefully more products will be added in the future.

Keep those hands warm!

2011-10-29T10:08:00.000-05:00

Fall is here and there is a chill in the air!
Keep those mitts warm with our custom hand knit fingerless gloves.
Perfect for those crisp autumn mornings. (And they make great Christmas stocking stuffers).
These are knit to order, so don't delay.
http://newhousehighland.com/gloves.html

World's Largest Kilt

2011-09-11T14:41:00.002-05:00

What is likely the world's largest kilt is now on display in Tulsa, OK, worn by the "Golden Driller."

This is in anticipation of the Oklahoma Scottish Festival this coming weekend. You can read a full report about it here.

The one major "oops!" in the article is about the identification of the tartan. The report identifies it as, "The Black Hawk tartan, the plaid representing a highland military regiment that is more than 3,000 years old."

Change "Black Hawk" to "Black Watch" and change "more than 3,000" to "not quite 300" and you've got a winner. :-)

Tropical Weight Linen kilt jackets

2011-09-07T07:35:00.004-05:00

Most traditional Scottish Highland attire is perfectly suited to Scottish weather. And why wouldn't it be? That is where Highland dress originated, after all.

But here is the rub. Most people of Scottish descent do not live in Scotland. Scottish immigrants and their descendants are spread across the globe in places as far flung as the Carolinas to California, Argentina to Australia, and beyond. Some of these places have decidedly non-Scottish climates!

What to do if you live in Florida, Texas, or some other tropical or semi-tropical location, but you still want to be well dressed in the kilt. A heavy Harris Tweed kilt jacket may be just the thing to keep the chill away, but that is the least of your concerns.

I am pleased to announce that the Scottish Tartans Museum has introduced a new line of tropical weight LINEN KILT JACKETS

What is really impressive about this new product is not just the fact that the jackets look great, yet are light weight. They are also available in a range of 10 different colors, and each one is made to measure, so guaranteed to fit well. And the price is only $295 - the same or less than many off-the-peg stock kilt jackets.

Be sure to order yours this fall so you can enjoy it all next summer!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

Closet Sale

2011-07-26T07:55:00.001-05:00

I'm making some room in my closet and selling off some personal items of Highland kit. I've got some things currently listed on my specials page, and will be adding more in the coming days.

http://newhousehighland.com/specials.html

This sale will include some kilts, sporrans, and other various related items. Check it out, and be sure to keep checking in the days ahead as I add new items!

A kilted Dumbledore

2011-07-17T06:35:00.000-05:00

I'm taking my wife out on a date tonight and we plan on seeing the final Harry Potter film. I hear I'll have the pleasure of seeing Aberforth Dumbledore in a kilt! From the look of this photo found on the web, he wears it very well!

Small Argyle Kilt Hose

2011-07-14T17:53:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of pair of hose that my wife just completed in the "small Argyle" cuff pattern. I always enjoy showing off her work!

Emory tartan in the news

2011-07-07T14:05:00.003-05:00

A while back I designed a tartan for Emory University in Atlanta, GA. The tartan has recently been featured in the campus news, and it looks like it is getting a lot of good play in the campus store. Always nice to see a tartan being used and promoted well!

Click here to read the article.

Lochcarron bought by South Korean Firm

2011-07-05T05:44:00.002-05:00

Lochcarron of Scotland has been sold to the South Korean fashion firm, E-Land. Lochcarron is one of my favorite tartan suppliers, and of the 500 or so kilts I have made thus far in my career, a majority have been from Lochcarron cloth.

I am saddened to see them sold, and saddened even more to see them sold to owners outwith Scotland. However, I know that they - like most all of the tartan industry in Scotland - have been going through rough economic times lately, and if this sale means that the mill in Selkirk can remain open, local people employed, and the tartan cloth still produced in Scotland, then this is good news. Certainly better than going out of business!

I suppose I'd much rather see a Korean-owned company making and producing tartan cloth in Scotland, than a Scottish-owned company making all their tartan in Asia and importing it, putting other Scottish mills out of business!

For all my kilt making clients, I have no reason to believe this will interrupt the supply of tartan at all, and until I hear word otherwise, please rest assured that all is "business as usual." Let's wish for success moving forward for Lochcarron and all the other Scottish tartan mills.

Another Catholic Tartan

2011-06-22T10:22:00.003-05:00

Catholics with any interest in tartan or Scottish heritage at all were thrilled last fall at the launch of the St. Ninian tartan, which I was privileged to have been able to design on behalf of the Scottish Tartans Authority for the Scottish Catholic Church to honor the state visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Scotland on Sept. 16 (St. Ninian's Day), 2010. St. Ninian was the first Christian missionary to Scotland.

Today, a second tartan for Catholics is entered into the National Register - the St. Margaret of Scotland Youth Group

According to information in the Scottish Register of Tartans, this tartan was designed by Esther Muir (MacGregor MacDuff) in collaboration with Gemma Teviotdale (The House of Edgar) for the Saint Margaret of Scotland Youth Group (SMSYG). The SMSYG consists of over 60 members, mostly 16-25 year olds, who every year take sick Glaswegians on pilgrimage to Lourdes, France.

The notes also indicate the tartan is to be woven by the House of Edgar.

It is a great looking tartan, and it is good to see other Scottish Catholics hopping on board the "tartan train!" I'm not certain at this point how widely the new SMSYG tartan will be available to the public.

Of course, anyone interested in the St. Ninian tartan can visit www.stniniantartan.com.

Harris Tweed caps

2011-06-08T06:43:00.000-05:00

Special preview! I don't have these up on the site yet, but I thought I'd give my blog readers advance notice. I have a limited stock of these caps made. They are Harris Tweed cloth, the cap made in USA. The bill has a snap closure. The back of the cap has an adjustable leather band for sizing. I have the pattern pictured here, plus one other in a light green check pattern which I have yet to photograph.

If anyone is interested in purchasing one before they go "live" on the site, please send me an email. They are $39.95 and only while stock lasts!

Tartan Weaving at Lochcarron

2011-06-04T06:47:00.002-05:00

Here's a video we've found showing the tartan production process at Lochcarron of Scotland, in Selkirk, one of the great tartan mills I obtain cloth from for my kilts. Their 16 oz Strome range of tartan is one of my preferred ranges for kilts.

Keep your eye out at the end for Brian Wilton, Director of the Scottish Tartans Authority. He's the one in the tartan tweed waistcoat folding up a length of Royal Stewart tartan at the end.

Dangers of chain straps

2011-05-18T06:57:00.002-05:00

A kilt wearer recently posted this photo on X Marks the Scot, illustrating what his sporran chain did to his kilt after one hour of wearing.

His strap is admittedly a less expensive one, however the best way to avoid this situation at all is to go with an all-leather strap, which is what I have always recommended.

People sometimes ask me if chain straps really damage the kilt. Well, here's proof that in at least some cases they do!

Recent Customer Review

2011-05-17T06:53:00.001-05:00

Here's a recent customer review of a kilt I made for a client in the MacMillan Hunting reproduction colors. It was a 6yd Kingussie style kilt.

Crocheted Cowls

2011-05-13T14:15:00.001-05:00

Some georgous new hand crocheted cowls we have added to our knitwear catalog.
http://newhousehighland.com/cowls.html

Telling Documentary

2011-05-09T18:28:00.002-05:00

Seems like I've been all about posting videos lately. I can't help but share this very telling documentary with you, filmed behind the scenes at a struggling Scottish sporran maker's shop.

I can't embed this one in my blog, so you'll have to follow the below link.

http://www.scottishdocinstitute.com/films/sporran-makers/

D. C. Dalgliesh rescued from closing

2011-05-06T11:16:00.000-05:00

House of Cheviot video

2011-05-04T11:30:00.002-05:00

Here is an interview conducted with Keith Barker, of House of Cheviot, while they were taking part in a show in Germany. They were showcasing their country range of shooting socks and so the interview does not deal with their Highland range. However, it does a great job of showcasing the quality and range of the products, and it's always good to see a "face" behind the company.

Browse the full range of Highland products at www.scottishkilthose.com.

Quite Possibly the World's Best Kilt Hose

2011-05-03T10:52:00.005-05:00

That's how I'm billing the hose that are made by the House of Cheviot in Hawick, Scotland, and I stand by that! Personally, since I discovered this company a few years back, I wear their hose almost exclusively (with the exception of those hose my wife has hand knit for me, of course, which are in a category all their own).

We have sold hose by the House of Cheviot in the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop for a few years now. Specifically, we sell quite a bit of the Lewis Hose line. We brought them in because of the color range -- we stock them in 18 different colors! They cost more than our standard hose, but we figured we would sell a few in the more unusual color options to our more discriminating customers.

Boy were we shocked! All people had to do was to see and feel the quality of these hose in person, and they quickly became our best seller. Despite costing about $20 more than our "standard" hose option, they outsell all of our other hose bar none.

Needless to say, I am a big fan of House of Cheviot and their product. Which is why I am very excited to announce that New House Highland is now the official North American distributor for House of Cheviot's Highland range!

I have a new web site established at:
http://www.scottishkilthose.com/

This is a public catalog web site. Please take a look and browse through all the available offerings. New House Highland will be selling House of Cheviot products wholesale to the trade only. Retail inquiries are welcome, but will be directed to the nearest stockist. We are currently building our state-side inventory, as well as building our client base. So, if you have a Highland Dress business, we want to hear from you. If you have a favorite place to buy your Highland Dress goods, please tell them you recommend they stock House of Cheviot hose. We are also happy to sell at discount rates to Pipe Bands.

This is a new venture for us, one which we are very excited about. Please help us spread the word!

More photos from Tartan Day on Ellis Island

2011-04-05T13:09:00.004-05:00

I just got finished uploading a bunch of photos from the three-day "Celebration of Tartan" exhibition on Ellis Island and posting a bit about it on X Marks the Scot.

Rather than duplicate that effort here, just follow THIS LINK to read all about it!

I will be posting more about my experience on Ellis Island here soon, including the introduction of a very special new tartan!

Tartan Day on Ellis Island

2011-04-04T07:14:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note from New York that the "Celebration of Tartan" exhibit on Ellis Island (April 1-3) has come off as a stunning success.

One of the things that kilted men will tell you is that women are constantly asking to have their photo taken with you. Well, who can say no? :-)

In fact, one very famous lady couldn't resist having her photo taken with me while I was there.

I have lots of other photos to share when I get the time in the coming days. There are many other activities going on in NYC for Tartan Week, including Dressed to Kilt and a Parade this weekend.

This week also sees the launch of a new special tartan for Ellis Island (and the millions of immigrants who came through, and their descendants). But that's another blog post....

More from MacGregor archives

2011-03-29T13:57:00.006-05:00

Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor has continued to share with me some photographs and paintings of his ancestors and clansmen. I always do enjoy seeing examples of older traditional highland dress, and would like to share these with you.

In addition to the previously shared photograph of his father and grandfather in 1953, he has sent me the following.

The above is a photo of Maj. Gen. MacGregor. Sir Malcolm writes, "He was President of the Clan Gregor Society in the 1880s. This photo was taken in 1887 just before he died. He was very famous in India and the Indian Army have retained the medal named after him called the MacGregor medal. What they perhaps do not realise is that he is a direct descendant of Rob Roy through his eldest son Coll. The General would have had a good claim to MacGregor of Glengyle, but sadly his only son was killed in WW1 (I think)."

Next we have a painting of Sir John Atholl, 3rd Baronet, painted in about 1850 before he died in the West Indies at age 40 of Yellow Fever.

Next is a detail of Sir Evan, 2nd Baronet, showing the head and shoulders from a painting c. 1822. (We have a print of this in the Scottish Tartans Museum).

Lastly we have the famous painting showing the MacGregor Guard of Honour in 1822 escorting the Crown Jewels for the King. Sir Malcolm writes, "Sir Evan is commanding the detachment in 'the outfit' and his son aged 13 is to his right in similar attire."

Photo of a clan chief

2011-03-23T08:14:00.003-05:00

I was recently sent this photograph from Capt. Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor. It depicts his grandfather, then chief of the clan, in Edinburgh in 1953 preparing for the Coronation of Elizabeth II. With him in the photo, adjusting his feathers, is his son (Malcolm's father, aged 28 at the time), who is wearing the uniform of the Royal Company of Archers.

Thanks to Sir Malcolm for allowing me to share this photograph from his family's archives!

Special Tartan Exhibit on Ellis Island

2011-03-13T08:08:00.002-05:00

Every year for the past ten years, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, in conjunction with the Clan Currie Society, has put on a weekend-long special exhibit for Tartan Day (April 6).

(For those who are unaware of Tartan Day, click here.)

Exhibits on Ellis Island over the past decade have focused on Scottish immigration to the US, Scottish film, crafts, music, history, and other aspects of Scottish culture.

This year, appropriately enough, the focus of the exhibit will be on tartan itself as an important cultural icon of Scotland.

You can learn more about the special program, "A Celebration of Tartan," by visiting the official Tartan Day on Ellis Island site, here.

The exhibit will be open from April 1-3, and is free to the public. I will be there all three days, with information about the Scottish Tartans Museum. I am greatly looking forward to it. If you are one of the 30,000+ visitors who are expected to come through the exhibit each day, please come and say hi!

Introducing the New House Highland tartan

2011-02-28T20:37:00.001-05:00

I took delivery today of two very special packages from our mill in the Scottish borders. Two lengths of tartan I designed especially for my wife and I. I had a kilt length woven in heavy weight wool for myself, and another length in lighter weight wool, which my wife plans to make a dress from for herself.

The funny thing is that, although I have designed many tartans for others, I have never truly had a desire to create a tartan for myself.

The inspiration for the New House Highland tartan came from a series of tartans I worked on for the Scottish Tartans Authority, intended to be woven as Harris Tweed for the 100th anniversary of the Orb Mark last fall, but which never came to fruition.

One of those designs really held my eye and I kept coming back to it again and again. I liked it so much I had the thought to have some woven for myself. I tweaked the design a bit more to make it more to my personal liking, consulted with my wife about it, and thus was created the New House Highland tartan.

Pictures below. I can't wait to wear it in a kilt, and I look forward even more to seeing my wife in her new dress!

Harris Tweed Kilt

2011-02-23T20:55:00.001-05:00

Here are a few photos of a kilt I shipped out today to a client in Australia. The kilt is made from Harris Tweed cloth I had custom woven in the Stevenson tartan for my client. It's a 5 yard knife pleated kilt. I'm really pleased with the colors and texture of this kilt. Tweed makes for such a lovely country wear kilt and you so rarely see it in traditional tartans.

For more info about having your Harris Tweed tartan kilt made, go to:

http://newhousehighland.com/harris_tweed.php

Find Me on Facebook

2011-02-18T09:41:00.003-05:00

I've been on Facebook the past few years (ever since I started working with college students -- I was told it was a must!). I've since learned that it's a great way not only to stay in touch with family and friends, but also for businesses to stay in touch with clients and reach out to the public.

I get a lot of requests from people to "Friend" me on Facebook. Most of which I admit I decline. Unless I know you personally, I'm not likely to accept a friend request. Like many, I use Facebook to share photos of my kids, my vacations, and post little non-relevant tid bits about my life. So unless you are a friend or family, I don't really like to allow access.

But most of these Friend requests are no doubt coming in from people who are interested in my work with kilts, tartans, Highland dress, etc. So, in order to stay in touch (without necessarily sharing the news of how my three-year-old's potty training is coming along!) I have set up a Facebook Page for New House Highland.

You can view it here.

If you sign up to be a fan, follower, or whatever Facebook is calling it, you can get updates on kilt-related things I have going on and stay in touch. (Of course, following this blog is a great way of doing that, too).

I already have pictures up of some kilts I have made, my wife's knit goods, and some photos of my trip to Scotland last fall so you can see some of the woolen mills we obtain our cloth from.

Oh, and don't forget, the Scottish Tartans Museum has been on Facebook for some time now, so you can become a fan of that page, as well.

New Look for the STM web site

2011-02-15T19:31:00.003-05:00

The Scottish Tartans Museum today launched a new look for their web site:

http://scottishtartans.org/index.html

The layout is more colorful, more tartan-oriented, and the navigation certainly cleaner and more intuitive.

One of the new features of the web site is the addition of a Museum Membership program where individuals can sign up to be Members of the museum and support the educational and cultural efforts of the museum with their membership fees - and stay connected with the museum at the same time.

There are a lot of other good things on the web site, including many informative articles in the "Education" section, and some fun items in the "Free Downloads," including coloring pages for the kids!

Take a look and see what you think. A complete revision of the gift shop web site is also in the works, but that site is much more intensive so the revised design will be a ways down the road yet.

Interesting historic kilts being discussed

2011-02-11T14:27:00.004-05:00

Over on the X Marks the Scot kilt wearer's forum there are a couple of interesting threads started by Peter MacDonald dealing with some interesting historical kilts he has recently discovered.

One is an old kilt that appears to be a transitional style between the untailored feilidh-beag and the tailored kilt. This one is in the Sutherland tarta

n (aka Black Watch), just over three yards long, and box pleated, with the pleats sewn in across the top only.

Go to that thread here.

The other thread deals with a kilt in the Prince Charles Edward Stuart tartan which has an interesting shape to the apron.

Visit that thread here.

It's always fascinating to read what Peter has managed to find. It's nice to know there is someone over there in Scotland with such a passion about traditional and historic Highland dress; and someone with such a good knowledge base of the matter, as well. Thanks, Peter!

Latest celtic knot hose

2010-12-13T16:14:00.001-05:00

These are the latest Celtic Knot fancy cuff hose from my wife. Black socks, with hand knit black cuffs featuring grey celtic knotwork. Hopefully our client for these will really enjoy them. They should add a nice design element to most any Highland outfit.

We have also just recently lowered the price on these. You can now order your hose with specialty hand knit cuffs for only $95, or order just the cuffs themselves for only $60.

http://newhousehighland.com/hose.html

Be sure to check out the other knitwear we have added to the site, as well. In addition to these fancy cuff hose we have fingerless gloves, lace jobot, and great winter hats!

Hand Knit Fingerless Gloves

2010-11-06T14:04:00.002-05:00

Newly available through www.NewHouseHighland.com, we are now proud to offer hand knit fingerless gloves in a variety of attractive colors.

Only $30.00 per pair, these will make a great gift for pipers, knitters, or anyone else who needs to keep their hands warm while keeping their fingers free (I keep a pair at the computer desk to use while typing).

The best part is that they are made from 100% superwash wool, so they are machine washable. Just use cold water on the gentle cycle -- and be sure to let them air dry, please.

Order yours by clicking here!

Pre-Order your St. Ninian tartan

2010-09-19T15:56:00.003-05:00

We have confirmed that Glasgow tartan company Ingles Buchan, who produced the scarves and ties in the St. Ninian tartan which were seen worn by MSPs and the Pope himself last week, will be producing more product in the tartan. They expect products to be available in November, and we are now allowing pre-ordering through the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop.

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/ninian.htm

Many products available, including ties, scarves, sashes, tams, caps, shawls and yard goods. (Yes, we will have heavy kilt weight cloth available, as well!)

St. Ninian tartan availability

2010-09-16T15:56:00.002-05:00

A brief post from Glasgow -- I was in Bellahouston Park this afternoon attending the Papal Mass. It was a big success, and I spied several people wearing the St. Ninian tartan.

I know many people have left comments here asking where they can get something in the tartan. I have had many email requests as well.

I just wanted to make a brief post here to let you know that I met this morning with Ingles Buchan, the weavers of the tartan ties and scarves that were given as gifts to the dignitaries, and there are plans to make the tartan commercially available. It should be available in neck ties, scarves, sashes, tams, county caps, brushed wool scarves, and even heavy kilt weight cloth!

I would recommend at the moment if you are interested to please email the gift shop at the Scottish Tartans Museum at tartans@scottishtartans.org.

Any tartan retailer who carries Ingles Buchan products should be able to source the tartan for you, but I especially recommend the Scottish Tartans Museum as sales from the gift shop are what keeps the museum funded.

Thanks for everyone who is interested and I'll post more details as I have them. Tomorrow morning sees an early flight back to the states and hopefully a restful weekend will be had before it's back to normal life on Monday.

St. Ninian tartan created to honor Papal Visit to Scotland

2010-09-09T15:56:00.001-05:00

Posting from Scotland: I was very honored today to be invited to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh for the official launch of the St. Ninian tartan which I designed on behalf of the Scottish Tartans Authority. The STA was contacted by the Scottish Catholic Media Office (the media outlet of the Scottish Catholic Bishops) who wished to design a tartan to celebrate and honor the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI to Scotland on St. Ninian's Feast Day, Sept. 16.

The design incorporates white and yellow (the colors of the Vatican), white and blue (the colors of Scotland), white and red (the colors of John Henry Newman's arms, who will be beatified by Pope Benedict XVI during the visit), and green for the lichens growing on the stones at Whithorn, site of St. Ninian's church.

There are also 8 threads in the wide white line, one for each of the Catholic dioceses of Scotland, and exactly 452 threads pivot to pivot in the thread count, one for each Catholic parish in Scotland.

More information in these links:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/custom-scottish-plaid-created-to-celebrate-papal-visit/

http://www.scmo.org/articles/official-st-ninian%E2%80%99s-day-papal-visit-2010-tartan-launch.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-11245080

Neck ties and scarves in the tartan were produced by Ingles Buchan of Scotland. One was given to each member of Scottish Parliament. One will also be given to each dignitary visiting Scotland with His Holiness.

I had enough cloth woven to make myself a kilt, which I wore today in Edinburgh. Photos below. I am very honored to have been involved in the project. I will be in Scotland until the 17th, taking advantage of a grant made available to the STA from Scottish Enterprise to allow me to take an educational tour of many of Scotland's tartan mills and other Highland Dress manufacturers (sporran makers, hose makers, etc.) to learn about the ins and outs of the Scottish Highland Dress industry. I'm sure there will be must for future articles and blog posts.

Just for now, though, I'm off to bed at the end of a very exciting but tiring day!

Original Tartan Resources

2010-09-01T15:51:00.002-05:00

Wow, I have been neglecting this blog!

Apologies for the gap between posts, but it has been a busy summer on multiple fronts. I did want to make my blog readers aware of a great new web resource we have been working on at the Scottish Tartans Museum.

We have recently acquired an extensive collection of original nineteenth century source books on tartan, including nearly every major work of importance published on the subject during that era. The early nineteenth century saw some of the first attempts to record and catalog tartan patterns in Scotland, and we are now proud to house in our collection seminal references such as:

The Scottish Gael (1831)
The Vestiarium Scoticum (1842)
The Costume of the Clans (1844)
The Clans of the Scottish Highlands (1850)
The Authenticated Tartans of the Clans and Families of Scotland (1850)
Old and Rare Scottish Tartans (1893)
and many others...

Nowhere outside of Scotland (to our knowledge) can you find such a complete collection of original reference material relating to tartan in the nineteenth century and the rise of the 'tartan cult' as what we have available. But, as a part of the educational efforst of our museum, we are in the process of photographing the color tartan images from these references and making them available free, to the public, on a dedicated web site:

http://resources.scottishtartans.org

Now, when you research your family tartan, say for example Armstrong (my own grandmother's maiden name), and find that it was first recorded in 1842 in the Vestiarium Scoticum, you can actually look at an original image from that publication, rather than relying on second hand reproductions.

We hope this web site aids those wishing to do serious research in tartan studies. We have five references photographed and uploaded to day and are adding more nearly every week. Please check back often -- and please also consider contributing to this effort with a monetary donation. Thanks!

Highland Dress resources on Internet Archive

2010-07-18T06:12:00.002-05:00

Two interesting books I recently found on the Internet Archives.

The Romantic Story of the Highland Garb and the Tartan, published in 1924, and authored by J. G. MacKay and Norman MacLeod.

Scottish Clans and Their Tartans, published by W. and A. K. Johnston in Edinburgh. This little volume was originally published towards the end of the nineteenth century and was reprinted numerous times in the twentieth century. (I have one in my personal collection from 1943 and it's the 33rd edition). This one online is supposed to be from the early 1900s.

Updated Article Archive

2010-07-16T06:48:00.001-05:00

I just added 10 new articles to my archive of my Scottish Banner column.

http://albanach.org/banner.htm

New, but not really new

2010-06-26T15:01:00.001-05:00

Well, most of you know that I make traditional style kilts (I'm mostly known for my four yard box pleated kilts), which are sold through theScottish Tartans Museum gift shop, as well as directly through my own web site.

And many of you also know that my wife is quite the accomplished knitter, and that we offer a few of her creations through the museum's gift shop, as well as my own web site.

We have decided recently to give this little family enterprise of ours a name, and with the new name, we've come up with a new web site.

In reality, it's not anything new, as we've been kiltmaking and knitting some some time now. But we are quite proud of the new website and we hope it will be easy to navigate and use.

My long-time website, www.albanach.org is the repository for my various writings about Highland dress. I had been offering my kilts through a subdomain off that site, http://kilts.albanach.org. I still plan on leaving that site up for a while.

But my primary site for personal retail of my kilts and my wife's knit goods is now....

www.newhousehighland.com

Please take a few moments to browse around. The Harris Tweed section of the web site is yet to be built. And I also did the whole thing without benefit of a spell check, so if anyone catches any spelling errors or typos that I have missed, please bring them to my attention!

I also hope that I have made ordering a kilt directly from my web site a bit easier, so any feedback on the ordering process is appreciated.

Of course, you can always still buy my kilts through the museum, or just emailing me directly with your details, and I'll be more than glad to help.

Parliamentary Debate in 1908

2010-06-03T07:28:00.002-05:00

While searching through Google Books recently, I found a transcript of The Parliamentary debates (Authorized edition), Volume 191. Within it was a small debate over where the cloth for the military was to be woven, from a 2 July, 1908, session. Given the recent debates over the production of tartan cloth for the Royal Regiment of Scotland, I thought my readers may find this "blast from the past" interesting.
----
pg. 948
Manufacture of Scottish Tartans.
*Mr. REES (Montgomery Boroughs): I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the cloth of which the uniforms of Scottish regiments are made is manufactured by and purchased from Scottish manufacturers; and, if so, whether the like treatment will be accorded to manufacturers in Wales in respect of the uniforms of Welsh regiments.

Mr. ACLAND: Highland tartan for the Army is made exclusively in Scotland. Should any Welsh manufacturers desire to tender for Army cloths, the War Office will be glad to receive applications.

*Mr. REES: Is the hon. Gentleman aware that a strong impression prevails in Wales that the Scottish by some superior craft or subtlety get better terms in this respect?

Mr. ACLAND: I do believe they make the cloth better.

Major ANSTRUTHER-GRAY: Are we to understand that Scottish tartan is to be made in Wales?

Mr. ACLAND: If the Welsh could make any cloth good enough, we should be glad, I think, to buy it from Wales.

*Mr. LEIF JONES (Westmoreland, Appleby): Will the War Office take care to procure the best cloth for this purpose at the least possible cost?

Mr. ACLAND: Certainly.

*Mr. REES: Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in Wales he can obtain those conditions?

Mr. WATT (Glasgow, College): It is in Scotland that those conditions prevail.

An HON. MEMBER: And is this the United Kingdom!

Hand Knit Highland Bonnet

2010-05-15T17:46:00.004-05:00

I was paid a visit today by Ryan Ross, the young man who knits the highland bonnets that we have recently made available in the museum gift shop.

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/knit_bonnets.htm

He was making a bonnet delivery to fill an order for one of our gift shop clients. However he also had another bonnet to show me -- a black one he made with a red toorie.

I was actually considering putting in an order for a bonnet myself, but was leaning towards a light brown color.

Well, to make a long story short, I ended up taking the black one home with me, PLUS putting in the order for the brown.

I'm really extremely pleased with these bonnets. I get to support a local artisan. I get to enjoy hand crafted quality. And I have another great, historically inspired accessory for my Highland wardrobe that both hearkens to the past and fits in well with modern kilt wear.

I recommend them heartily and am very proud to be able to make them available to fans of quality kilt wear everywhere.

Royal Inspiration

2010-05-01T06:22:00.004-05:00

When we were coming up with a name for our custom-knit top kilt hose, we decided on "Royal Cuffs." This was because the inspiration for this style was partly due to the patterned-top country hose commonly worn by Prince Charles with his kilt.

Well, lest anyone think this is a new or novel fashion for Highland wear, rest assured that fancy top hose such as this have been part of fine kilt fashion for generations. We have recently discovered this photograph of King George VI as a young man sporting similar hose.

It just goes to show that the best in Highland fashion is timeless!

The "Royal Cuff" hose offered by the Scottish Tartans Museum feature a custom hand knit cuff sewn to the highest quality merino wool blend sock. Here are just a few of the various styles our knitters have come up with.

Browse through the full range of options and order your custom Royal Cuff hose here:

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/royal_cuffs.htm

If you like the style of fancy top hose but are looking for something at a lower price point, the museum also offers a range of "specialty hose" that feature patterned cuffs. These are machine knit, and are not customizable like the Royal Cuffs. But there is quite a range of attractive styles and colors so there is sure to be something that would work well with any tartan kilt.

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/hose_specialty.htm

Not that there is anything wrong with wearing a good pair of solid color hose -- in fact I generally advocate for simplicity in Highland Dress, only because so much of it is overdone and exaggerated these days. However, I really have become a fan of patterned cuff hose such as these. I believe they add elegance and style without being gaudy, and allow one to really show a bit of individual flare. And if it is good enough for Royalty, it's good enough for me!

early nineteenth century tartan jacket

2010-04-30T11:56:00.002-05:00

An old doublet in the MacFarlane tartan, possibly made for the Royal Visit to Edinburgh in 1820. (Sold at auction by Bonhams in 2008).

Donald Trump Jr., Dressed to Kilt!

2010-04-09T06:38:00.002-05:00

Among the many celebs sporting the kilt in New York City this past week was Donald Trump Jr., dressed in the MacLeod of Lewis (aka Dress MacLeod) tartan.

With so many famous faces participating in the "Dressed to Kilt!" fashion show, why are we singling out Donald Jr.? Because he has the best taste in kilt hose, of course!

The Scottish Tartans Museum was pleased to be asked to contribute to his outfit for the event. You can see in the images below, taken from the web, that he is wearing a pair of brick red Lewis kilt hose.

Originally black hose were requested, but I personally thought the brick red would be a nice touch to the outfit. Ultimately, both colors were purchased and in the end it looks like my choice of red hose won out. I must say I think they look splendid, and seeing the outfit in the below photos I actually think that black hose would have been too dark a choice. The red adds a very nice bit of color to the ensemble.

My only real critique is with the tartan flashes, which are a personal pet peeve of mine (though I admit they are popular). I think a nice pair of solid color flashes would look infinitely better and more refined.

Overall, however, I must say that of all the celebrities donning kilts for the event, Donald Trump Jr. was the best dressed of all I have seen so far (in terms of following traditional Highland attire). The "Dressed to Kilt" fashion show too often can be about creating near-grotesque charactatures of Highland Dress, and so it is refreshing to see the kilt being worn in a more traditional manner at this event.

Designing your own tartan

2010-04-06T06:21:00.002-05:00

It happens more frequently than you think -- someone contacts me, because they wish to order one of my kilts, made in a tartan which they have designed themselves. Nothing wrong with that, right? I'm happy they wish to have one of my kilts. And it's great, too, that they have gotten creative and have come up with their own tartan design. So what's the problem?

The problem is that very often they have created their design using the tartan design software at Scotweb.co.uk. While their tartan design software is great and easy to use, there is just one problem with it. Scotweb is a commercial enterprise whose business is selling tartan. And when you save a design on their system, you are required to agree to their "Terms and Conditions." And those terms include the following statement:

"By saving and/or publishing a new tartan design using this system, you are
granting Scotweb Marketing Ltd an exclusive right to weave, license, or
otherwise use your design commercially."

I have no problem with the above statement. As I said, Scotweb is in the business of selling tartan. They put a lot of time, thought, and money into creating a user-friendly tartan design software that could be integrated into their web site. They didn't do that for charitable purposes. They did it to help them sell more tartan. How does it benefit them if someone uses their resources to create a new tartan design, which they then have woven to order by one of their competitors?

My problem is that people are in the habit of clicking on the little "agree" button and agreeing to a list of terms and conditions that they have never read. And so they have no idea that by saving their new tartan design on Scotweb's system, they have granted Scotweb the exclusive rights to have their tartan woven. So when they come to me and request a kilt (or yard goods) in their new tartan -- "which you can find under my name on the Scotweb web site," they tell me -- I have to say "No." I have to inform them that Scotweb has the exclusive production rights on that design, so they must order the fabric through them.

Usually, my reply email is the first time they have heard of this restriction. Because they never read, or maybe just glanced over, the terms to which they agreed. It happened again just this morning, I had to send an email to a potential client informing him why I could not have cloth woven in his tartan.

Fortunately, it is still possible for me to make a kilt in a tartan designed using Scotweb's tartan designer. I just cannot have the cloth made. If the designer wants to order a length of cloth from Scotweb, they can send the cloth to me and I will be happy to make the kilt for him, for my regular CMT fee. Unfortunately, it is going to end up costing the customer a lot more for their kilt, because they have to pay Scotweb's per yard fee for the custom weave, plus shipping the cloth to me, including potential customs fees, plus my fee for making the kilt.

I feel bad for those people who were unaware of the conditions on the Scotweb site, but there really is little more I can do.

The Scotweb tartan designer is great -- if you plan on ordering products in that tartan from Scotweb. If not, there are other free tartan design programs available. One that has been most recently created and is fairly user friendly is the "croft weaver" software on the web site of the Scottish Tartans Authority.
http://www.tartansauthority.com/croftweaver

The STA is a non-commercial entity and if you design your tartan on their software, you are free to have it produced by anyone you choose -- the STA can even make recommendations to you based on how much cloth and what products you require.

The lesson in all of this is simply to pay attention, and please, by all means read the actual terms that you are agreeing to before you click that little button!

I'm on YouTube!

2010-03-31T14:30:00.004-05:00

So I was doing some fiddling around on YouTube today and I came across...... myself!

Someone apparently videoed a lecture I gave on the history of Highland Dress during the Gatlinburg (TN) Scottish Festival a few years back, and uploaded part of it to YouTube.

It's just a couple of minutes long, and you can hear drummers, pipers, and various announcements going on in the background. I had just finished with a demonstration of how the feilidh-mor was worn (you can see it up over my shoulders), and am now talking about eighteenth century developments.

Nothing New Under the Sun...

2010-02-26T05:36:00.003-05:00

A friend recently forwarded to me this photo of Lord Ashbourne in a kilt, c. 1908. (The photo comes from The Bystander, vol. 19, published 1908).

The first thing I noticed about this photo was Lord Ashbourne's hose. Look at the fancy patterned tops.

This is essentially the same fashion as seen in some of the hose we carry in the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop, namely these:

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/hose_specialty.htm

Or, if you want to be able to customize your hose top, these hand knit versions:

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/royal_cuffs.htm

Wearing hose with fancy tops has enjoyed recent popularity, and so some may assume this to be a "new fad." In actuality, it would seem to be a resurgence of an older style.

Scottish Tartans Authority web site

2010-02-19T19:12:00.002-05:00

The web site for the Scottish Tartans Authority just got a face lift. Check it out!
http://www.tartansauthority.com/

Non-Scottish but helpful

2009-12-30T07:13:00.003-05:00

A couple of web sites that have nothing to do with Highland attire, but will help you dress better in the kilt.

The Essential Black Tie Guide

How to Fold a Pocket Square

Lastly, a lot of contemporary Scottish dress has a nineteenth century flare to it -- so why not shop around at places specializing in nineteenth century clothing to see if you can't find that perfect accessory for your next Burns Night, to really set your outfit apart from the rest. Here's one of my favorite places to browse.

The Gentlemen's Emporium

UGA tartan

2009-12-09T10:13:00.001-05:00

Ok, so recently I was making a kilt in this tartan, shown below...

I was trying to decide whether it would look better pleated to the black stripe (which would show more red in the tartan), or pleated to the red stripe (which would show more black). My first inclination was to pleat to show more red. But I pinned up a few pleats both ways just to see how it would look. Here's what it would look like pleated to show more red...

And here's what it would look like pleated to show more black...

Then I called my wife over to ask her opinion. She had no clue what tartan this was. I just asked her which she liked better. "The red one," she said. Then I asked her why. "I don't know, when you pleat it to show more black it looks too much like Georgia Bulldog colors. So I'd pick the other one."

Then she wanted to know what I was laughing at. "Do you know what tartan this is?" I asked.

"No," she said. "Why?" I just gave her a look, and she said, "Don't tell me this is the University of Georgia tartan!"

I nodded. I actually designed this tartan recently, which was approved by the University of Georgia. This kilt was being made for the gentleman who commissioned the design. I guess I did pretty well when the first thing you think of when you see the tartan is Bulldog!

Needless to say, I pleated to show more black. :-)

400

2009-12-08T18:55:00.003-05:00

The above picture shows a four yard box pleated kilt in the red Robertson tartan, 18 oz regimental weight. It's also the 400th kilt I've made! So, in continuation of past practice, here's the latest "century" of Newsome-made kilts. (I find it interesting that 9 out of the first 10 are district tartans). As in the past, the great majority of these have been four yards and box pleated, though I have done some other pleating styles.

301. Colorado
302. Carolina
303. Carolina
304. Carolina
305. MacKay modern
306. Carolina
307. County Clare
308. Ulster (brown)
309. Pride of New Zealand
310. County Louth
311. Ferguson Britt
312. Robertson Hunting weathered
313. MacLeod Hunting ancient (aka MacLeod of Harris)
314. Carolina
315. MacKenzie weathered
316. Isle of Skye
317. Robert Burns Check
318. Cameron of Erracht ancient
319. Colquhoun ancient
320. Harris tweed fashion tartan
321. Hunter of Hunterstoun ancient
322. Tweedside
323. Carolina
324. Confederate Memorial
325. Pennsylvania
326. X Marks the Scot
327. X Marks the Scot
328. Black MacSween
329. Dark Isle
330. MacFarlane ancient
331. MacGuire
332. Crawford
333. Turnbull modern
334. Red Campbell
335. Hall modern
336. MacDougal modern
337. Allison ancient
338. Robertson Hunting modern
339. X Marks the Scot
340. Ferguson modern
341. Harris tweed (gold/brown)
342. Robertson ancient
343. Texas Bluebonnet
344. MacPherson modern
345. MacDougal ancient
346. Munro ancient
347. MacLachlan Old ancient
348. MacLachlan Old muted
349. MacKinnon modern (purple stripe)
350. Downs
351. Robertson Hunting modern
352. Paisley ancient
353. County Cavan
354. Brown of the Southeast (Brown Hunting)
355. University of St. Andrews
356. MacKinnon Hunting modern
357. Stewart Hunting weathered
358. MacWilliams wedding
359. Lovat green tweed w/ red windowpane
360. Lindsay modern
361. Ikelman No. 4
362. Forbes
363. Antarctica
364. Munro weathered
365. Hash House Harriers
366. Harris tweed brown w/ red, yellow, navy stripes
367. Morrison Green modern
368. Liddell
369. Guthrie ancient
370. MacMillan Old weathered
371. MacBeth ancient
372. MacEwan ancient
373. MacKay ancient
374. Black family
375. Black family
376. Keith ancient
377. MacTaggart ancient
378. MacTaggart ancient
379. MacTaggart ancient
380. MacTaggart ancient
381. Grant of Achnarrow
382. MacLaine of Lochbuie Hunting ancient
383. Black Watch modern (Harris Tweed)
384. Hash House Harriers
385. Boyd ancient
386. Westmeath County Crest
387. MacLaine of Lochbuie Hunting ancient
388. MacDougall
389. Harris Tweed fashion tartan
390. Morrison Green modern
391. Wells
392. Sterling and Bannockburn
393. Ardalanish tweed (Hebridean tattersal)
394. Armstrong weathered
395. Elliot ancient
396. Saffron (solid)
397. Royal Stewart ancient
398. Hamilton Grey
399. University of Georgia
400. Robertson modern

For the previous list of hundred kilts I have made, click here.

Weathered Armstrong

2009-11-25T07:11:00.004-05:00

I've made nearly 400 kilts in my short kilt making career, and many of them have been in the so-called "weathered" color scheme. This is the color pallete meant to reflect what a tartan might look like if left buried in a peat bog for a couple of hundred years. The originator of this color scheme is actually D. C. Dalgleish woolen mill in Selkirk. The inspiration for these colors was actual tartan samples found buried and stained by the earth. Dalgliesh called them "reproduction" colors, and since that mill trademarked the term, other woolen mills who now produce similar color ranges call them "weathered."

You can read more about tartan colors here.

In any case, often as I have been sewing up someone's weathered Gordon kilt, or weathered Black Watch, or weathered Lamont, etc., I have remarked on how nice the gentle browns and greys of the tartan looked. My wife has often made similar comments as she has seen me working on weathered tartan kilts.

Seeing as we both like the colors so much, it is a bit surprising that I have not had a weathered kilt in my wardrobe. Well, that is not entirely true. I do have a MacQuarrie kilt in Dalgliesh's reproduction colors, but the primary color in that tartan is red, and this gives quite a different effect than a primarily green/blue tartan. In the weathered, or reproduction, color scheme, reds fade to a softer "brick" red, while greens fade to brown, blues to grey. It is a very different look.

The only green/blue tartan I have family connections to is the Armstrong (my maternal grandmother's maiden name). But the only colors that are currently commercially produced in this tartan are modern and ancient. And I have a kilt in the modern Armstrong tartan, which I enjoy wearing. Here's a photo of me in my modern Armstrong kilt, standing with Capt. Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, and his lovely wife the Lady Fiona MacGregor (nee Armstrong).

Some months ago I decided that there was no real reason I couldn't have the Armstrong done up in weathered colors if I so chose. Just because the larger mills don't keep the tartan you want in stock is no reason not to get your kilt in that tartan. I often have single kilt lengths of non-stocked tartans custom woven for clients, and it really is not that much more in terms of cost.

So I contacted D. C. Dalgleish and asked them to weave 4 yards in the reproduction Armstrong for a box pleated kilt for myself. The fabric arrived a few weeks later (actually, rather quickly -- it can typically take 8 to 12 weeks for a custom weave and I believe I had it in my hands in less than a month). It was beautiful. And it continued to look beautiful sitting in my sewing room for about six months! (Note to all of you in my queue right now "jonesing" for one of my kilts -- I know how you feel!)

Finally, earlier this month, I worked it in to my schedule to make my own kilt. And I am very happy with the results. Because the size of the sett in this tartan is somewhat smaller than typical, it worked out better for me to pleat this kilt (a 4 yard box pleated kilt) to the sett, as opposed to the stripe, as I normally pleat my kilts. This is actually the only kilt I currently own that is pleated to the sett. It's not my preferred style, but I rather like it in this kilt, as it shows the subtlety of the browns and greys in equal proportions. I think it creates a very balanced look.

I've already worn this kilt in to the museum a couple of times, and I'm finding the soft colors very easy to coordinate. I predict this one is going to get frequent wear!

So, without further fanfare.... the photos!

It's Done!

2009-11-16T13:55:00.002-05:00

The above beauty is my newly finished box pleated kilt made from the ethical Hebridean Tattersal tweed acquired from Ardalanish on Mull (mentioned in a previous post). This garment is truly a treasure!

I'm also happy to say that I have now added Ardalanish's full line of organic and ethically produced tweeds to my web site. Interested parties are more than welcome to place orders. The range showcases a magnificant array of undyed and naturally dyed wool (indigo, crotal, madder, etc.).

If you are looking for a kilt that will truly be special, click here.

A package from Mull

2009-10-27T06:55:00.003-05:00

Last Friday I came home from work to find in my mail box a nicely wrapped parcel from the Isle of Mull. It could be only one thing -- the tweed cloth I had ordered from Ardalanish, the weavers from Isle of Mull specializing in organic and eco-friendly tweed cloth that I posted about earlier.

I excitedly opened the package, which included not only the cloth I had ordered, but also labels, several copies of their brochure, and a swatch book of their stock tweeds that I had requested.

I especially was happy to receive the swatches. This little book will enable me to show samples of their tweeds to individuals interested in having their kilts, jackets, etc. made from ethical fabrics. Seeing the colors and patterns on line is one thing, but holding them in your hands is quite another!

Of course the major content of the package was the cloth itself. I had ordered enough of their ethical Hebridean Tattersal to make a kilt. In the photos it looks rather black and grey -- and indeed in certain lighting this is what it seems to be. In reality, however, the cloth is really a very dark, rich brown, which comes out best in natural light. The photo below was taken under the work light (an Ott-Lite) in my sewing room.

As soon as I can find the time, I'll make a kilt from this tweed, with the idea being to photograph it for my web site so that I can begin offering this cloth as an option for my kilt clients.

The fabric is not inexpensive, to be sure. Their "ethical" cloth is a lower cost than the full organic certified. However, I'm going to try to keep the cost of the kilts as reasonable as possible. The fact that the four yard box pleated kilts I make only require half the cloth of a typical modern kilt will help a great deal. In any case, it's never a bad move to pay a bit more for quality, and "quality" is an excellent word to describe this fabric. Plus it supports the great work that Ardalanish is doing to preserve Hebridean tradition on Mull. And that's a Good Thing!

Keep your eye on my web site for further developments!

A grand time at Stone Mountain

2009-10-24T06:21:00.004-05:00

Last weekend was the 37th annual Stone Mountain Highland Games (Atlanta, GA), and once more the Scottish Tartans Museum was proud to be in attendance.

Like all of the Highland Games and other Scottish festivals we attend, museum staff and hardy volunteers were on hand to answer questions about tartans and kilts, look up tartan information for Games visitors, and promote the museum. Unlike most festivals we attend, we are allowed to bring down stock from our museum's gift shop to vend. It's a lot of extra work, to be sure, but it's a great fund raiser for the museum, and so I always want to thank the Stone Mountain Games folks for allowing us this opportunity.

And thanks, as well, to all of those who came by our tent at the Games to say hi, talk with us about kilts, and support the museum with your purchase.

The forcast for the weekend was supposed to be cool and sunny. On Saturday what we got was cold instead of cool, and rain instead of sunshine. To be more accurate, what we had was a misty morning followed by a drizzly afternoon. It never rained hard, but with the cold temperatures it felt pretty miserable. That didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the Games attendees at all, though, who seemed delighted that the state of Georgia went to the trouble to import authentic Scottish weather!

Sunday was just as cold as Saturday, however Mr. Sun made an appearance and the crowds were noticably thicker.

All in all it was a good, fun, weekend, though it has taken us a while to recover from the packing and travel (as evidenced by the fact that it has taken me a week to post this!).

Here are a few pictures to share.

This was taken Saturday morning, before it got too wet. Left to right is Peter Wilson, owner of Great Scot International (Charlotte, NC); Brian Wilton, director of the Scottish Tartans Authority; and myself.

Brian is wearing a kilt made from certified organic tweed cloth, woven by Ardalanish Isle of Mull weavers. Here's a close up.

I recently posted about this mill, and am hoping soon to be able to offer my own kilts made from this wonderful cloth.

Next we meet Tom Mungall, Highland dress enthhusiast and owner/moderator of the Scottish Attire mailing list on Yahoo.

Pictured to the left in the foreground is Tom's son, Jamie, in a four yard box pleated kilt in muted Cameron of Erracht that I made for him.

Tom is also wearing a box pleated kilt in the ancient Campbell tartan, and some wonderful hand knit hose that he inherited from his father. Aren't family heirlooms wonderful!

Speaking of Jamie's kilt, above, it's always rewarding to see the product of your hands being worn and used in such a grand fashion at the Games. This weekend, my wife got to join in the feeling. This gentleman came up to show off the Royal Cuff hose that he ordered from us last year at the Games, which my wife knit for him.

The red and blue shephard's check cuffs look grand with his modern Hamilton tartan kilt.

I didn't catch this gentleman's name, but he was wearing the MacSporran tartan. I had to take his photo, his outfit was just sublime!

It was perfect for a stroll about the Highland Games on a cool, damp afternoon. Barbour jacket, tweed flat cap, tattersal shirt (I'm a big fan!), emblem tie, wooly sweater vest. The pipe just completes the look. The only thing I could find to criticize is that the sporran is a bit formal for the rest of the outfit, but it's a grand sporran to be sure (looks to be seal skin), so who could blame him for wanting to give it good use? I made sure to compliment him on his taste.

(As a side note, I realize that some don't think a flat cap appropriate attire with the kilt; others do. In any case, I think it works very well with this outfit.)

Of course, there are the obligatory "crowd shots." These were taken on Sunday afternoon when the crowd was heaviest.

Our own museum's tent.

Lastly, your intrepid reporter, taken at the end of the day on Sunday, after a very long weekend, indeed!

It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. I look forward to seeing everyone at Stone Mountain again next year!

Organic and Eco-friendly Tweed

2009-10-13T06:46:00.004-05:00

Greetings, all!

It's been a while since I've posted here, and rest assured it is because I've been busy. (Trying to whittle that kilt making queue down a bit, as those currently in the queue will be happy to hear).

But I thought I'd post a brief update to let you know about something in the works.

The most recent edition of the STA newsletter, the Tartan Herald, contained an article about Ardalanish weavers on the Isle of Mull. I had discovered the web site of this mill a few years ago, and found them extremely interesting. However, I never made contact with them. Reading about them in the newsletter inspired me to get off my duff and send them an email, however.

You can see their web site, here:

http://www.ardalanish.com/

Here are a few quotes from their web site that give an indication of their philosophy and practices.

"Ardalanish Farm lies in the remote south west corner of the Isle of Mull in the
Inner Hebrides, extending west from the white sand of Ardalanish Bay. Highland
cattle and Hebridean sheep are reared for organic meat, and the sheeps' wool is
used for weaving and knitwear. Organic turnips and potatoes are also grown."

And...

"Producing Hebridean and Native Breed Tweeds is a step towards revitalising
the traditional industry of weaving, with the end product paying tribute to the
sheep and the energy used to grow their lustrous wool."

And...

"...we pay a fair price to Hebridean and Shetland sheep breeders for their wool,
encouraging them to go organic and look after their unique environments by using
native breeds of sheep. Your purchase supports this."

I encourage you to visit their web site to learn more. You'll especially enjoy browsing their eye-catching collection of natural tweeds.

I've just placed an order for their "Hebridean Tattersal" (pictured here). It's described as "A rich Hebridean brown tweed with a silver grey tattersal over check."

I'm going to use it for a traditional box pleated kilt, and if I am happy with the results (as I have every expectation of being), I plan on offering my kilts in these organic and ethical tweeds. So please keep an eye out on my web site for more information!

A Wedding Story

2009-07-09T06:38:00.002-05:00

My friends Bisell and Amanda were married on June 6 of this year. I wish them both the best, and wish I could have been there to see them wed. In any case, I was happy to be able to make not only the groom's kilt, but also the kilt worn by the best man, as well. Both of them designed their own personal tartans (the groom's specifically for the occasion of the wedding). Both are wearing 5-yard Kingussie style kilts (with a single box pleat in the center rear, with knife pleats fanning out to either side). Both are also wearing Ferguson Britt sporrans, and jackets, waistcoats, and hose purchased from the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop.

The wedding photographer was Paul Floyd, and he did a truly excellent job. Click here to view photos and a slide show from his web site.

Below are just a couple of my favorite samples....

Congrats to Bisell and Amanda!

New Kilt: Duke of York

2009-04-30T06:57:00.001-05:00

For the past several months, this kiltmaker has been sitting on the opposite end of the "new kilt" experience. Rather than making a new kilt for someone else, or even for myself, I've been anticipating the arrival of a new kilt from another kiltmaker, Barb Tewskbury, author of The Art of Kiltmaking.

I know Barb through the http://www.xmarksthescot.com/ forum. She's a fine lady, and an expert kiltmaker. I first met her in person when she came to visit the Scottish Tartans Museum and talk with me about the historic box pleated kilt style for a suppliment to The Art of Kiltmaking that she and I were working on. During that visit, I got to see a kilt she was working on in progress and came to greatly admire her skill.

Later on she came down for a week to teach "Kilt Kamp 2008" at the Scottish Tartans Museum, instructing a group of enthusiastic folk on making their own kilts. I got to see more examples of her work in person, and came to know Barb as a real jewel of a person, and knew that I'd be honored to have one of her kilts in my wardrobe.

In the meantime, I had rediscovered a fact that I had forgotten. The hunting version of the Earl of Inverness tartan is also called "Duke of York." This is due to the fact that the Earl of Inverness is also the Duke of York. The tartan was first worn by King George V while he was Duke of York and Earl of Inverness. It was later worn by Geroge VI. The following is an extract from the Oban Times 9th August 1930:

"The tartan of the kilt worn by the Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, when in Lochaber last week, attracted considerable attention, as being of an unusual pattern. It actually is the tartan of the Earl of Inverness, the same pattern having been worn by King george V when he bore the title. The tartan, we may say, has somewhat the colouring of that of MacLaine of Lochbuie, being of deep blue, with red and yellow and white lines."

The reason that this is signifigant to me is that this is the only tartan that I have discovered that actually has some bearing on my surname. When helping people to select a tartan, one peice of general advice I usually give is that, all things being equal, if there is a tartan affiliated with the surname you actually bear, that is a good choice. The reasoning is simple. It only makes sense that "Mr. MacGregor" would be outfitted in the MacGregor tartan, and that "Mr. Mackenzie" wear the MacKenzie tartan. Now if Mr. Mackenzie's mother were a MacGregor, he's certainly in his rights to also wear the MacGregor tartan, but when people ask him about his tartan, it would require more of an explanation.

The Newsome surname is English in origin, and as such does not have a tartan. It is a Yorkshire name meaning "new house" or "new home." Variations are Newsom, Newsham, etc. Most of my Scottish blood comes from my mother's side of the family.

But it has become a common practice to adopt certain Royal Personage tartans as defacto district tartans for the places associated with the titles. For example, the Duke of Fife tartan is often worn as a Fife district tartan and is generally sold under the name "Fife." The Earl of St. Andrews tartan is worn as a St. Andrews district tartan. And the Earl of Inverness tartan is often simply called the "Inverness" tartan and worn as a district tartan for that city.

As the Duke of York tartan is simply the Inverness hunting tartan, it seemed appropriate that it also be used as a district tartan in similar fashion, especially since there is no "Yorkshire district tartan" to be had. One obvious reason why this version has not been as widely adopted as a district tartan as the others I mentioned above is that it is an English city and there simply are not that many Englishmen, or those of English descent, wearing the kilt! But for those of Yorkshire heritage who do wish to wear a tartan, the Duke of York tartan seems to be an appropriate choice.

In contemplating this tartan, I decided I wanted to do something special with it. It would be the one and only kilt I had that actually bore some relation to my family name. Most of my kilts are four yard box pleated kilts -- my preferred style for general wear. I wasn't sure how I would like the look of this particular tartan in a wide box pleat, however, so my thoughts turned to making a knife pleated kilt. I quickly decided that I wanted to ask Barb to make me an 8 yard kilt from this tartan, pleated to stripe.

She was delighted to make the kilt for me -- we exchanged some emails as to the pleating options. I had initially thought to pleat this to the white stripe, but after discussion with her settled for the double yellow to give a more muted effect; a decision I am very happy with.

Last Friday, my patience was rewarded when the postman delivered a familiar-shaped package from New York. I am now proud to have a kilt with a Tewksbury label hanging in my closet alongside all my "Newsome label" kilts. The fruit of Barb's labor can be seen below.

A few comments about the outfit. The sporran is a "Ben Glas" model from the Ferguson Britt line of sporrans, made in black sheepskin. The tie is a "regimental stripe" or club style tie that I just happened to find in a discount clothing shop on a recent visit to Charleston, SC. I immediately noticed the colors as thought it would look great with my "still in the works" kilt, so I snatched it off the rack. This was my first time getting to wear the kilt and tie together and I am very pleased with how well they match.

The socks are the work of my talented wife. It is a new pattern we are going to add to the Royal Cuff line in the museum gift shop. We are not yet sure what we are going to call this pattern, and my hose were the prototype. She was working on knitting the cuffs while Barb was making the kilt, and, like the tie, I couldn't be happier with how they look together.

My general wear kilts are all four yard box pleated kilts, made from heavy weight cloth. This is also made from heavy weight worsted wook, but is a full eight yards of tartan. I had almost forgotten how it felt, so long had it been since I strapped on an 8-yarder! Definitely a different experience. The four yard kilts are definitely lighter and more comfortable, but there is something about the "swish and swing" of all that cloth behind you that just makes you feel grand. I'm still a four yard kilt man, lest you have any doubts. But I wanted something special in my wardrobe for this tartan, and I have just that. Thanks, Barb, for doing such a wonderful job! I never would have expected otherwise.

New Kilt Hose in progress

2009-04-13T05:59:00.001-05:00

The latest pair of hose my wife is working on for me gets rave reviews from our youngest son...

I'm really looking forward to these. They are a wool/silk blend with a georgeous cable pattern running down the front. Here is a screen capture from the video.

I have no idea how long these might take to finish but you can be sure I will post pictures!

New Kilt Hose

2009-04-07T06:43:00.001-05:00

I haven't updated this blog in quite some time. Rest assured I have been busy, sewing kilts, raising the next generation, etc. It all keeps one busy!

However, I do have something to share -- two new fabulous pairs of custom kilt hose from Skye Highland Outfitters. The first is a pair of diced hose made to match my reproduction colors MacQuarrie tartan kilt. The second is a pair of castellated top Argyle hose made to match my Carolina tartan kilt.

I'm very pleased with both. Josh, from Skye Highland Outfitters, was a pleasure to deal with. A full review of these hose can be found here.

And now the pics!

National Tartan Register is on line!

2009-02-06T10:43:00.003-05:00

The long-awaited national register of tartan is now up and running and on line.

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk

Click above and browse around! It incorporates the STA and STWR databases; I'm just now browsing through it myself to learn the ins and outs of the new web site. You need to register for an account (it's free) to access thread count information, which they email to your inbox upon request.

Give it a browse!

Aren't you Cold in That???

2009-01-16T10:48:00.002-05:00

Temperatures here in America are plummeting these past few days as an arctic cold front moves in. It was six degrees this morning at my home in western NC! Many places across the country are reporting lows of 40 below or more!

All this has got me thinking about cold weather kilt wear. It seems that whenever I have my kilt on as I walk down the street in the winter months I get the same comments -- "Aren't you cold in that?" The truth is, I am usually quite comfortable.

Before the holidays I was walking down the sidewalk on the WCU campus on a particularly chilly day. I think the temperature was in the 20s. I was wearing a very heavy wool sweater (so warm that I can only wear it on the coldest days); a heavy knit wool bonnet; leather gloves; wool hiking socks and boots; and (gasp!) pants.

Now my head, hands, feet, and upper body were perfectly warm. But my legs were freezing. It was obvious as to why, the only thing between my legs and the frigid air was a single layer of cotton cloth. I couldn't help but thinking that I would be much warmer if I had my kilt on!

I would have, of course, chosen one of my warmer kilts for the day. My warmest kilt is actually a four yard box pleat, made from ultra-heavy Harris tweed. From my waist to the knee I would have been insulated in multiple layers of the heavy woolen cloth.

Below the knee I would have had on my kilt hose; again, I would have chosen one of my warmest pair, heavy knit wool hose. They would have kept my feet just as warm as my wool hiking socks, but my entire lower leg would have been warm in addition.

The only exposed part of my body would be my knees. And if I had on my tweed inverness cape, as I probably would have in those temperatures, my knees would have been covered, as well -- plus my entire body would have had an additional layer or two of insulating wool.

All in all I would have been much warmer in my kilt than I was in my trousered state. I thought about this again yesterday, as the highs did not get out of the low 20s in my area, and I was dressed pretty much as I described above, sans the inverness cape, and was quite comfortable -- a bit too warm, even at times.

So don't let people who suggest the kilt is not appropriate as a cold weather garment fool you. Just look at the country that the kilt originated in! Scotland is not exactly known for its tropical clime! If you are cold in your kilt, I might suggest you need a heavier kilt, or you need to accessorize better for the weather. Thick woolen hose, heavy wool bonnet, tweed jacket or inverness cape, and you'll be snug as a bug in a rug!

Socks, Snobbery, and the High Cost of Highland Dress

2009-01-15T20:02:00.002-05:00

Kilts are expensive. Let's face it, when you are used to paying $40 for a pair of blue jeans, shelling out $500 for a kilt seems like a lot. It's not really, of course, when you consider the cost and quality of the material used, and the amount of labor and skill that goes into making one -- and, very importantly, when you consider that kilts are made-to-measure, each a unique custom garment. You can see how they are worth the high cost. But still, for a lot of folks who are not used to buying bespoke clothing from costly fabrics, there is a bit of sticker shock.

But the kilt is not enough. What about the sporran? What about the hose? What about the jacket? All these things also come with their own price tag, and that can add up very quickly. What is the poor man on a budget to do?

This is been a subject of discussion of late. There are a lot of folks who are, understandably, seeking out less expensive alternatives for many of these Highland Dress items. The results, however, are often less than hoped for. "Less expensive" does not always equate to "cheap," but it does often enough to be wary. Cheap not only in price, but in quality as well, and this is often visible in the product. Since we are talking about clothing, and the clothes reflect the man, the question is, do we really want to attire ourselves with the cheapest possible goods?

This seems to be more of a problem when it comes to formal Highland attire, very likely because it tends to be the formal wear that is the most expensive. We can see how this becomes an issue if we take a look at just one item -- Argyle hose. For many, the epitome of Scottish formal attire requires diced or Argyle (tartan) hose. The Argyle hose are usually custom knit to match the colors of your kilt, and custom knit hose in a complex pattern such as this demand a high price. I will use our prices at the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop as examples, as they are fairly typical of what you can expect to find. A pair of custom knit Argyle hose from us sells for $250.

Like the kilt itself, when you realize the quality of the product and the work that goes into making a pair, they are worth the cost. But that fact does not make them affordable for everyone. $250 is a lot of money for most people to spend on a pair of socks, especially a pair that will more than likely get only occasional wear. You have to look at your own budget and determine if you can justify the cost.

Let's say you like the look of Argyle hose, really want a pair, but $250 is just a bit out of your range. Are there alternatives? Yes. A lot of companies now are making Argyle hose in standard patterns, which they can produce in larger quantities in advance, therefore keeping the cost down. Again, referring to the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop, you can purchase full Argyle hose in one of four standard patterns for only $140. That's a savings of $110. Not bad! These "stock" patterns are selected to match a variety of tartans, and with four to choose from, chances are you can find one that will look nice with your kilt. No, they won't match every single tartan, but they will match a lot of them. And if your tartan happens to be one that they match, you can save yourself a bundle, and look just as good as if you had a pair custom made.

While $140 for a pair of Argyle hose is certainly more workable in many people's budgets, it still may be out of the range for many others. What does one do then?

Well, there are still many options. One is, of course, to knit your own! I will assume that not everyone who cannot afford Argyle hose is an expert knitter, however. But there are knitters out there who can do this. If you don't happen to have one near and dear to you in your family that you can hit up for Christmas or birthday gifts, you can seek one out on line. You will have to pay her (or him), of course, but by working with the knitter directly you may find that you can get a better price than working through a third-party retailer.

Another option is to keep an eye out for bargains. Highland dress shops often have odd items on sale are reduced rates. Check out ebay and other auction sites. Ask though your clan society or local St. Andrews society. You might not find a pair immediately, but in the end you may just turn up a bargain.

A third option that many are tempted to follow is to buy cheap substitutes. This is not the recommended route! To the untrained eye, Argyle kilt hose look a lot like Argyle golf socks. A quick price comparison on line shows that while Argyle hose can demand a price of $250, one can get golf socks for $20 to $30, a tenth of the sum! So why would any fool pay three digits for Argyle kilt hose when you can get the same thing for a fraction of the cost?

The answer is that they are not the same thing, neither in terms of quality, material, or construction. If you show up to your Burns Supper, St. Andrews Society dinner, Tartan Ball or some other black tie affair wearing golf socks with your kilt... well, the gentlemen who spent their money on authentic kilt hose won't be the ones looking foolish. Hopefully, the people in attendance will be polite enough not to say anything negative or call attention to the faux pas, but people will certainly notice. Put bluntly, it doesn't just look cheap, it looks like you are ignorant regarding Highland dress. You don't want this to be you.

So what to do, then, if you cannot afford even the less expensive Argyle hose? Well who says you need Argyle hose? They look great for formal wear, yes, but nowhere is it written that they are required. Many men wear solid color kilt socks with their formal attire and look very good doing so. And one can get good quality solid kilt socks for the paltry sum of $27.95 (again, STM shop prices). The same cost as those Argyle golf socks, but you will look infinitely better at your next function.

My point here is that yes, Highland Dress can get expensive, especially the fancier items. No, we should not expect certain items to fit within everyone's budget. And while one can often find good quality, lower cost alternatives, sometimes that is impossible. And often going with the cheapest possible option only makes one look cheap. This is to be avoided, especially when there are perfectly good, but less expensive options, such as the solid kilt hose mentioned above.

More on MacGregor tartans

2008-10-20T21:01:00.005-05:00

Way back in May of 2006, I did a post about the MacGregor tartans. I had received in my email a copy of a letter written by Sir Malcom MacGregor of MacGregor, clarifying just what was and was not an officially approved MacGregor tartan. I praised the letter at that time with the words, "it is always nice to know the wishes of the chief of a clan as to his own clan tartan or tartans, and now we know, straight from the source, the 'skinny' on the MacGregor tartans. Thanks to Sir Malcolm!"

It would seem that the letter was occasioned by the recording of tartans such as "Trade MacGregor" and "MacGregor of Balquidder," etc., by groups such as the Scottish Tartans Society, Scottish Tartans Authority, and Scottish Tartans World Register. These (and others Sir Malcolm mentioned) have never been approved MacGregor tartans, and he was simply dealing with the confusion and setting the record straight as far as what is and what is not a true MacGregor clan tartan.

Speaking of the multiplicity of "MacGregor" tartans, he wrote in that letter, "I am sure that many families, in the same vein as estate tweeds are used today, had tartans woven with a distinctive variation from the main clan tartan, being woven once and not repeated."

I followed that statement with my own comment in my blog post, "Like the 'Black MacGregor' tartan that I had woven as a personal tartan for my friend Ronan MacGregor, who simply does not like red tartans! This is a personal tartan, not a clan tartan, and there is nothing wrong with wearing a custom personal tartan, so long as erroneous claims are not made about it."

And all is right with the world, at least as far as MacGregor tartans are concerned, right? Well, almost...

This past weekend when conversing with Sir Malcolm at the Stone Mountain Highland Games (see my most recent blog post), he commented that he had done some further research into his clan's tartans and made some additional comments which were subsequently posted on the clan's web site. So this evening I took the opportunity to take a look. You can see "Part Two" of Sir Malcolm's article on the Clan Gregor web site, here:
http://www.clangregor.org/article-ourtartans2.html

Like the first one he wrote, this is a very helpful article in cutting through the confusion and getting right down to what the real story is behind the MacGregor clan tartans. The new article makes reference to "dialog" about the tartans on the Clan Gregor Society web site. Sir Malcolm references the STA database, and even myself in his introduction! And, I was delighted to note, he also references the Black MacGregor tartan that I am partly responsible for.

My curiosity getting the better of me, I took a look through the Clan Gregor Society web site archives. I found a few posts from last summer that mention my name. Four in particular are relevant here. They represent a discussion between a Mr. Dennis Bowers and Mr. Wesley Walker (whom I have had the pleasure of making a box pleated kilt for in the weathered MacGregor tartan).

The first post by Mr. Bowers is on June 5, 2008. He writes of the Scottish Tartans Authority and says:
"It has been many months since I looked at this page. It seems, once again, that some 'new' unsanctioned tartans, that are not officially endorsed by our Chief have sprung up thanks to Matthew Newsome of the Tartan Authority... I realize it comes down to money for these retailers but, there seems to be a false sense of what is accepted by our Chief and what is being called a MacGregor tartan... say someone was a 'newbie' at a MacGregor gathering, for an example, and they are wearing one of those 'MacGregor Black' tartans, which is actually green and dark grey with a little red....and everyone else is wearing the accepted tartans. Would that person not feel a little out of place?I know that I had sent the letter from our Chief to Matthew Newsome about a year ago. I see he has removed some of the tartans which were in question but added new ones in their place.Sorry for the rant. It seems that somewhere the line of communication lacks or there is a lack of consideration and respect."

Mr. Bower seems to be rather confused on more than one issue, I am afraid. First of all, though I am a life member of the Scottish Tartans Authority (by virtue of my acceptance into the Guild of Tartan Scholars), I am not employed by them, I am not on their board, and so describing me as "of the Tartan Authority" is a bit misleading. (By the way, there should be an "s" on the end of "tartan" in "Scottish Tartans Authority." It is plural -- there is more than one tartan, after all!).

I confess that I do not recall who sent me the initial email containing Sir Malcolm's letter, but it very well may have been Mr. Bowers. My response was to write my initial blog post, to help spread the word. I certainly have no control over what gets included on the Scottish Tartans Authority web site -- he seems to have me confused with Brian Wilton, director of the Scottish Tartans Authority.

And, by the way, the Black MacGregor tartan he references is most definitely black, dark green, red and white. There is no grey in the tartan at all. As I have made the only kilt ever made in that tartan, I think I'm in a position to know the colors in it.

But moving on... I was pleased to see Mr. Walker come to my defense a bit in his reply. He wrote, in part, "in my dealings and discussions with Mr Newsome, I have found that he is quite competent, not to mention well-read, on the subject of Tartan and its documented history as well as its legal status."

Regarding the STA, he pointed out, "they do distinguish between 'clan' tartans and 'personal' tartans... In other words, it appears to me that the Tartan Authority is distinguishing those tartans that are 'sanctioned' by the chief as 'clan' tartans." This is actually a very good point, and the STA has in fact recently introduced another classification -- "name" tartans. A "clan" tartan would be one approved by a clan chief or some other person or body authorized to represent that family or clan. A "personal" tartan is just that, a private design for personal use. A "name" tartan would be a tartan designed for use by all of the name, where there is no authority who is capable of determining a tartan for that name. Previously this latter category has also been labelled "clan" which has led to confusion.

Back to our discussion of the MacGregor tartans, Mr. Bowers was apparently not impressed by Mr. Walker's reply. He wrote, "In regards to Matt Newsome and your defense of him. Just for your personal information, it took some doing and a letter from Our Chief to correct what he had listed on his page. He wasn't quite as willing to be educated ,as your said, or understand until that information crossed his palms."

Again, he seems to have me confused with Brian Wilton. I'm honestly not quite sure where this confusion comes from. He's much better looking than I am. :-) That, and he lives in Scotland, while I am in North Carolina. And he's director of the Scottish Tartans Authority, and responsible for what gets in their International Tartan Index and what goes on their web site -- and I am not.

But I digress. One way or another Sir Malcolm got wind of the debate about the tartans listed on the Scottish Tartans Authority site and the "Black MacGregor" tartan in particular, and revised his article on the clan tartans. His conclusions really do cut to the heart of the matter. For example, of the STA (which he correctly understands to be run out of Scotland and not from my home in North Carolina!), he writes, "I have recently been in liaison with the STA in Crieff who have been most helpful in understanding the general predicament. Consequently, the MacGregor section of their website is helpful and accurate."

Regarding myself, he writes, "The discussion group made reference to Mr. Newsome from North Carolina, who has written some interesting articles on the subject. His history of recording tartan really is helpful in trying to understand something of the evolution of tartans and is well worth reading."

To this I say a very humble, "Thank you." I take his compliments as truly high praise indeed.

Regarding the Black MacGregor tartan, he includes this under "Miscellaneous Tartans" in his article and he simply states, "This is not a clan tartan. It was designed by a Mr. Ronan Macgregor from North Carolina for his own use and should not be worn by anyone else. He has paid for it and designed it. Individuals have been designing their own tartans for many years perfectly legitimately, but they should not be registered or promoted as clan tartans. The STA use the words ‘personal’ within its categorisation."

This is, of course, all very true, except the caveat that "it should not be worn by anyone else." This implies that Ronan MacGregor, the originator of the tartan, wishes to restrict its use. He does not. I work with him at the Scottish Tartans Museum and know for a fact that he doesn't mind if anyone else wants to wear the tartan. But he does not pretend that it is a clan tartan, and makes no claims for it to be one.

Since this has become the subject of some debate, which I was until recently not aware of, I wanted to take the time in this blog post to give the story of the "Black MacGregor" tartan, such as it is.

In early 2005, Ronan MacGregor, who is my assistant at the Scottish Tartans Museum, wanted to have a kilt made for himself. He favors dark colors. The MacGregor tartans are, for the most part, mainly red and he simply does not fancy red tartans. But he wanted something that would be evocative of his MacGregor name.

In speaking to him about this, I mentioned the common practice in earlier centuries of having a variation of a preexisting tartan custom woven for personal use. For instance, people would write to the mills as request a particular tartan with an additional yellow stripe, or with red changed to blue, etc. This was once much more common than it is today. But there is no reason one should not feel free to come up with custom variations for personal wear. In The Kilt and How to Wear It, c. 1901, the author speaks of designing tartans in seasonal colors to wear, speaking fondly of "hill checks" and the like.

So I suggested to Ronan that if he wanted a dark tartan, why not come up with a variation of the MacGregor clan tartan that was based in black, not in red. He and I sat down together and came up with three or four possibilities, and in the end settled on the design which he called "Black MacGregor." We had just enough fabric woven for his kilt, which I made for him. A sample piece was sent to the Scottish Tartans Authority for their records -- remember, the STA includes all woven tartans in their Index, not just clan tartans. It was added to their database and properly classed as a "personal" tartan.

We did not copyright it nor have we attempted to restrict the design in any way. Anyone who wants to have it woven is free to do so. However, they should be aware that it is not a clan MacGregor tartan.

Why is it called "MacGregor" if it is not a clan MacGregor tartan? Because it is an obvious variation of the MacGregor design. It is a tartan in the MacGregor "family" of tartans, even if it is not an approved clan tartan. It maintains the MacGregor motif. I suppose a good name for it would have been the "Ronan MacGregor" tartan, but the intent was not for him to have his own personal tartan that no one else could use, as if he had some entitlement to such. He just wanted a kilt in a black version of the MacGregor tartan for his own wear.

And this is not a unique case. There is another tartan recorded by the STA as a black version of the MacGregor tartan that replaced the green with black. It was woven special for the mother of actor Ewan MacGregor, for the same reason as Ronan had his woven -- to cater to his own personal taste.

But I want to point out here in no uncertain terms that neither he nor I have ever made the claim -- nor would we -- that this is meant to anything other than a personal tartan designed for his own use. It most certainly is not a clan tartan and should not be regarded as such. That was not and is not the intent.

And this was most certainly not a money-making scheme, as Mr. Bowers implied in his June posting to the CGS forum (note the reference to "retailers"). To our knowledge, only one length of this cloth was ever woven and it was for Ronan MacGregor's personal kilt. Neither he nor I have made a dime off of the creation of this tartan.

If anyone has any questions or needs any more clarification on the above, they would do well to contact either myself or Ronan MacGregor at the Scottish Tartans Museum, as we designed the tartan; Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, who is the final authority on what is a sanctioned tartan for the clan; or the Scottish Tartans Authority whose business it is to collect and dissimate information on tartan -- and with over 7000 of them in the International Tartan Index, that is not an easy task.

Making assumptions and posting misinformation on Internet forums without having all the facts, though, only adds to the confusion. And there is already more than enough of that out there in the world of tartan.

Stone Mountain Highland Games 2008

2008-10-20T19:08:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since I've had a post to this blog, but rest assured I've been keeping busy. This past weekend was no exception, as I attended with the Scottish Tartans Museum the Stone Mountain (GA) Highland Games, Oct. 18-19, 2008. We had a wonderful time, I have lots of great photos, and thought it a wonderful opportunity to revisit my neglected blog!

First -- the weather. We were a bit trepidatious when we drove down from Franklin, NC, to Atlanta on Friday. We drove through rain the entire time, and despite our prayers it did not let up at all once we got to the field to set up. The temperature was if anything too warm (all the humidity made it feel warmer than it really was), and we had to set up our entire gift shop display in rather damp and muggy conditions. The good news is that the weather reports we heard earlier proved true, and Saturday and Sunday were both sunny and cool. In fact, this is the first year I can remember where I was able to keep my jacket on throughout the day. I think I took it off for about an hour during the afternoon on Saturday and not at all on Sunday. Plus, the rain we had Friday kept the notorious "Stone Mountain dust" at bay until late Sunday afternoon (so now we know it takes about a day and a half for the field at Stone Mountain to dry after a rain storm).

Second -- how did we do? Well, as many readers are aware, Stone Mountain is one of the few times when we travel with our museum's gift shop inventory to vend at a games or festival -- normally we distribute information only. Stone Mountain is a wonderful fundraiser for us, and we greatly appreciate the opportunity afforded to us by the Stone Mountain board of directors each year. To be quite honest, we were prepared for a dismal year, what with the floundering economy and the high gas prices. And Saturday morning, the crowds looked pretty light. It seemed our fears would be realized. However, by Saturday afternoon the crowds were growing to their usual size and we were keeping relatively busy. I was telling people that sales were "doing well, but we weren't breaking any records." Well, I should have held my tongue because Sunday the crowds continued to be high and when all was said and done we ended up having our best ever sales weekend on record! Don't ask how we did it, but we are very grateful to all who came out and supported the Scottish Tartans Museum. The funds generated this past weekend will make our slow winter season much more manageable. (Come to find out by talking with the folks running the games, the parking lot was full to capacity on Saturday and 3/4 full on Sunday, which is higher than usual).

Finally -- the pictures! One of the Highlights of the weekend for me was the opportunity to meet Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, 24th chief of the Clan MacGregor, and his wife, Lady Fiona MacGregor.

From Stone Mountain Highland Games Oct 18-19, 2008

Lady MacGregor's maiden name was Armstrong, and that is the tartan I am wearing in my kilt. My maternal grandmother's maiden name was also Armstrong. Both Lady MacGregor and I publish monthly columns in the Scottish Banner newspaper, so it was nice to get to meet a fellow author.

I have always admired Sir Malcolm MacGregor as a model of proper Highland dress. Whenever I have seen photographs of him in the kilt, he always seems so well put together, as a Highland gentleman should. In fact, I confessed to him that whenever I need a good example to show someone of proper, dignified Highland attire, I refer to him and Prince Charles!

I should not have been surprised, then, to discover that his lady wife also has impeccably good taste. Standing next to her in the above photo, I felt as if I were standing next to a member of the Royal Family. She was, hands down, the most well dressed woman at the games (you cannot quite make it out in the above photo, but notice the tartan detail on her hat, as well).

A few comments about Sir Malcolm's outfit -- first, the sporran. You may immediately notice it is an antique. I asked him about it, and he related the story in his family that it was found on the Culloden battlefield and gifted to his great-great-great grandfather (I believe I have the number of "greats" correct) some 70 years after the battle. It has been in the family ever since.

From Stone Mountain Highland Games Oct 18-19, 2008

The top of the cantle is engraved with the year "1736" (I believe -- I am forced to go by memory as silly me did not get the top of the cantle in a photo). The leather bag, which is very old, is assumed not to be original, though he did not know when it might have been replaced.

Another part of Sir Malcolm's outfit that I noticed were his hose. As my wife is an avid knitter, and I have a great appreciation for hand-knits as a result (especially kilt hose), I asked him about his own hose.

His were knit by his great-grandmother, whom he said was apparently a very avid knitter of kilt hose, as there are quite a few made by her hand still in use by the family! What a tribute to the durability of quality hand-knit goods! Notice the fine gauge, marled yarn, and St. Andrew's cross detail on the cuff.

I was very pleased to hear that Sir Malcolm and Lady Fiona were planning to spend part of this coming week in North Carolina, and they planned to make a visit to the Scottish Tartans Museum in Franklin on Thursday. I greatly look forward to their arrival and my opportunity to play host to this fine couple.

The reader of this blog may recall some time back a post I made about the MacGregor tartans, which was relating the position of Sir Malcolm regarding his clan's tartans. Sir Malcolm told me he has recently added more information to the Clan Gregor web site about the MacGregor tartans -- here is the link. (Note: I just noticed three articles I have written are in the links section of that site -- neat!) I think it is fantastic that a Highland chief has taken such an interest in tartan -- not all have -- and it is a great service to his clan.

Here is a shot of the couple from Sunday of the games. As before, impeccably dressed, both of them.

Sunday they were both outfitted in the Rob Roy tartan, which, according to the chief, should more properly be known as "MacGregor, Red & Black."

Speaking of other MacGregor tartans, there were many men outfitted on Sunday in the MacGregor of Deeside tartan, aka MacGregor of Glengyle. Here is a photo of a group of them on the field while their chief gave an award (I believe one of the piping awards).

The gentleman on the far right is Lamar Adron Britt, maker of the Ferguson Britt sporrans. We had many of his fine sporrans on display in our tent this past weekend, and Lamar was kind enough to spend part of the day with us, despite the fact that he was quite busy with the Clan MacGregor Society all day (they were the honored clan).

Here is some of the staff and volunteers who helped man the museum's tent this weekend. From left to right, there is Chuck Coburn, Lamar Britt, Ronan MacGregor, and Jim Akins. Not pictured are myself, my wife Joannie, Jim's wife Kathie, Ryan and Alan Ross, Bisell MacWilliams and his fiance Amanda. Sort-of pictured is Ronan's wife Mary (behind Chuck). Notice the many nice t-shirts hanging in the background. They are part of a new line we've introduced in the museum's gift shop. Not all of them are up and listed on our web site yet, but some are. Keep your eye here.

A few other assorted notes and comments about the weekend. I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Alistair Buchan, owner of Lochcarron woolen mills. I always enjoy getting to "talk shop" with Alistair, and this past weekend was no exception. He and I took the opportunity to discuss the topic of my upcoming November Scottish Banner article (no spoilers here!). Speaking of the Banner, I also had the pleasure of seeing once again my editor, Val Cairney, doing what she does best -- promoting the Banner of course!

(I should also say it is nice to be in a place where my children are not the only ones with names like "Malcolm" and "Alister" -- our spelling of the name.)

In fashion news, I belive I saw fewer Utilikilts this year, though my wife swears she saw more. Maybe I just chose not to see them! As always, Highland dress by those in attendance was a mixed bag. Walking among the other vendors, we did see one that had several racks of kilts bearing this infamous label.

However, I was pleased to see other traditional kiltmakers fighting back, with tactics such as this sign outside Geoffrey (Tailor)'s tent.

One trend we have noticed the past couple of years is fewer and fewer people asking basic "what's my tartan?" questions, and asking things such as "what is the difference between modern and ancient tartans?" and "what is the difference between 'Mac' and 'Mc'?" We were still asked this sort of thing, mind you, just not nearly as much it seemed. Others I talked to noticed the same trend. I can happily say people seemed more educated in these basic matters. Most people I spoke to knew the tartan they wanted to wear and their Highland dress questions were more specific and directed. Maybe we are doing a good job educating the public after all! Perhaps we are seeing the same group of people attending these festivals year after year and after a while people all know what their tartan is? Or perhaps the more readily availalbe tartan information on the internet now is helping? People can now plug in their surname at the Scottish Tartans Authority site, for example, and have their recommended tartan appear. So they show up at the Scottish Highland Games already armed with basic information. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues.

As usual, we were set up right next to the Scottish Spinning and Weaving Society tent, where weaver Marjorie Logie Warren and spinner & knitter Betty Johnson were demonstrating. Both are great friends and it was very nice having them so close by. Here the two of them are looking up the details of a tartan, it would seem. (Or did they come up to the museum's tent to shop for some shortbread?) Betty is on the left, Marge on the right.

One regret I have is that I did not get a photo of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police pipe band (wearing their new kilts made by Lochcarron). Betty and Marge did, however, have to run off at one point on Sunday to have their photo taken with a Mountie (or as they put it, "get their man!"). They asked my wife, Joannie, to"man the shop" for them while they were off on their quest. Joannie did a great job answering people's fiber arts questions while they were gone. So I thought I'd close off on this random post with a shot of my beautiful wife "at the wheel."

300

2008-08-25T19:31:00.000-05:00

The above box pleated kilt is a Fraser, made from a soft saxony wool that my client sent to me for the purpose. It's also my 300th kilt. In keeping with past tradition on this blog, here is a "roll" of kilts No. 201 - 300.

201. Murray of Atholl ancient
202. Nicholson Hunting ancient
203. Ulster weathered
204. USMC Leatherneck
205. St. Columba
206. Isle of Skye
207. Rose muted
208. Ulster weathered
209. Canadian Irish Regiment
210. Black Watch
211. MacGregor
212. Elliot
213. Lochaber weathered
214. MacLaren
215. Fraser Hunting
216. Stewart Hunting ancient
217. Clergy blue
218. Grant
219. Downs
220. Lamont
221. Burns Check
222. Roxburgh muted
223. USMC Leatherneck
224. Cian
225. Roxburgh muted
226. MacMedic
227. Douglas grey
228. Black (the Black family tartan -- not the solid color)
229. Rose Hunting ancient
230. Morris of Balgonie
231. Marjoribanks
232. Lamont ancient
233. X Marks the Scot
234. Shaw ancient
235. Grant Hunting ancient
236. Leslie hunting
237. Fraser Hunting
238. MacGregor ancient
239. Duncan
240. Highland Granite
241. Murray of Atholl
242. Dove
243. Matheson Hunting
244. Craig
245. St. Columba
246. Roxburgh green
247. Rose muted
248. St. Patrick
249. Cameron of Erracht
250. MacLaren
251. Wilson ancient
252. Sinclair Hunting ancient
253. Henderson ancient
254. Perthshire (Drummond of Perth)
255. County Clare
256. Grant
257. Leslie Hunting
258. MacDonald of Sleat
259. Manx Laxey
260. MacLachlan ancient
261. US St. Andrews (Bicentennial)
262. USMC Leatherneck
263. USMC Leatherneck
264. MacQuarrie (Cockburn Collection, WOB colors)
265. California
266. St. Patrick
267. MacPherson weathered
268. Manx Laxey
269. Carnegie
270. Lovat Green tweed
271. Douglas
272. Ryan O. Ross (personal tartan)
273. Taylor ancient
274. Brotherhood of the Kilt
275. Carolina
276. Clergy green
277. Baird
278. MacThomas ancient
279. MacPhail Hunting (WOB colors)
280. Lamont ancient
281. Davidson
282. Bell of the Borders
283. MacLaine of Lochbuie muted
284. Clergy "two spirit" (personal tartan)
285. Baird
286. Texas Bluebonnet ancient
287. Clergy blue modern
288. Robertson red
289. Chattan ancient
290. Davidson of Tulloch
291. Payne
292. Lockhard
293. MacKay ancient
294. Chisholm hunting
295. Keith ancient
296. Anderson weathered
297. Lamont weathered
298. Ulster weathered
299. Hutcheson
300. Fraser

As in the past, almost all of these are 4 yard box pleated kilts, and the majority of those in heavy weight cloth (all 100% wool, of course). You can review Nos. 101-200 here, and the first hundred in this milestone post.

Kiltmaker on TV

2008-08-18T06:44:00.001-05:00

Barb Tewksbury, a wonderful kiltmaker, teacher, and friend of mine, was recently featured on television in her area. Thanks to the marvels of YouTube, you can see it, too!

Tribute to my wife

2008-07-25T19:09:00.002-05:00

My wife is a wonderful knitter, and despite having to take care of me and our four small children, cook and keep the house clean, and this strange compulsion she has to knit herself a new bag every week or two, she has managed to find time to knit me some wonderful kilt hose. I thought it would be nice to showcase them all in one place here. I'm a proud and happy husband, what can I say?These are a black and white diced pair that works wonderfully well with my Highland Granite kilt, as well as many others. I've worn these mostly for formal wear.

This is a pair of brown and white (really an off-white natural color) shepherd's check hose. I love these! They go great with most all of my tartans, and my tweeds, as well. Here's a close up of them in the snow last winter.

This is the same pair, sans shoes and distracting background. She got the pattern from Lady Gainsford's book on kilt hose and knickerbocker stockings.

She took this shot of the aformentioned two hose, plus a green cable knit, for her knitting forum. The loden green pair were the very first pair of hose she knit. They turned out a bit too small, but I wear them anyway, despite her protests. (Maybe I can shame her into making me a new green pair).

This is the most recent pair she knit for me. I've only worn them once so far, but I can already tell they are going to get a lot of wear. They go great with my Armstrong kilt, and my MacQuarrie (c. 1815). I believe they will also be a good match for one of my Harris tweed kilts.

Lately she has been working with a friend of ours on knitting fancy hose cuffs, and attaching them to machine knit sock blanks. They are developing a line which will soon be available through the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop. As the husband, I am the lucky recipient of the first pair, seen below.

What can I say, guys? If you have a choice, marry a knitter. Oh, yeah, and her cooking is fantastic!

I'm on TV!

2008-07-23T14:00:00.002-05:00

It's official. I've had my 15 minutes of fame.

Back in June the show "North Carolina Weekend" aired a segment about the Scottish Tartans Museum. It was a really well done segment, on a show that features places within North Carolina that are recommended for a fun weekend trip.

Today, I had the thought to see if the show was archived on line. Sure enough, I found it!

http://flash.unctv.org/ncweekend/ncw_061208.html

It's the second segment in the show, about 5:55 into it. The segment itself is about 5 minutes long.

As I said, it's extremely well done. The narrator only made a few errors. For instance, he misidentified the Lochiel tartan as the Malcolm tartan -- understandable, as the kilt in questions belonged to a man surnamed Malcolm. He also stated that there are "over 4000" recorded tartans, which is technically correct, but in truth there are over 7000 recorded now with the STA.

All in all, though, a very well done and well edited segment. And I'm glad it is on line so that more folks can see it! (You may recognize one of the people interviewed...)

Gold Bros. busted for selling Isle of Skye tartan

2008-07-03T11:08:00.002-05:00

The Scotsman newspaper has recently reported that the Gold Bros. (retailers of cheap "tartan tat" on the Royal Mile, the internet, and elsewhere) are finally being called to task for mass-producing and selling the famous Isle of Skye tartan.

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Ban-on-39Queen39s-tartan39-sales.4249779.jp

The Isle of Skye tartan is a private, copyrighted design that was the idea of Mrs. Rosemary Nicolson Samios in 1992, an Australian of Skye descent, now living in Skye. It was selected through a worldwide competition won by weaver Angus MacLeod from Lewis who produced the first commercial quantities in traditional kilt weight in 1993 at Lochcarron Weavers in North Strome. Mrs. Rosemary Samios now controls the rights to the production of this tartan through registration with the Patents Office and Lochcarron of Scotland is the main supplier of fabrics and woven accessories in this tartan, though some other suppliers have been authorized (Marton Mills, in England, produces it with permission in polyviscose, for example).

However, businesses such as the Gold Bros., and others, have long been ignoring the copyrighted status of this tartan and profitting off of someone else's beautiful design work. So it's about time they are called to task!

Good news re: Tartan Registry

2008-06-19T18:22:00.002-05:00

Looks like things are progressing along...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7461981.stm

Gatlinburg Highland Games

2008-05-20T06:53:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I attended the Gatlinburg (TN) Highland Games & Scottish Festival. This was the 27th year of the Games. I've attended with the Scottish Tartans Museum for at least the past 10 years. It's one of my favorites, being relatively close to me, a smaller, more relaxed Games, with very friendly people. I always enjoy going, despite the tendency for rain and mud! Past experience has told me, when I go to this festival, I always pack my Muck Boots just in case. Thankfully, this year I didn't need them. The weather on Saturday was just perfect. The sun was shining, and the temperature was perfect for Goldilocks -- not too hot, not too cold, but just right!

Here's a shot of our museum's tent. We were set up just by one of the main entrances, so people could find us easily and get information about their tartan or clan first thing. Working in the tent here is Chuck Coburn, dedicated museum volunteer. He's assisting a young lady in finding her tartan, no doubt!

We directed a lot of people to their clan tents, and provided a lot of tartan prints and the like. Here is a shot of myself. I wore my new "half-belted plaid" for the entire day. I figured it would eventually get too hot and I'd strip it off my lunch, but the temperature really was just about perfect. It stayed in place well enough, and garnered lots of compliments (as did my Ferguson Britt sporran). I'm wearing the Carolina tartan, which is the same tartan we were using as a table covering -- tartan camouflage!

I was surprised Saturday to see a couple walking by wearing a tartan I did not recognize. To some this may be no big deal, but being in the "tartan game" as long as I have, this doesn't happen all that often to me! So I called them over and asked them what the tartan was. Turns out it is the Wardlaw tartan, designed in August 2005 (so I can be forgiven for not knowing it, I suppose!). It was designed by Diane Wardlaw of the Clan Wardlaw Association and Maxine Scott of the House of Tartan. The purple color is to represent "the many Royal connections the Wardlaws have had through history."

Though the weather was as perfect as you could want on Saturday, Sunday was another matter. I was scheduled to give a talk at 11:45, and it was about that time that the skies opened up and the rains began to pour. At first it was intermittent, but soon turned into a steady rain that really dispersed the crowd and kept numbers low for the day. Normally I have a pretty good number for these talks I give at the Games, but this time I worried no one would show up!

While waiting I put my camera on auto-timer and snapped a pic of myself waiting patiently by the heritage tent where I was to speak. Good news is that only a few minutes later a couple came for my talk, and they were joined shortly after by another three men, so I had an audience after all -- small, but appreciative! (Forgive my sporran hanging open in the below pic -- I had opened it to remove my camera and neglected to close it!)

As the rains refused to cease, we packed things up and left a bit early Sunday afternoon, and enjoyed a pleasant drive through the misty and cloudy Great Smoky Mountain National Park, back home to North Carolina. Despite the bad weather on Sunday, we had a good time and count this a successful venture! Within the next few weeks we prepare to attend the Greater Greenville Scottish Games and Highland Festival in SC, and then immediately after our own Taste of Scotland street fair in Franklin, NC. If you plan to attend either of those, be sure to pop over and say "hi!"

A Tartan Giant Has Passed

2008-05-19T06:02:00.002-05:00

I just read the following announcement on the web site of the Scottish Tartans Authority this morning.

James D. Scarlett, M.B.E.
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jamie Scarlett MBE just a few weeks short of his 88th birthday. Jamie had been a towering figure in the world of tartan research for many decades and a great friend to the Tartans Authority. He will be sorely missed by very many friends and colleauges. May 19, 2008.

Jamie was one of the few people on this planet who could rightfully call himself a true tartan expert in the academic sense. His many books on the topic included The Tartan Spotter's Guide (1973), Scotland's Clans and Tartans (1974), How to Weave Fine Cloth (1981), The Tartan Weaver's Guide (1985), Tartan: The Highland Textile (1990), and The Origins and Development of Military Tartans: A Re-Appraisal (2003).

His Tartan: The Highland Textile is considered to be his magnus opus, and was a much-needed updating of D. C. Stewart's benchmark text on tartan, The Setts of the Scottish Tartans. His final book on military tartans was perhaps his shortest, but contained some excellent research on this neglected subject, and went a long way towards suggesting a military origin of some of our modern-day concepts regarding "clan tartans." I highly recommend any of his texts to the tartan enthusiast, but most especially these last two.

I regret that I never had the pleasure of meeting Jamie in person, though in my study of tartan, we have exchanged many emails and spoken on the phone a few times. The man certainly had my respect.

I was very sad to hear of Jamie's passing this morning. I only last night returned home from being in Gatlinburg, TN, over the weekend, for the Gatlinburg Highland Games and Scottish Festival. Yesterday evening I checked my email for the first time in three days to find a note from Brian Wilton (director of the Scottish Tartans Authority) saying Jamie had been feeling ill and had just been admitted into the hospital.

I was going to update this blog with a little note of report from the Highland Games. I'll postpone that for the now, however, and end with this brief biography of Jamie, again from the Scottish Tartans Authority web site.

Born in London in 1920 and educated at various private schools. Joined R.A.F.V.R. in March 1939 and served in the R.A.F. in a technical capacity from the outbreak of war until February 1946, picking up various useful accomplishments on the way. After demob, trained as a quantity surveyor, preserving a degree of sanity by indulging in serious photography and learning to fly light aircraft. A chance encounter during a holiday in Perthshire in 1962 re-kindled a latent interest in tartan and led - through the Scottish Tartans Society - to a long and fruitful collaboration with D.C. Stewart which ended only with Stewart's death. Since 1977 has engaged in in-depth analysis of the tartan art form and in the reconstruction of the old styles of tartan weaving, and in the reconsideration of the problem of military tartans in the light of recently discovered information.

Jamie, we will miss you!

More info:

Click here to read an interview of Jamie Scarlett by Frank Shaw, FSA Scot, of Atlanta, GA.

Now that's a PLAID!

2008-04-16T19:07:00.004-05:00

Back in February of this year, we had a discussion on the Scottish Attire e-mail list regarding the merits of the plaid. Now, when the non-initiate reads "plaid" he usually thinks it synonymous with "tartan" (the pattern of interlocking stripes running both vertical and horizontal -- warp and weft in terms of the cloth). However, in Scottish attire, the word has a very different meaning.

Historically, the plaid was simply a wrap, a mantle of sorts. The word derives from the Gaelic for "blanket," and that was essentially what it was -- a large length of untailored cloth. The famous belted plaid, or feilidh-mor, in Gaelic, was a length of cloth that was worn gathered and belted at the waist. It was the lower part of this knee-length garment that would eventually develop into the modern kilt. (See my article on "Generations of Highland Dress.")

Today, when the modern kilt enthusiast speaks of a plaid, he may mean one of several garments, each supposedly meant to represent the upper portion of the old belted plaid. The most common today is the fly plaid; a large square of tartan, fringed on all four sides (and sometimes purled), and typically tailored into pleats at one corner. That corner is affixed to the left shoulder, and the remainder of the plaid is left to hang in the rear (some versions have a means to affix another corner to the belt or back of the kilt, creating a pleasing drape). The fly plaid is typically reserved for evening wear. (click for pic)

However, other plaids include the piper's or drummer's plaids, which are long, heavily pleated, lengths of cloth that are worn wrapped across the chest and shoulder, the longer portion trailing in the back. These are usually only seen worn in modern times by pipers and drummers in full military uniform. (click for pic) (article on how to wear)

Those are the most common incarnations of the plaid in modern Highland dress. Less commonly seen is the form sometimes referred to as a "laird's plaid" or "day plaid," or simply as a "shoulder plaid." This is an untailored length of cloth, about the size of a blanket, which is simply folded and draped over the shoulder, like one would a blanket carried on a picnic. (click for pic) (an older image)

The discussion about the plaid began on the Scottish Attire mailing list when a list member commented that he thought evening dress incomplete without a plaid. When I read that comment, I took it to mean the fly plaid, as it is the most common form of plaid worn today (outside of the military uniform, and uniform of the piper). And taken as such, I objected to the notion that evening dress is incomplete without a fly plaid. I never have much cared for the modern fly plaid. I don't really like the way it looks, and I find it cumbersome to wear. It is supposed to mimic the upper portion of the old belted plaid, and (having worn the traditional belted plaid for many years as a reenactor), I don't think it does the job all that well. I understand that many people like the look of the fly plaid, and they are welcome to their opinion. But I daresay that it should be considered an optional accessory, and not at all requisite for proper evening attire.

My comments drew some other opinions, both in agreement and disagreement with me. The ensuing discussion inspired me to go back and look through my copy of The Kilt & How to Wear It, by the Hon. Stuart Ruaidri Erskine, originally published in 1901, to see what Erskine said about the plaid. Not that Erskine's opinion is authoritative, mind you. But it is always interesting to read a Highland dress perspective from over a century ago. I was somewhat surprised by what I discovered.

In support of the wearing of the plaid, Erskine writes: "Our forefathers were on all occasions very particular to wear the plaid, and would have considered a man as incompletely dressed without it..." and, "Indeed, the plaid is an essential part of the Highland dress, and though fashion may have decreed and encouraged its disuse, yet the genius of the garb obviously requires and demands the addition of this graceful covering, without which -- which is the best proof of its necessity -- it neither looks, nor can be, complete."

But what form of plaid is Erskine advocating? It is not the piper's or drummer's plaid, which he calls a "cross plaid." Of this article, he writes: "...the popular military or cross plaid... would appear to be a really 'comparatively modern' method of wearing this article of the Highland or Celtic dress." And he calls it a "mutilated form of the old belted plaid," and says, "I have nothing but the profoundest contempt for it, and venture to indulge the hope that none of my readers will ever countenance it in the smallest degree, much less wear it. It is one of the most miserable makeshifts -- or rather fraudulent imitations -- in which the age abounds and, apparently, delights."

Of the so-called laird's plaid, he speaks no better. "The present fashion of carrying the plaid loose and over the shoulder is a purely Lowland, or rather non-Celtic one..." (I don't think he is historically correct, but such is his opinion, and so he does not recommend this form of plaid).

What about the popular fly plaid? He makes no mention of it by name at all, but by description we can assume that he has this article in mind when he writes of "the miserable scrap of tartan... which is frequently worn at dances."

So what form of plaid does Erskine favor, and indeed calls "as essential a part of the Celtic dress as the sporran or doublet..."? This is the proper plaid, as Erskine defines it in his own words.

"This plaid -- which can be of any soft, fine material, and whether of
tartan, livery, or homespun it matters not -- should be worn much after the
manner of the old belted plaid; that is to say, it should be worn with a belt,
the sides of the plaid, as in the case of the kilt in its 'primitive form,'
being pulled a little above the belt, and made to turn down over it in as
graceful a manner as possible. When in this position, the plaid (which
must have been previously separated in the middle by the hand, so as to discover
the sporran) will give the appearance of being furnished with rings, which is
just the appearance it gives in old portraits and prints, &c., and is
emphatically, from every point of view, the end to be aimed at. The wings
of the plaid should rest on the sides of the kilt at a distance of a foot or so
from the edge nearest the knee; whilst the two ends of the plaid farthest from
the wearer should be caught up and fastened by a brooch to the left shoulder, in
the traditional manner... I may add that the plaid, when adjusted to the
person, should depend backwards a few inches -- say, three or four -- below the
edge of the kilt."

A footnote at this point here indicates that "two yards by two is a convenient size." The footnote also references the cover of the book, which I will reproduce below, front and back.

I was intrigued by this description, and accompanying illustration. I had read Erskine's book before, and of course seen the cover, but to be honest, had never paid much mind to the construction or style of the plaid that was illustrated. But I had to admit that this plaid has much to recommend it. It alone of all the modern forms of plaid truly resembles the upper portion of the old feilidh-mor. In other words, it actually looks like what it is supposed to represent.

I was curious enough that I told myself that I'd eventually make one and give it a try. And over this past weekend, I did just that, using a two yard length of Carolina tartan, to match a kilt I had recently made for myself. Here is how I did it. I started with two yards of 54" wide (double width) cloth. I believe this is what Erskine meant when he said a length of "two yards by two." Not two yards square, but two yards of double width cloth. I fringed the two cut ends (in Erskine's illustration the fringe looks to be about 4 inches long at least. I stopped fringing mine at about one inch, but this is a matter of personal taste).

One of the selvage edges I tailored into wide pleats, reducing the length from two yards to about 40" (my current waist size is 38"). I only sewed the pleats in about 3". I opened them up to make box pleats, and sewed those open along the bottom of the cloth. The intent here is not to make the pleats match up with the pleats of the kilt -- there simply is not enough cloth to do that. Nor do you have to leave an unpleated "apron" at either side. The idea here is simply to reduce the length of the fabric by means of pleating to something close to your waist size.

Finally, I added four keepers (belt loops) evenly spaced along the pleated portion of the plaid, to keep the belt securely in place. Now it was ready to wear!

Here's how I did it. First, you begin by just putting on the kilt, as usual. I also put my sporran on before the plaid, as I figured it would be cumbersome to try to strap it on underneath all that excess cloth.

I pre-strung my belt through the loops in the plaid, and then belted it securely about my waist. The plaid now hung down over the top of the belt, much like the upper portion of the belted plaid, only quite a bit longer than I was used to!

It is at this point, after you have belted your plaid on, but before you attempt to arrange it any further, that you would want to put on your jacket and/or waistcoat (or vest), if you are to be wearing one. I selected a simply Argyle day jacket for this outfit.

Jacket donned, find the two corners of the plaid and bring them up and behind you, up and over your left shoulder. Pin with a brooch. Viola! You are now wearing the plaid very much as Erskine depicts on the cover of his book.

One of the things that I noticed doing this is that, if you are wearing a jacket with any sort of length to it (such as the Argyle I am wearing), it is important that the edges of the plaid not be worn directly to the front, as the drape of the cloth, when it is brought up to the shoulder, will not be sufficient to give the jacket enough clearance. Pushing the edges of the plaid back a bit fixed this problem perfectly. Here are a couple of alternate views.

I really like this form of plaid! I'm very pleased with the result of my little experiment, and I can say that I anticipate giving this item much wear for both evening dress, as well as more formal daywear events when I want to dress up my outfit a bit. All that was really required to do this was a two yard length of double width cloth (most tartan is available double width these days), and a few hours of sewing.

I'm going to have to start recommending this form of plaid to those enquiring about a fly plaid, and see if we cannot yet revive this style, that Erskine called "extremely recommendable for evening wear, or indeed, for extraordinary occasions of any kind," in favor of that "miserable scrap of tartan!"

Rethinking Irish Tartans

2008-03-16T14:00:00.002-05:00

As St. Patrick's Day is fast approaching, I have been getting a lot of requests regarding Irish tartans. It's given me cause to rethink the possible origins of many of them, and indeed, the "Irish tartan" phenomenon in general.

Many are aware that the oldest Irish tartan is the Ulster tartan, dating to the seventeenth century. There is a good article about it here. However, it is important to realize that it would not have been regarded as "the Ulster tartan" at that time. There were no named tartans at that early date, and it would have been considered the same as any other tartan design. It was not known as "the Ulster tartan" until well after its discovery in 1956, buried on a Dungiven farm. A reconstruction of the seventeenth century outfit was made and put on display in the Ulster Museum in 1958. At some point in the 1970s it was recorded by the Scottish Tartans Society as the Ulster tartan, and the name as been associated with it ever since.

Why is this significant? I don't know when the Ulster tartan was first put into production by the tartan mills, but I suspect it was around the same time as the STS recorded the tartan. And I propose that this sparked interest in the creation of other Irish named tartans.

Just look at the earliest known dates for many of the older Irish tartans. The Clodagh tartan was first woven in 1970. By 1979 a story was being circulated that it was an historic tartan that was discovered in a peat bog in southern Ireland (sound familiar?), but that story has never been substantiated.

The Tara/Murphy tartan first appears in the records around 1967, being sold by the Kilt Shop in Edinburgh.

There are many Irish family name tartans that were first recorded by William H. Johnston on a visit to Pendleton Woolen Mills, in Oregon, in 1977 or 78. These supposedly were recorded from their pattern books, and include tartans for the names Forde, Keirnan, O'Keefe, and O'Farrell.

All the other Irish named tartans that we have record for, including the popular Irish county tartans, were designed well after this period, and their origins are fairly well documented. I can find no evidence of Irish named tartans at all from before this time. My theory, therefore, is that the interest in the Ulster tartan, following its discovery in 1956 and subsequent inclusion in the Scottish Tartans Society register, is what created the phenomenon of the Irish tartan.

Laundry Day

2008-02-05T10:03:00.001-05:00

Thought you might like to see what my four-poster bed looks like after my wife washes a load of delicates. One would never guess a kilt wearer lives in this house, eh?

Burns Night -- Franklin, NC

2008-01-30T23:00:00.001-05:00

This is the second picture post from Burns Nights I attended this year. These photos are from the Burns Supper held on January 26, 2008, in Franklin, NC, hosted by the Friends of the Scottish Tartans Museum. Again, every intention of a thoughful, reflective post, but I suppose I chanelled the bard all I could in writing my Immortal Memory speech and have nothing left for blogging (at least not at ten till eleven on a Wednesday night!). But, as I said in my last post, it's really all about the kilt pictures, anyway. So here they are!

First up is myself with my trusty sidekick Ronan MacGregor (business assistant at the museum). I'm wearing the St. Columba tartan in a four yard box pleated kilt. Purple Lewis kilt hose, and a nice heraldic themed necktie. Ronan is wearing the Black MacGregor tartan (custom woven for him!) in a box pleated kilt, bottle green Lewis kilt hose, with a black beaver Glengyle sporran from the Ferguson Britt line. Oh, and don't ask me about the sporran I'm wearing. I picked it up about ten years ago from an antiques/military paraphanalia vendor at the Williamsburg Highland Games and haven't seen another one like it since!

Here are the kilted men lining up for the calling of the clans. In front is Wayne Miller, wearing the Bell tartan, in a kilt made by Barbara Tewksbury. Behind him is Arthur Hayes wearing the Clan Hay tartan. Furtherst back is Hal Chapman in the Citadel tartan.

This final snapshot is of Jim and Marian Mathews, new members of the Friends of the Scottish Tartans Museum. Jim is wearing his brand new box pleated kilt in Hunting Matheson that I made for him, with matching tartan tie, black Argyle, and black beaver Glengyle sporran. He's really enjoying his new outfit, and looks quite dapper in it (Marian agrees!).

Burns Night -- Murphy, NC

2008-01-30T22:47:00.001-05:00

This is the first of two picture posts from Burns Suppers I had the pleasure to attend this year. I had noble intentions of writing something profound and elegant, but I'm just too lazy, and really it's all about the pictures of kilts, anyway!

These photos are from the Burns Supper held on January 25, 2008, in Murphy, NC, hosted by the folks who put on the Appalachian Highland Games. I was invited back for a second year to give the Immortal Memory speech. This year I was fortunate to be accompanied by my wife, Joannie, and infant son, Alister.

First pic is of Arthur Hayes, the president of the Appalachian Highland Games, giving the "Address to the Haggis." He really does it with great flare!

Next is of myself with friends Rebecca and Henry Scott. The Scotts are the proprietors of Purple Heather Pottery, and make some wonderful hand cast pottery goods featuring clan crests, thistles, Celtic crosses, and other Celtic motifs. We carry their products in the museum gift shop. Rebecca is holding wee Alister.

Lastly, here I am, showing off the new black and white diced hose that my wife knit for me. She had been working on them for the past month and had just completed them the morning of the event. For those curious, I'm wearing the Highland Granite tartan (16 oz, Lochcarron cloth), in a 6 yard knife pleated kilt of my own make. The sporran is a skunk fur Glengyle by Ferguson Britt. Argyle jacket and ghillie brogue shoes are from Lochcarron, and the vest I actually picked up from a supplier of nineteenth century style American clothing.

Geography Lesson

2007-12-12T20:59:00.000-05:00

OK people, enough is enough already. Scotland and Ireland are two completely different countries. They are not even on the same island! While the Scottish and the Irish people both have a lot in common, they nevertheless are two distinct cultures, with their own unique traditions. For example, the kilt and the tartan are both "Scottish things" and not "Irish things."

I point out this quite obvious fact because apparently some people need to be reminded. Like the author of this article in the winter 2007 issue of Knitty. She writes, "In my family, we're all of Irish heritage, and we're VERY proud. In fact, my Dad is so proud he has two kilts that he wears on a regular basis." The article has a nice pattern for knitting a pair of kilt hose, but one has to ask, what on earth does wearing the kilt have to do with your dad's being Irish? (Let alone the fact that, in the picture accompanying the article, he's wearing what looks like a Utilikilt, which is neither Scottish nor Irish, but American).

I don't know if it is a world-wide phenomenon or just here in the States but people seem to think Ireland and Scotland are synonymous. I can't escape it. Sitting down the other night to an hour of mindless entertainment with one of my favorite shows, Psych, when one of the main characters, whose last name is O'Hara (about as Irish a name as you can think of) starts talking about all the traditional Scottish customs that her family observes at Christmas, including Hogmanay (which is New Years, but never mind the details).

Then just yesterday I was going through the drive-through of my favorite Scottish restaurant (McDonald's, of course!) in my kilt and Argyle jacket, when the teen who hands me my McMuffin gives me the thumbs up and yells "Hey, Irishman, alriiiiiight!" as I pull away.

So it is time for a geography lesson. I would draw you a map but I don't have to. Someone has graciously done it for me. Right click this link and open in a new window. Isn't that a great map? Thanks to the folks at EnchantedLearning.com. Now pay attention. Scotland is that northernmost part of the big island to the right (the part that says "Scotland" on it). Ireland, on the other hand, is that smaller island over to the left (the one that says, fittingly enough, "Ireland"). All that empty space in between -- that's water. Two separate land masses. Two separate countries.

While we are looking at a map of the British Isles, I want to point out another thing that may be obvious to some -- they are British! Britain and England are not synonymous. The big island to the right (the one that says "Scotland" on the top of it and "England" on the bottom) is Britain. This means that the English are British, but guess what? So are the Scots. And so are the Welsh. They are all British. So saying things like, "Oh, the Scots hate the British," really doesn't make much sense unless you are accusing the Scots of self-loathing.

Oh, we all know what you mean. When you say, "British" you mean "English." But that's wrong, so stop saying it. The Scots are British too, every bit as much as the English. And the country is called the United Kingdom, being made up of a union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland (Wales is a principality). Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom. The rest of Ireland is not (again, refer to the map).

So, let's review. Britain is the whole big island, the northern part of which is Scotland and the southern part of which is England (and Wales). Britain and England are not the same thing. Ireland is that island off the west coast of Britain. Ireland and Scotland are not the same thing. Simple enough really, but make a flow chart if you have to.

There, now I feel better. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging...

Wee Balmoral Kilt

2007-11-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

Recently I was fortunate to acquire, through Ebay.co.uk, a child's Balmoral kilt from a Scottish antiques dealer. I got it for a steal, really, and it even came with a small photo album showing pictures of the original owner. None of the photos have a name or date, so we don't know anything of the wee chap. I would assume the photos to be from the 1930s. I've included a couple of them below.

When the kilt arrived, I couldn't help but notice that it looked to be just the right size for my son, Josiah, age 3. He was super excited to try it on. (He especially liked that fact that this child's kilt is of the variety that has an attached vest to help keep it up. He loves tank tops and would wear them year round if we let him. It was all I could do to convince him to put on a pull-over to go out in the 40 degree weather!). When I brought out a pair of kilt hose and flashes for him, he was beside himself. "Now I can come to work with you, Daddy!" he beamed at me.

We went out in the yard for a few pictures. (That's one of my other sons, Malcolm, in the background of the second shot). What do you think, is my son a natural in the kilt, or what?

Now I know what some of you are thinking. Isn't the Balmoral tartan restricted for the use of the Royal family? Well, yes it is. It was designed in 1853 by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband. Today it is worn by the Queen and several members of the Royal family. According to the Scottish Tartans Authority, the only other person authorized to wear the tartan is the Queen's personal piper. The tartan was originally woven by Romanes & Pattersons, but today the Royal Warrant holders are Kinloch Anderson.

According to the Royal Insight page, however, it was Edward VIII in 1936 who put restrictions in place to "to prevent further commercial manufacture for the public." This indicates that prior to that time it was being manufactured and sold to the public, at least on some scale. Since I sincerely doubt that my wee kilt here was worn by a member of the Royal family (at least if it had been I doubt I would have gotten it at such a low price!), my assumption is that this kilt was purchased originally prior to 1936.

Wearing the Balmoral tartan is not illegal in the UK, though it would be considered in poor taste. If my family and I were to travel to the UK, I'd never have my son wear it there. However, I see no harm in him wearing it to explore his own back yard. He certainly loves wearing it! And he takes to it quite naturally. Now he wants a sporran for Christmas. All I can say is that his father is certainly proud!

Sporrans old & new

2007-11-23T18:42:00.000-05:00

I promised in my last post to give some email on my newly revamped brass cantle sporran. If you remember, this is the sporran that I got about a year ago, seen pictured here. It was a very nice sporran, and I was very happy with it. But I was so impressed with the Ferguson Britt sporrans that we've been offering in the museum gift shop, that I asked the maker if he could fashion a new bag to fit with the metal top, and he was more than happy to oblidge.

I got the result just after the Stone Mountain Highland Games, and am very happy with it. The bag is a bit longer than the original, and is made from a heavier elk hide. The braided tassels are fastened at the two sides and one in the center in true eighteenth century fashion (as opposed to three on the front as in most modern sporrans). Like all Ferguson Britt sporrans, this one is fully lined with elk suede.

I'm such a fan of his work now that I also commissioned him to make me a lighter brown sporran. I have a few kilts that I thought would look better with a light brown, and thought that a sporran in this color would round out my collection. So I commissioned an Invernan style, which is similar to the beaver fur Glengyle that was my first sporran made by Britt. The main difference is the Invernan style has a much wider opening. I call this one my "large mouth bass" sporran. The first pic below shows you the sporran, made with light brown elk hide with dark brown elk details. Then the second shows you just how large the opening is. Believe it or not, I have my wallet, cell phone, work keys, car/home keys, and a bottle of eye drops (from my lasik surgery), and I can still fit my whole fist in on top of all of that!

Obviously, I am extremely happy with my Ferguson Britt sporrans. I've never encountered a better sporran anywhere than the ones made by this master craftsman. The only down side is how addicting they are!

At the Foothills Highland Games

2007-11-03T17:51:00.000-05:00

I've just returned from the 7th Annual Foothills Highland Games in Hendersonville, NC. These are a very nice mid-sized Games that I have been neglecting to attend of late! I was at their inaugural Games in the year 2000, but since that time I've managed to have other commitments every year on that weekend. This year I was finally able to go, so took the chance.

The Scottish Tartans Museum has always had an information booth there, manned by some of our good volunteers. This year we had museum trustees Walter Taylor and Carl McSween, as well as volunteers Al Bullman and Chuck Coburn. With myself that made for five of us -- more than enough to cover the tartan information table and allow time for each of us to walk around, see the sights, and spend time chit chatting with old friends. And the best part is I was back home by supper time!

So here are some pics from the Games. First, yours truly.

It was a cool day. When we arrived at the Games site at 9:00am, I believe it was just above freezing. It warmed up during the day, but the wind picked up, making it feel very cold at times. I took the opportunity to wear my Harris Tweed kilt suit. It kept me nice and warm, though I admit that I had to keep the jacket on all day! I'm wearing my hinged-cantle sporran that I've posted about in this blog before, only I have had the bag completely replaced by one hand crafted by Adron L. Britt of Ferguson Britt sporrans. (More on that in another post). The walking stick I'm holding isn't mine. It was made by Mark Harden, Baron of Cowdenknowes, who has recently taken up stick making! It's a nice model with a bison horn crook and, if I recall correctly, a hazel wood shaft. I'm just holding it for him in this photo. Speaking of Mark...

Here is the Baron himself, wearing his Harden family tartan, and holding another of his walking sticks. Mark was the "chief of the games" at this year's Foothills Highland Games. He and his family appear to have had a great time. Mark is also a member of the Society of Scottish Armigers, and gave a talk on Scottish heraldry. I spoke to him about coming and giving a similar talk at next year's Taste of Scotland festival in Franklin, NC.

The above photo is of Adron L. Britt (left) and Bob Marin (right). Neither of these two characters really need an introduction, but Adron is the maker of the fine Ferguson Britt line of sporrans we are now proud to carry in the Museum's gift shop, and Bob is a kiltmaker (retired) and kilt historian, who taught yours truly how to make kilts. Adron is wearing the Burnett tartan in a feilidh mor and Bob is wearing a plaid in the Marin tartan, a waistcoat in the Campbell, and (though you cannot see it in this photo) a box pleated kilt in the "R. W.'s Fancy" tartan (his personal tartan). (By the way, those are Mark Harden's hands to the right grasping the single malt and pointing commands).

Lastly, a group shot. From left to right: James A. Bullman (my co-author on the Compendium of District Tartans), wearing a fine tweed Inverness cape (that he could have sold nine times over today!), and a 5 yard Kinguisse pleated Roxburgh tartan kilt that you cannot see; Bruce Ball, a friend of Bob Martin's who designed his own Ball tartan and made his own kilt; Marjorie Warren, of Thistle Studio, a very talented tartan handweaver; and yours truly.

I had a great day, spent some good times with friends, and managed to leave only buying a cup of coffee, a meat pie, and two heather plants that will soon be in my garden!

Computer problems

2007-10-29T11:44:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like the Newsome family computer may have to be put down. It seems to have developed a terminal illness a few days ago. It's in the shop now and we are more than likely going to have to get a new hard drive. I will likely be without it for the next few days.

This means that I'm having to check my personal e-mail from work, and my available time to do that during the day is intermitant. I'm trying to get urgent correspondance taken care of, but if you have emailed me over the past few days and have not yet received a reply, that is why. Please be patient. I'll endeavor to get caught up on my correspondance in a few days, when hopefully we will be back on line at Casa Newsome.

UPDATE: 11/02/07
Our computer is back up and running with a brand new hard drive and loads of extra memory, so all would seem to be well (other than having to spend last night reinstalling everything, rather than making kilts as I should have been!). Now to get to those backlogged emails.....

Report from Stone Mountain

2007-10-22T18:19:00.001-05:00

As promised, a post with kilt pics! We have returned from the 35th Annual Stone Mountain Highland Games, a little road weary but none the worse for wear. It was another banner year for the museum. We were able to assist many people in finding a tartan, answered many Highland dress questions, and had a successful sales weekend for the gift shop, as well.

We had many people comment on the quality of our merchandise, telling us that we had the nicest offerings of the varied vendors at the Games. This is always nice to hear! I have endeavored to have the name of the Scottish Tartans Museum associated with quality Highland wear, so it is nice to know that folks notice.

We were so busy on Saturday that I quite literally only left our tent twice (both for reasons of, shall we say, necessity). Sunday was a little less hectic, and I did take the opportunity to walk around a bit Sunday morning and see some of the sights. I got to chat a bit with Larry Long (famous on this blog for his unusual kilt, featured here); Flora MacDonald Gammon and John Dall; the good folks with the Scottish Spinning and Weaving Society (Marge Warren and Betty Johnson); Rennie & Vicki McLeod, of Scotpress; Henry & Rebbecca Scott, of Purple Heather Pottery; the crew of Caledonian Fine Arts, and others. I took my wee son Alister out for a walk and he got more attention than anything. Of course I don't mind being outshone by my offspring!

On Saturday, I did get a chance to talk a bit with Tom Mungall, owner of the Scottish Attire mailing list. He introduced me to his son, Jamie, and later during the day I got to meet a friend of his, and fellow Scottish Country dancer, whose name I cannot recall but who was wearing an Elliott tartan. (He commented on the fact that I was sporting an Armstrong crest shirt, and that we were fellow border reivers). I also ran into a few other Scottish Attire list members, such as Pam Brownlee and Jim Lovelace.

I also met several X-Markers (from http://www.xmarksthescot.com/), including Jim Lovelace (Cawdorian), John Miller (shiner), Turpin Ballard, and several others I just can't recall at the moment. Between talking to everyone, measuring for kilts, and answering questions, Saturday was rather a blur! Sorry I wasn't able to make it for the X-Marks photo shoot -- and I understand that there was quite a dinner gathering Saturday evening.

Lest I forget, I had the distinct pleasure to meet with Kathy Lare, kiltmaker from New Mexico, and her husband. Kathy is quite the elegant and well-spoken lady, and I feel privileged to have made her acquaintance. Everything that Ron MacDonald says about her is absolutely true! (Ron is another X Marks member who must have a dozen of Kathy's kilts -- his photo is on her web site).

Then there were all the friends, familiar faces, and regular patrons that we enjoy seeing each year at Stone Mountain, whose names are too numerous to mention.

Even though the museum tent was a very busy place the whole weekend, we were able to handle it all smoothly thanks to our wonderful help. So thanks to our museum staff, which -- aside from myself -- consists of Ronan MacGregor and Kathy Akins; our spouses who volunteer to help us for the weekend, Joannie, Mary, and Jim; and especially those volunteers who help out even though they are not married to us, Chuck Coburn, Ryan Ross and Bisel McWilliams. We couldn't do it without you (or wouldn't want to, anyway!).

Enough chat -- here are the pictures! Regrettably, I did not have the presence of mind to snap shots of many of the fine folks I met. So you'll have to put up with mainly photos of myself and some of my crew.

Here is a shot of the front of our museum tent. We had some shirt and hat racks out front. At certain times during the day the crowd was so thick I could barely see these racks from the tent! Right inside we showcased some lovely sporrans from the Ferguson Britt collection (including a Japanese Fallow deer, and several skunk, beaver, and raccoon fur creations). These were very much admired. The left side of the tent was dedicated to free tartan searches and answering questions on Scottish history and Highland dress.

This photo of myself with my wife, Joannie, and son, Alister, was from Saturday. Alister was a big hit at the Games. Our other kids all stayed home with the grandparents, but Alister is too young yet to be that far from his mom (and main food source!). He was an angel all weekend.

Of course, as we know, it's all about the kilt. I'm wearing a four yard box pleated kilt in the Armstrong tartan, red kilt hose (I knew I'd be seeing Tom, who didn't disappoint by wearing his own red hose), matching red garters, my beaver fur sporran, one of the new crest shirts from the museum, and a hand knit broad bonnet.

I think red hose look nicest with tartans like the Armstrong, that are primarily blue & green, but with a minor red element that the hose can really pull out. I think with a predominantly red kilt, the red hose risk being too much.

This is Chuck Coburn (left) wearing the Cockburn tartan in a four yard box pleated kilt, and Jim Akins (right) wearing his brand new Confederate Memorial tartan, in an 8 yard knife pleated kilt made by Barb Tewksbury, author of The Art of Kiltmaking.

Here are Chuck and myself on Sunday. My wife, who didn't tell me my tie was crooked, took the picture. I'm in another four yard box pleated kilt, in the St. Columba tartan. I'm wearing it with a light weigh Lochcarron Argyle jacket, tattersal shirt, blue tie (notice the matching garters), and my brand new shepherd's check hose that my wife just finished knitting for me. (The medal I'm wearing is my Guild of Tartan Scholars medal, in case you are wondering).

Chuck is in a blue Harris Tweed kilt that I made for him (also a four yard box pleat). Here's a rear shot to show the pleats.

I'm really thrilled with these hose! They took my wife quite some time to knit, and she was using a new pattern from a book she recently acquired. She finished them just in time for the Games (literally on the drive down). I'm quite pleased with the color and design (I chose a natural cream shade and a dark brown). I had several compliments on them throughout the day, and not a few enquiries about where one could get a pair, or how much my wife would charge to make them (I had to marry her -- get your own talented wife!). :-) Joking aside, she made these for me as a labor of love. When asked how much she would charge to make a pair for someone else, her price quote was "a million bajillion dollars." So start saving your coin -- or learn to knit!

Sunday is always the hardest day, just in terms of stress. We are exhausted from Saturday to begin with. My wife and I got up early to make it to a 7:00 am Mass before heading back onto the field. Then it is all day at the Games, just like on Saturday. Only instead of heading out to dinner after the field closes, we must pack up our tent and drive three hours home. Someone suggested I could retire from this line of work and find another job -- not on your life! :-)

The museum was closed today, as well, for unpacking, re-stocking, and inventory. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will resume normal hours of operation (10 to 5, Mon-Sat). For those of you who may have come by to see us in Franklin over the weekend, we are sorry we missed you. And for those of you who saw us at the Games, we'll see you next year!

Heading Down to Stone Mountain

2007-10-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it has been some time since I posted anything new here. So my readers do not feel neglected I thought I'd jot this wee note before heading down to the 35th annual Stone Mountain Highland Games in Atlanta, GA, tomorrow morning. This is the largest Games we (the museum staff and crew) attend during the year, and one of only two that we bring gift shop merchandise to vend at (the other being the Greenville Games in SC).

Normally when we attend this type of event we set up an information booth where we look up tartans, answer questions about Highland Dress, and of course promote the museum. At Stone Mountain we do all of that, of course, but we also provide a selection of items from our gift shop. It's a great sales weekend for us, and the revenues from this event really help to keep the museum funded throughout the winter months, when the tourists are not out in as great a number.

Speaking of tourists, they come to the mountains in force in October! Which is one reason I have been so busy lately. We have had one full day after another at the museum lately. The greater number of visitors we see this time of year, together with preparing to go to Stone Mountain, has me "seeing red!"

Just kidding! The above photo is the result of the Lasik surgery I just had one week ago today. The red you see in my eyes is the result of bruising from the procedure. It's a normal thing that will fade in about another week. I can't even feel it, but I sure do get the comments from our museum guests! I think I might wear my sunglasses down at Stone Mountain so as to not scare the small children. :-)

Seriously, though, the Lasik surgery is amazing. I went from something on the order of 20/1000 vision to 20/20 or better in a matter of seconds. The evening of the surgery I was checking email, watching tv, and even sewing a bit on a kilt. This is one piece of modern technology that really delivers the promised results and I am fantastically happy with my decision. I heartily recommend it to anyone considering it. It actually corrected my vision, as opposed to simply relieving the symptoms of my poor eye sight, which is what my contacts and glasses did. So I'm a happy customer!

Enough about that. We've also been busy at the Newsome household with our newborn son, Alister, who is seven weeks old. Obligatory cute baby picture below.

What with things at the museum being so busy, and things at home being busy as well, you'll have to forgive me if I'm not quite as attentive to my emails and blog posts. Things should quiet down some after the weekend, though. Be aware that the Museum will be closed Friday-Monday this weekend (we take Monday as an unpacking/inventory day), so emails won't be answered till after that time.

And if anyone has sent me an email and is still waiting for a response, please be patient and I'll try and get all my correspondence caught up with after the weekend. In the meantime, anyone going down to Stone Mountain for the Games, please come visit us at the Scottish Tartans Museum tent and say hi!

When I get back, I promise, my next blog post will have a kilt and/or tartan in it!

Hand Knit hose (work in progress)

2007-09-13T06:16:00.000-05:00

So, my wife is a knitter of many years, and though she has some experience making socks (including a nice pair made from wool we purchased on our honeymoon in Scotland that I love wearing during the winter), she has never made a pair of kilt hose. Until now!

She has several books she is referencing, including Designs for Knitting Kilt Hose & Knickerbocker Stockings, by Veronica Gainford (originally published in 1978, reprinted 2006); Knitting Scottish Kilt Hose & Hiking Socks, by Joanne Gibson Hinmon (2000); and Cables Untangled: An Explanation of Cable Knitting, by Melissa Leapman. This last book is not a kilt hose book, but it has lots of great cable patterns that can be incorporated easily into hose.

She recently completed her first pair for me, in a beautiful shade of loden green, with a cable knit pattern from the aformentioned book. I love them and think they are great -- however, they are her first attempt and she sees every flaw, so out of charity to her I won't post the pictures. The pair she is working on now are from the Gainford book, and are in a design called "small shepherd's check." (There is also a pattern for a large shepherd's check, which would essentially be the diced hose we are all familiar with -- maybe my next pair!).

For this pair I selected a nice off white color called "natural heather" and a brown called "mink brown." I think the combination is very earthy and will go well with many of my kilts. As a proud husband, I thought I'd show a photo of her work in progress, along with a quote from the Dowager Lady Gainford.

"A certain young man came to stay in Scotland for some shooting and a highland ball. He arrived wearing machine made stockings with plain ribbed tops. So shocking was this to his host's family, that two daughters of the house got to work immediately with wool and needles, and within twenty four hours had made him a pair with good design, so that he could appear properly dressed. Nothing else would have been thought decent or correct. What the young man thought on this occasion is not revealed." -- from her 1978 forward, relating a story told her by one of the knitters whose pattern appeared in the book.

New Beaver Sporran

2007-09-07T18:43:00.000-05:00

The above lovely critter is my new sporran from the Ferguson Britt collection. It was hand made by L. Adron Britt, master sporran maker. Some of you who have attended some of the Highland Games here in the American southeast may have seen some of his creations.

We are now carrying his line of sporrans through the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop. Click here to see his sporrans. The introduction of his line represents a continuation of our efforts to showcase the finest examples of quality Highland dress. In this case we are especially proud not only to carry the work of a semi-local artisan, but also to make available to our clients the best that hand crafted tradition has to offer. Adron's leatherworking skill is apparent to anyone who has the good fortune to handle one of his unique creations.

The sporran above I just had to have for myself! The fur is beaver from Quebec, which is naturally dark in color (almost black). It is paired here with black deer hide for the all-leather cantle and black elk braids. I've dealt with sporrans in many different furs, including rabbit, seal, badger, fox and muskrat. But I have to say that nothing in my experience compares to the softness of beaver.

When I bought this sporran my initial thought was that it would be reserved mostly for formal occasions. But I've found myself wearing it casually quite often. It helps had a certain "flair" to my standard daily kilt wearing. Maybe it's because it's the newest sporran in my collection... or maybe it's the irresistible feel of the beaver fur. But I find myself reaching for this one most often in the mornings getting dressed.

The Ferguson Britt collection features many different styles of sporrans, all historically inspired. Some are all leather, some incorporate fur. This one is called the Glengyle, and can be had with or without fur -- and he has some nice furs to offer right now, including some unusual varieties such as bobcat, and even (for a limited time) Japanese fallow deer! Most of them sell in the same price range as one expects in a high quality dress sporran. But unlike most commercially available dress sporrans, one can instantly tell that these were made by an artists, and not spat out by a factory.

Below are some thumbnail images showing different shots of my new sporran. I keep saying to people that you just have to see these in person to appreciate the quality of them, so these close-up shots are my attempt to convey that. If this post sounds like a Ferguson Britt commercial, it is! I'm just really impressed with the quality of this item, and when I find something as nice as this I want to pass it on to the rest of the Highland dress community.

The back is made from deer hide.

The cantle is all-leather. I forget how many layers he said are in it, but it is thick! Very solid, and the elk hide braid detail is especially nice.

The inside is lined with elk suede.

And the pouch itself is more than ample. I normally carry my wallet, work keys, home/car keys, cell phone, and spare change with ease. When I need to add my checkbook (with it's thick leather cover), it easily fits in, as well.

All in all, I recommend any sporran from this line to someone who wants something unique, historically inspired, suitable for casual or formal wear, historic or modern, and who can appreciate true hand crafted quality (which is getting harder and harder to find these days!).

One of my kilts on Ebay!

2007-09-06T07:07:00.001-05:00

No, I'm not the seller. But this is a kilt that I have made for someone in the past, which someone informed me is being auctioned off at Ebay.

It's a MacDonald modern, box pelated kilt, made from Lochcarron's 16 oz strome cloth. 42" waist and 23" length. The "buy it now" price is $250.

Base cost for most of my box pleated kilts is $350, so this is a good deal for anyone interested. Auction ends Sept. 10, so anyone interested follow this link.

Another Milestone

2007-08-17T20:45:00.000-05:00

This weathered Gordon box pleated beauty above, made for Turpin Ballard (proprietor of Thorfinn's Sporrans), represents another Milestone in my kiltmaking carier. It's the 200th kilt I have made! It was only September 27th of last year that I posted on this blog of my 100th kilt. At that time, I listed out all 100 tartans (and a few non-tartans) of the kilts I had made. I didn't anticipate that such a list would generate much interest, but a lot of you seem to have gotten a kick out of seeing the variety in the list (or finding where your tartan stood on the list, I suppose).

So, in keeping with that tradition, here is the second "century" of my kilts. As was the case with the first 100, the great majority of these have been box pleated kilts made from heavy weight cloth. There were a few five yard knife pleated kilts and a couple of lady's skirts thrown into the mix, but most of these were four yard box pleaters.

101. Galbraith ancient
102. Hay hunting ancient
103. MacDonald modern
104. Scott hunting ancient
105. Paisley ancient
106. County Kerry
107. Lamont weathered
108. MacKenzie modern
109. Red Gordon weathered
110. Gunn ancient
111. German National
112. Lovat Blue tweed
113. Charcoal tweed
114. Dunlop modern
115. MacNeil modern
116. Ferguson ancient
117. Federal Memorial
118. Rob Roy (movie tartan)
119. Grant Hunting ancient
120. Grant Hunting ancient
121. Grant Hunting ancient
122. Grant Hunting ancient
123. Peeper
124. MacKinnon Hunting ancient
125. MacPherson Hunting (Harris Tweed)
126. German National
127. Carolina modern
128. MacKenzie modern
129. Fitzgibbon
130. Cuming Hunting modern
131. Hunting Stewart, regimental
132. Sackett
133. Irvine ancient
134. X Marks the Scot
135. Hunting Brodie weathered
136. Black Watch, regimental
137. MacGregor modern
138. Drummond of Perth modern
139. Maxwell modern
140. Lovat Blue Harris Tweed
141. Fraser of Lovat
142. Henderson weathered
143. MacDonald weathered
144. Carnegie ancient
145. Moncrieff ancient
146. Ross Hunting weathered
147. Maxwell modern
148. Ulster (brown)
149. MacCormick
150. MacCormick
151. Lamont ancient
152. Hamilton modern
153. Hamilton modern
154. MacDonald of Glencoe
155. Bryce
156. MacGregor weathered
157. Harris Tweed (blue, green & tan check)
158. Harris Tweed (lovat green)
159. Iowa
160. MacLaren ancient
161. Fitzsimmons
162. Harris Tweed (blue, green & brown check)
163. US Bicentennial (US St. Andrews)
164. Austin/Keith ancient
165. County Fermanaugh
166. Sutherland modern
167. Isle of Skye
168. MacDonald of Clanranald ancient
169. Lamont modern
170. MacFarlane hunting modern
171. MacLean of Duart modern
172. Campbell ancient
173. Saffron
174. Lamont ancient
175. Blue Alba
176. Boyd modern
177. Watson ancient
178. Watson ancient
179. Matheson modern
180. Watson ancient
181. Watson ancient
182. Davidson modern
183. MacKenzie, regimental
184. MacDonald of the Isles hunting, modern
185. MacDonald modern
186. MacGregor ancient
187. County Limerick
188. MacKenzie modern
189. Ulster (brown)
190. MacGregor ancient
191. Smith modern
192. MacIan/MacDonald of Ardnamurchan modern
193. Duke of Rothesay Hunting
194. Stuart of Bute
195. Greene
196. X Marks the Scot
197. Henderson muted
198. brown Harris Tweed
199. blue Harris Tweed
200. Gordon weathered!

Update on a National Register

2007-07-10T05:50:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been over a month since my last post here! All I can say is that I've been busy making kilts for folks, so that's a good thing if you have ordered a kilt from me -- a bad thing if you enjoy reading my blog! Seeing as my kilt clients pay me more than my blog readers, you'll forgive me for not being that attentive to this little corner of the internet of late...

In any case, I felt the need to post about the latest update on the proposed national tartan register in Scotland. The Scotsman newspaper has an article on the subject in today's edition:
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1072292007

It seems that things are moving forward, and I was pleased to see the Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) getting good mention. (They also make mention of "a smaller list ... in Dunkeld" which I assume is this one.) STA director of operations, Brian Wilton, is quoted extensively.

Many are under the impression that one of these other tartan databases is the "official" one, but the reality is that these two, and all prior to them, are private entities with no government sanction whatsoever. The purpose behind having a government register is really to give some clarity to the situation that currently exists with multiple tartan recording bodies. It may not put an end to them all, but at least once would be able to say, this one is the recognized National Register, and any others are not.

However, I always thought it would be somewhat daft of the Scottish government to attempt to create a new register altogether. Why reinvent the wheel? Unless neither of the two current recording bodies are doing a competant job (here we are talking about the STA and the Scottish Tartans World Register -- the Scottish Tartans Society ceased to maintain their Register some seven years ago), there is no need to create a third. My feelings have been that the government would be better served selecting one of the existing bodies and giving it their "blessing" as the official National Register.

And I think the International Tartan Index, maintained by the STA, is the obvious choice. Why do I say that? It has nothing to do with favoritism or personal opinion, just pramatism. The ITI currently contains over 4500 unique tartan designs. (Some may note that new tartans are being assigned numbers upwards of 7000 -- this is because when a tartan is removed from the ITI for whatever reason, be it a record that is in error or a duplicate entry, that number is not reissued; hence the oft-cited lower number of 4500 tartans, give or take). The STWR claims on their web site to have some 2600. So the ITI is the more complete of the two databases.

Also, the ITI would seem to be the industry standard. In my line of work at the museum, I am in contact with most major tartan producers in Scotland, and the bulk of them record their new tartans designs with the STA, and rely upon the STA for tartan information. If the government wants to sanction a tartan register, you want it to be one that the folks that make tartan actually use.

Lastly, to the best of my knowledge the STWR is operated by a single couple. And though they may be doing a wonderful job, it's just the two of them. And none of us will be around forever. Whereas the STA is operated by a board of governers made up of a cross-section of those both in the tartan industry and in tartan academia, with a membership body existing in the UK, USA, and elsewhere. It would seem that they have the structure in place to ensure continued existance well into the future.

All of this is simply my opinion, for what it's worth. I wonder if any Scottish MPs read my blog?

I will end by just commention on how painful it is to read the comments people feel the need to post on The Scotsman's web site any time they run an article on tartan. It just goes to show that ignorance is still rampant regarding this subject. The first comment I read posted after the article this morning stated that the Court of the Lord Lyon was the official government register of tartan. Of course this is not the case, as you can read on the Lord Lyon's web site.

However, you cannot blame the person for their ignorance. I recently found a book on tartan published in 2005 that still made the claim that in order for a tartan to be "real" it must be recorded by Lord Lyon, and that you could be charged with a 25 pound fine if you are caught in Scotland wearing an "unofficial" tartan -- seriously!

With any luck, having a National Register may put at least some of this nonsense to rest.

Gatlinburg Games & New Sgian Dubh

2007-05-22T13:47:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I attended the Gatlinburg Scottish Festival and Highland Games. These are some of my favorite. A nice, mid-sized games with friendly people, and since I've been going there for about ten years staight, I know the layout and the area pretty well. Good to see familiar faces. Also good to see some of my kilts getting good use. I ran into two gentlemen sporting kilts I had made for them over this past year. The one pictured below is in the Moffat tartan. (That's Pat McCabe behind him, star of my "Sharp Dressed Man" blog post).

This next picture shows the Buchanan Old tartan, weathered colors. I really like this one. I think if I were a Buchanan this would be the tartan of choice for me! Both of these two kilts are box pleated, as you can see, and made from Lochcarron's 16 oz Strome cloth.

Also while there I ran into Donnie Shearer of www.TheMadPiper.com. Donnie does some excellent work with blades, including some restoration work on a couple of peices in the Scottish Tartans Museum. I was hoping to see him so that he could take a look at an old Victorian by-knife that I bought from an antiques dealer about a year ago. It was being sold as a sgian dubh, and apparantly someone had decided at some point to use it for that purpose. A by-knife is part of the knife and fork set that is part of the sheath on some dress dirks. This one was by itself, and was housed in a leather sheath that really seemed too large for it.

I bought it to use as an interesting sgian dubh, and have worn it for that purpose a few times over the past year. However, the sheath nearly swallows the knife whole, only showing the top part of the handle, and is very bulky in my sock. I thought I'd have Donnie craft a smaller, simple, black leather sheath that would encase just the blade and make the knife more comfortable to wear.

So I showed the by-knife to Donnie and asked him if he could make a sheath for it. "No," he said, "I'll make you a whole new sgian dubh!" As it turns out, Donnie has a nineteenth century dirk that is missing the by-knife and this is just the perfect thing to complete that set. So, in exchange for this by-knife, he's making me a new sgian dubh, a reproduction of one that he refurbished for the museum a while back (pictured below). This one has a bery generously sized handle (compared to modern sgians dubh), and is carved blackwood. It dates from the late 1800s or early 1900s (before WWI). (The gentleman in the photo, by the way, is the original owner of the sgian dubh, as far as we know).

So all in all a great weekend. The weather was perfect, lots of kilts, lots of tartans, good pipe bands, and I may be getting a nice new sgian dubh to boot!

Tartan Day at the Tartan Museum

2007-04-09T06:37:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, April 6, was National Tartan Day. We celebrated it at the Scottish Tartans Museum in our customary fashion with an Open House. Free admission all day, guided tours, and a complimentary luncheon of hand made Scottish foods offered by members of the Friends of the Scottish Tartans Museum.

Here are just a few pictures of the day's activities. Below is Jim Akins helping himself to a snack. Jim will be familiar to those of you who visit the museum on Saturdays. He and his wife Kathie are our "weekend warriors." Jim is wearing a box pleated kilt in the Gordon tartan, which I made for him from an old regimental piper's plaid.

We had lots of kilties visiting from out of town. Below are Ryan Ross and Bisel MacWilliams. These young guys always help us out at the Stone Mountain Highland Games in Atlanta each year. Obviously they decided to dress up in their finest Scottish formal wear for Tartan Day... or not! You can't accuse these guys of taking themselves too seriously. Ryan is wearing the New York City tartan, by the way (box pleated kilt that I made for him) and Bisel is in the ancient Gunn tartan, a kilt he bought from the museum years ago.

Next is a shot of the gift shop, where we had the food tables spread out. Enjoying themselves are a couple of kilties from the X Marks the Scot forum who drove up from SC for the day. John (better known on the forum as MacWages) is wearing a newly completed Carolina tartan kilt that he made himself. He brought with him the infamous "Dreadbelly" whom forum members will instantly recognize. After meeting him, I can truly say he is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, wearing sunglasses! :-)

Wayne Millar (of the Clan Bell Society) also joined us for the day and was even drafted into service as a volunteer tour guide. Thanks, Wayne! I included this picture to show off his new US Army kilt, which he ordered from us last summer. It looks especially sharp pleated to the yellow line, as you can see in this side-shot.

Last but not least, here is a shot of yours truly. I wore my Carolina kilt with my hew Harris Tweed jacket and vest (yes, it was cold enough for it!) - click to make the wee image bigger!

Balmoral Kilt Hose

2007-03-29T19:18:00.000-05:00

I thought some of you might appreciate a closer look at the Balmoral kilt hose I mentioned in my last post. These are a really great way to add a bit of uniqueness to any Highland outfit, and depending upon the color selection, can serve just as well for both casual and formal occasions.

For those interested, we are now offering these through the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop. They retail for $135. I know for some this is a bit pricey, but remember that each pair is custom made, and the tops of these are entirely hand knit. And these are still priced well below the going rate for custom Argyle knit hose. In fact, these are a great "in-between" hose -- not as formal or costly as the full Argyle, but above and beyond just the plain solid hose.

Here is how it works. You select your own combination of up to 5 colors (the body of the sock, the two colors of the basket weave, and the two colors of the stripes at the base of the fold-over). You can select from any of the seventeen colors available in the Lewis hose we also sell. We will also need to know your shoe size, of course. Your hose will then be specially made for you (please allow several weeks!).

I'm wearing my pair here with a set of traditional garter ties, which are recommended as they come in the same color selection. However, standard garters would work just as well.

Just like the Lewis hose, the Balmoral hose are made from a 50% Merino wool (extra soft!), 50% Acrylic blend that is both comfortable as well as easy to care for. I wash mine with my other kilt hose in the machine in cold water on the gentle cycle, and allow to air dry. Also like the Lewis hose, these are made extra strong at the toe and heel for an extra long life.

To order yours, you can call the museum's gift shop at (828)524-7472, or just order on line. They are listed about mid-way down our kilt hose page.

Web Site Back Up & New Goodies

2007-03-29T18:16:00.000-05:00

Those of you who tried to access my web site (or this blog) late yesterday or the first part of today will have noticed that the site was down. Since you are reading this now, obviously everything is back up just fine. The issue, it seems, was one of bandwidth. It seems that the traffic on my site had exceeded my monthly bandwidth allotment.

This has happened to me only once before, about a year ago or so, and I simply bought more bandwidth to fix the problem. I thought at the time that I was purchasing enough to handle whatever traffic my wee little site might generate. I guess I was wrong!

Without getting into specific traffic stats, albanach.org and its dependant sites (such as kilts.albanach.org and this blog at blog.albanach.org) have been slowly but steadily growing in popularity. Over the course of the past year, my monthly average bandwidth use has more or less doubled. However, for some reason that I have yet to figure out, this past month has been a different story. My bandwidth for March increased by a factor of ten! It was such a dramatic rise that I thought for sure it must be some kind of glitch, or maybe a hacker had gotten in and sabotaged my site!

But, no, I was assured by those who know more about this stuff than I do that such was not the case. I really am getting that much more traffic. So for a few extra pennies a month I've upgraded to a new hosting plan that will hopefully be able to handle the volume of traffic this site has been getting. By the way, thank all of you who have enjoyed my site and chosen to share it with others!

And, just so there is something kilt related in this post, I thought I'd share with you some photos of my latest kilt goodies.

Here I am sporting my brand new Harris Tweed kilt jacket and vest, that you read about in a previous post. I couldn't be happier with this purchase. It fits well, and looks great with most of my tartans. Here I am wearing it with my Mull tartan kilt. I've also worn it with my Armstrong, Carolina, and MacQuarrie (Cockburn Collection, muted colors) and it looks great with each. It came in while the weather was still cool, so I got a few chances to wear it before the warm temperatures arrived. I know I'll be getting a lot of use out of it come Fall.

Also, recently, some Balmoral kilt hose I ordered came in from Hawick. These hose are fantastic! The sock itself is made the same was as our Lewis kilt hose (follow the above link), from a Merino Wool / Acrylic blend. Very soft, very comfortable, very high quality (and easy to care for). But the upper is completely hand knit in the colors of your choosing, to tone with your tartan. You design your own look. Below is a pair I designed for wear with my Carolina tartan kilt. I chose the brown hose to tie in with my brown leather accessories, and I think the effect is quite pleasing.

Lastly, below I am pictured with my partner-in-crime at the Museum, Ronan MacGregor. My hose were designed to match my Mull kilt, and Ronan selected his colors to wear with his Black MacGregor tartan (a personal variation of the MacGregor sett that he had woven for his kilt).

"International Tartans" At It Again

2007-03-23T19:04:00.000-05:00

Oh dear.... International Tartans, specifically the man behind that company (David McGill), is at it again. If you recall, he's the gentleman who brought us the North and South Carolina tartans that I wrote about in this past blog entry.

Well, I've recently been made aware of a complete redesign of his web site. (Which was desperately needed -- the old one was simply impossible to navigate). And he seems to be promoting his new tartans with full force. His new site, however lovely it looks, also serves to generate some more confusion.

For instance, the "Prayer for Tartans" that he gives on his main page he tells us was "composed by Andrew Hill, Minister of St. Mark’s, the home for Unitarians in Edinburgh." Then he tells us that it is an old Gaelic poem that dates to the mid-eighteenth century. Then he tells us it was "translated by the late John Macdonald of Kyles, North Uist." So, already I am confused. Is it a traditional 18th century Gaelic poem later translated by John Macdonald? Or was it composed by this Unitarian minister? Or what? No matter -- one can't let the facts get in the way of great poetry (and the kind that sells tartan to boot!)

For tartan is for all clans,/ For all races,/ For all nations,/ People without end,/
Everywhere! Everywhere!/ Everywhere!

Classic. But the really fun stuff is deeper in his pages. For instance, he has this page, which is oddly enough entitled "Health Warning." On it, he warns "Those who value democracy should always be on the lookout for organisations who claim be an 'authority' on tartans, or people who try to tell you what is an 'official' tartan." Now I'm not saying that tartan is not a contentious subject for some, but to claim that those who claim to be authorities on tartan are somehow endangering democracy may be overstating thing slightly... hmmm? (And how is this supposed to be hazardous to our health?)

But he goes on: "At the moment no-one, other than you as a member of the general public has any 'authority' over tartan, and there is no agreed definition for what is or is not official." Well isn't that good to know! Only you, gentle tartan wearer, have any authority over tartan. No one can tell you what is an official tartan other than you. If you think the Buchanan tartan would make a better MacGregor tartan than the ones that such dubious "authorities" as the clan chief would have you wear, go for it! When the Buchanans complain that you've stolen their tartan, tell them that you are the only authority! Viva la revolucion!

Is McGill's Protestantisation of the Tartan tradition really a call for general kilted anarchy or are his goals more specific? Read on, for he writes: "Public bodies, by adopting a tartan such as, for example a US State, are not making that tartan official or exercising any authority, they are merely making it a State symbol in the same way as they make a reptile or flower a State symbol." Aha! He's not so much talking about clan tartans as he is district tartans, specifically US State tartans. You see, some US states have been uppity enough to go and pass legislature adopting tartans on their own, with complete disregard to the ones that McGill has so generously designed for them! Shame on them! And what gives these states the idea that by merely adopting a tartan as a state symbol they somehow have the "authority" to make it the "official" state tartan?! Don't they realize that only you, the individual tartan wearer, have that authority???

Mr. McGill, please tell us more: "The Scottish Tartans Society, including its branch and museum in North Carolina, which was at one time universally recognised as the unofficial 'authority' on tartans, is now defunct." Allow me to suspend my thinly-veiled sarcasm at this point to interject some facts. Yes, the Scottish Tartans Society (STS) was at one point effectively recognized as the unofficial authority on tartans by virtue of the fact that they were the only organized, central body attempting to collect and maintain any kind of public register of tartan designs. Yes, they are now no longer operating in any meaningful way. However, their "branch museum in North Carolina" is anything but "defunct." The Scottish Tartans Museum of Franklin, NC, has for some time maintained operations quite independently of the STS and continues to do so. I know. I'm the general manager (and probably the cause of Mr. McGill's ire). We are doing quite well, despite Mr. McGill's claims to the contrary. Please come see us! Unlike International Tartans, which lists only a PO Box in Edinburgh and doesn't seem to have a physical location beyond the internet, our brick-and-mortar museum is open to the public year round, six days a week. Moving on....

The last "health warning" that McGill gives us is this: "The Scottish Tartans Authority was also established in the wake of the Scottish Tartans Society. They are a membership organisation which is effectively controlled by commercial interests. They provide the 'Scottish Tartan Index' on their website." First of all, it's called the International Tartan Index, not the "Scottish Tartan Index." If you are going to criticize someone, at least get their name right. (Of course, in the paragraph before this he praises the "Scottish World Tartans Register " which is actually called the "Scottish Tartans World Register" -- but how important can minor details such as names be?) Frankly, the criticism that the STA is "controlled by commercial interests" is getting a bit stale. I mean, yes, their membership is composed of most of the major tartan producers in the industry. But tartan is an industry. How on earth someone could try and maintain any kind of body or organization devoted to tartan and not involve the people producing it is beyond me. Historically speaking, tartan has always been an industry -- first as a textile produced in weavers' cottages on a local level, and then progressing up to larger scale production. But it has always been a commodity and so much of the "tartan lore" that we take for granted now has been industry driven. To try to completely separate "tartan academia" from "tartan industry" is absurd.

And the STA has its fair share of tartan academics among members, as well -- Peter MacDonald, author of The 1819 Key Pattern Book: 100 Original Tartans, and recognized expert on Wilsons of Bannockburn and nineteenth century tartan; Jamie Scarlett, regarded by many as the world's foremost living expert on tartan, author of numerous books on the topic; Phil Smith, long time advocate of tartan studies in the USA, and author of Tartan For Me and co-author of District Tartans. Point being, take a tour through the STA's pages and see for yourself who looks more vested in commercial interests, the STA or "International Tartans."

It is ironic that while he seems to be heavily critical of "commercial interests" McGill's web site is itself really just an on-line store. He lists all the tartans that he has designed, advertises himself as a tartan designer, and gives a price list for products you can buy in his tartans. It's all set up to sell tartans. Which is just fine. Goodness knows there is no shortage of web sites out there selling tartans. Our museum's gift shop site is one of them -- if we did not have the ability to sell tartan products, our museum could not be funded. So rather than be critical of "commercial interests" as McGill is, I have no problem with people trying to make a living from tartan cloth.

And under ordinary circumstances I'd commend Mr. McGill and give him my support! For someone to design a corpus of their own tartans, and then have those tartans produced in various goods, and make them available to the public -- well, that's quite an enterprise and it takes someone with a lot of creativity, design skills, marketing skills, and also involves significant financial risks, I imagine. So I'd say bravo to him. So why, then, do I cringe every time I hear of "International Tartans?" It is because I hold some of his methods to be, frankly, misleading at worst, and dishonest at best.

Let's look at some of the tartans he has designed. Starting in Scotland, he has produced an Ayrshire district tartan. You can see it here. He designed it in 1999, according to him, at the request of the Provost of the South Ayrshire Council. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Not until you realize that Phil Smith designed an Ayrshire district tartan in 1988 at the request of the Clans Cunnigham and Boyd (both Ayrshire clans). Look at it. Now, the tartans are not identical, but they are close enough in design that, if I were Phil Smith, I'd be more than a little upset. Both have equal portions of green and blue, separated by a darker color (black in McGill's brown in Smith's), with yellow lines on the green. In Smith's there are red lines on the blue while McGill uses purple. Like I said, not identical, but just very similar. And were I to design a tartan for a district when there was already a preexisting tartan for the same place, I'd try and make it as different as possible to avoid confusion. McGill obviously thinks otherwise.

While some of McGill's tartans are unique, in many cases he has seen fit to design tartans where one already exists. For example, he has designed a new Fife district tartan, despite the fact that the Fife (Duke of Fife) tartan has been around for nearly 130 years. He's designed a US Navy tartan, despite the fact that the Edzell tartan (designed in 1986) has been widely accepted as a tartan for the US Navy for years. He's designed a German National tartan, despite the fact that Doug Ikleman designed a German National tartan in 1995.

Technically, McGill is perfectly within his rights to design these tartans. Neither the US Navy tartan, nor the German National tartan, for instance, have ever been formally recognized by the bodies that they are supposed to represent. So McGill, or anyone else for that matter, is perfectly free to design a different tartan and call it the same thing. But when a tartan has been around for a while (for well over a century in the case of the Fife tartan!) and is widely available (both the Fife and US Navy tartans are produced by major Scottish tartan mills and supported from stock), one has to wonder if it is a prudent thing to design another tartan of the same name? Or are you just adding to the confusion?

Things get even worse when we come to the US State tartans he has designed. Some of them are for states that previously have had no tartan. For instance, Missouri. To the best of my knowledge, there is no other preexisting Missouri tartan. But McGill gives very little information about this on his site. He simply says it was "Commissioned by Bonbright Wollens of Woodland Hills, CA." One has to ask, was anyone from Missouri actually involved in the design? Did anyone from Missouri ask for it? Are any efforts being made to get the tartan recognized by the Missouri government? I suspect not. Todd Wilkinson, Public Information officer for the Scottish St. Andrew's Society of Springfield, Missouri, forwarded to me an email he received from Mr. McGill looking for someone who might be interested in using "Missouri's tartan" in their next Kirkin' of the Tartan ceremony. Interesting that the Public Information officer for the St. Andrew's Society in one of Missouri's major cities would have never have heard of "Missouri's tartan." (Just for the record, I know Todd. He's a well-informed guy, extremely active in the Scottish-American community. If Missouri had a tartan, I'd expect him to be the first to know.)

This reminded me of a confused phone call I received some time in early 2004 (if memory serves) from a woman working at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh (our state's capital). They had been displaying the Carolina tartan for years, she said, but a "man from Scotland" had recently come by and dropped off samples of material that he said was "the North Carolina tartan" and left people there horribly confused. "This tartan doesn't look anything like the Carolina tartan we are familiar with," she told me. "Is there another tartan for North Carolina that we didn't know about? Have we been wrong in showing the Carolina tartan?"

No, I assured her. The Carolina tartan was formally adopted by the State of NC in 1991 and is the correct tartan for the state. I told her I had never even heard of this other tartan, and being a museum, in North Carolina, dedicated to tartan, you'd think we would have known about it. You'd think people in the Raleigh museum would have known about it, as well.

I did a little on-line research after that and found David McGill's previous web site promoting his tartans, where he claimed to be able to issue "a Certificate of Right and Obligation in his capacity as Custodian of the designs and appoints the bearers (and wearers) of the tartans and checks Armigers," and that the North Carolina tartan was "registered… for the sons and daughters of the state…, their heirs and successors, and all those people who are granted association with the state."

My main problem with all this at the time was simply that North Carolina already had an officially recognized state tartan, the Carolina tartan, adopted in 1991. By creating and promoting this new "North Carolina" tartan, with utter disregard for the fact that North Carolina already had an official tartan, he was doing an injustice. Furthermore the language that he was using on his web site, while signifying absolutely nothing, was so high-falutin' (to use a North Carolina term!) that it made it sound as if the North Carolina tartan he designed had more status than it actually did. This was the main complaint I made in a March, 2005, article I wrote for the Scottish Banner newspaper.

The article wasn't really about McGill at all, but rather about the fact that some tartans have been officially recognized and others have not, and I used as an example the official Carolina tartan v. the unofficial North Carolina tartan towards the end of the article. In response, I received a very long, very incoherent, and (to be frank) somewhat disturbing letter from Mr. McGill, which I commented upon briefly in this blog post of June 11, 2006. I chose to ignore the letter and move on.

Well, it seems with his new updated web site, Mr. McGill is changing his tune a little. On his page promoting the North Carolina tartan, he readily admits that the Carolina tartan is the one that has been officially adopted by the state legislature. However, he claims that this tartan is "mysteriously named and even more mysteriously provenanced" (whatever that means), and he tells us that he was commissioned to design this tartan by "the late Charles of Flatbranch, NC" who was "dissatisfied with the fact" that the Carolina tartan has been adopted by the state and wanted to "provide the state with its own symbol."

In other words, someone (whose last name isn't even given) from NC didn't like the tartan that the sate legislature selected and so had another one designed to suit his own fancy. And we are supposed to buy into this why? McGill tells us why! Because his tartan "was created to strengthen the bonds of kinship between the peoples of Scotland and the State of North Carolina, and for the benefit and well-being of the people of the State of North Carolina." So you see, it's all for our benefit and well-being! It's for our health, I suppose!

McGill's tartan, he tells us, is "The tartan for all true North Carolinians." Is he honestly suggesting that those of us that don't buy into his scheme to usurp the actual state tartan are not true North Carolinians! I'd be tempted to laugh if I wasn't aware that all too many people will read his words and take them seriously.

He goes on: "Although attempts have been made to discredit it by some with a vested interest in the Carolina tartan, the North Carolina was warmly welcomed by Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and has proved to be popular with ‘Tarheels’ everywhere." Ok, maybe it's just my ego, but I can't help but think he means me here. What my "vested interest in the Carolina tartan" is I have no idea. I certainly don't own stock in it! Our museum's gift shop does have a small amount of yard goods in cotton in the Carolina tartan. But that's it, and once that's gone there are no plans to weave more. If anyone wanted a kilt, or cloth in the Carolina tartan I'd be happy to provide it, but it would have to be custom woven for them. And I'm happy to provide that service for any tartan that is requested, so long as it is not protected by copyright.

And one good example of a copyrighted tartan that I could not provide is the North Carolina tartan, that is copyrighted by McGill. If anyone wants it, it has to be purchased through him. Talk about a vested interest! In fact, I did have one visitor to our museum want this North Carolina tartan. He knew it wasn't the official tartan of the state, but he wanted it anyway. He liked it, and that's just fine. I told him I couldn't get the cloth for him, that he could only order it through Bonbright Woolens in CA (which according to the International Tartans web site at the time, was licensed to sell McGill's tartans in the USA). I was happy to make the referral. I even let him use the museum's phone to make the order!

In fact I was standing right next to him when he called and was told that the fabric was in stock and would ship in two to four weeks. A couple of months later, when he still had not received it, he called again and was told that it was out of stock and there were no plans to reweave it, so his order was cancelled. Oops!

In any case, my only "vested interest" in the Carolina tartan is educational. The people of North Carolina should know that their state does have an official tartan, formally adopted as a state symbol, and they should be proud of that. They need to know that this latter "North Carolina" tartan is simply a fashion design and has no status whatsoever with the state. These are simply the facts. It doesn't matter to me what tartan people wear, but they ought to know the facts.

Laughably, McGill ends his write-up on the North Carolina tartan by quoting me, of all people! From the introduction to my Compendium of District Tartans, he quotes me speaking of a tartan becoming de facto "official" through "wont and usage." This is a term that is used to describe what can happen to a tartan, such as the Duke of Fife tartan, when it has been arouund for so long and in common use for so long that it is generally accepted as an official tartan, even though it may in fact have no official recognition. To apply this to a tartan newly designed in 2003, for a state that has had an officially recognized tartan since 1991, is just absurd.

Even though McGill claims that his tartan is "popular with Tarheels everywhere" I frankly have not seen the evidence of this. The confused phone call from the lady at the NC Museum of History and the single customer asking for the tartan, both of which I mentioned to you above, have been the only two people to ever ask me about this tartan in the four years since its inception. We are a tartan museum actually located in North Carolina, and we get to many of the Highland Games in our state and other Scottish events. I'm not saying that some people in NC are not using McGill's tartan. I'm just saying that if it was widely popular I'd probably know about it. The true Carolina tartan, on the other hand, is used by at least two pipe bands in the state (the Cross Creek Pipes and Drums, and the NC State Pipe Band), by at least one NC Scottish Society that I am aware of (the Catawba Valley Scottish Society), and I frequently see it worn by private individuals at various NC Scottish events. Last year the Carolina tartan was included in a book about the state published by the NC State department. If you want to speak of "wont and usage" these are all good examples.

And what about Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, whom McGill says "warmly welcomed" his new tartan? All I can say is that if you go to the Secretary of State's web site and look up the General Session of the State Assembly from 1991, you'll read this statement: "The Carolina Tartan is adopted as the official tartan of the State of North Carolina. (1991, c. 85, s. 1.)." And that's really all there is to it.

And the end of the day, this is what I make of the new International Tartans web site. McGill seems to realize and finally admit that there is no provenance for his new North Carolina tartan. So he's changed his strategy from trying to convince people that his tartan is in any way official, and now is instead attempting to do away with the very idea that a tartan can even be "official." You, he says, the tartan wearing publc, are the only ones who have any authority over tartan. And it seems obvious that he wants you to use your "authority" in support of his designs.

I'm not impressed. The Carolina tartan is an official symbol of our state, like the dogwood flower, the cardinal (our state bird), or our flag. Having this man from Edinburgh design a new tartan, question the very validity of our state tartan, and attempt to supplant it with his own, is rather like a man from Germany deciding that the edelweiss should really be the state flower of North Carolina instead of that silly dogwood! Ridiculous!

The problem is that many people will be impressed with McGill's presentation simply because he is a Scot. But being Scottish no more makes you an expert on tartan than being an American makes you an expert on baseball. The fact is, David McGill is an architecht. He may be a very qualified architecht, I have no way of knowing. But this doesn't make him an authority on tartans, Scottish accent or not.

The truth that I hope everyone reading this takes with them is this -- there is, and always has been, horrible confusion in the world of tartan-lore. The few tartan scholars that are out there work long and hard (often for little or no reward!) to try to clear up these misconceptions. But new confusion is sewn, it seems, just about every day. Ultimately the serious wearer of tartan needs to take the responsibility to do his own research. Don't beleive everything you read. Double check the facts, and find out for yourself.

And if you find someone whom you believe is engaging in a campaign of misinformation, call them on it!

No Offical Maine State Tartan

2007-03-15T06:25:00.000-05:00

The Maine tartan has been in the news recently as the result of a lawsuit brought about by the copyright holders against L. L. Bean for using it, without permission, in their line of "Americana" shirts for men. You can read about it here.

The Maine tartan was designed in 1964 by Sol Gilis, of Nova Scotia, at the request of a Mainer. Originally it was produced by the Maine Spinning Company, which has since gone out of business. Around 1987 it was revived by the Maine Tartan and Tweed Company, who obtained the copyright. And that copyright has been closely guarded. I know from personal correspondence that when Dr. Gordon Teal of Teallach, and Dr. Philip D. Smith Jr., wrote their District Tartans book in 1992 there was some issue over them being able to include a picture of the Maine tartan. And the Maine tartan is one of the only ones in the International Tartan Index that specifically states that it is included with permission of the copyright holders.

Being designed in 1964 it is definitely the oldest tartan designed for a US state. It's still being worn by the Maine St. Andrews Pipes and Drums. (You can see pictures here). And there is a good close-up image of the Maine tartan on this list of state symbols.

Which raises a question -- is the Maine tartan actually an official state symbol? Aside from a newspapaer clipping from The Glasgow Herald dated December 30, 1965, stating that it had been "duly accredited by the State of Maine," there is no evidence to suggest it was ever formally adopted.

Due to "copyright issues" surrounding the Maine tartan, in 2001 the St. Andrews Society of Maine deicded to create a new tartan for the state, which they call the Maine Dirigo tartan (click for image). Dirigo is the state motto, and means "I lead." They contacted state officials, who did some research and could come up with absolutely no record of the original Maine tartan ever being officially adopted. So a move was put forward to have the new Maine Dirigo tartan adopted as the official tartan of the state.

According to the notes for that tartan appearing in the International Tartan Index (STA), it was "adopted as the state tartan 15th January 2001 in State House, Augusta, Maine." And this is what I have assumed to be true... until this morning.

News reports about the current controversy surrounding the original Maine tartan and L. L. Bean have generated a lot of discussion about the Maine tartans. So I was doing a bit more research on line this morning, and came across this reference to the Maine Dirigo tartan on the state government's web site, regarding the 120th First Regular Session of the Maine State Legislature.

Apparantly, the motion to have the Dirigo tartan officially adopted by the state may have been brought before the legislature on January 15 of 2001, but a decision was not formally made until February 13 of that year, and that decision was "Ought Not to Pass."

This is very interesting! Needless to say, it contradicts the "recieved wisdom" about this tartan, but this is not all that unusual. There are simply too many tartans out there, and too few serious tartan researchers, to expect 100% accuracy in all the tartan information that is available. So it is hardly surprising to discover that mistakes have been made. This is exactly why the STA has this statement in the introduction to their International Tartan Index on-line:

"The huge ITI has been compiled from very many sources and its accuracy is only
as good as that provided by those sources. What this means is that despite two
years of continued research and correcting, it is most certainly not free of
inherited inaccuracies and at times, a complete lack of any recorded details at
all! We hold out great hope that you, the viewers, will contact us with
corrections or additional information on any tartans about which you have a
specialist knowledge. Your input will be added to the ongoing research that will
continue for very many years."

I've already sent Brian Wilton, of the STA, an email this morning informing him of this information, so that they can correct their own records of the tartan.

So, what this means for the State of Maine is that there are currently two tartans designed for the state, neither one of which has any official standing as far as the state is concerned. One of them is certianly much older than the other -- and its status as the oldest tartan designed for a US state gives it some historic credibility. But for someone wishing to wear a tartan for the state, the choice is really up to them!

Jonesing for a Harris Tweed kilt jacket!

2007-02-28T13:26:00.000-05:00

I just got an email from Catherine Campbell, Harris Tweed weaver, letting me know that the kilt jacket and vest she was having made for me is ready to be shipped. Along with this jacket I'm also having her send me enough cloth in the same pattern to make a kilt for myself, with the goal being a full tweed kilt suit.

Of course I selected this pattern because it tones well with some of my other tartan kilts, so I intend to get a lot of use out of this jacket & vest.

Now that I know it is on the way, I can hardly wait. It's like Christmas all over again!

(Yes, even those of us in the business can get excited about getting new "stuff"!)