Matthew A. C. Newsome

UGA tartan

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:13:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:55:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:11:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:55:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:55:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:21:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:46:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:38:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:57:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:59:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:43:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:43:00 +0000

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???

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:48:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:02:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 02:01:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:08:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:31:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:44:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:09:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:08:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:22:00 +0000

Looks like things are progressing along...

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

Gatlinburg Highland Games

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:53:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:02:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:07:00 +0000

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!"