A package from Mull

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!

Organic and Eco-friendly Tweed

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!