Hi, Guys! I'm a kiltmaker and a weaver and my tartan is handwoven on a floor loom - nothing automated, no cogs, no motor, nothing mechanized about how I weave! The gray area comes from the use of technology (like a dolby system that uses cards for shuttle changes/color changing) on a small frame loom. AVL's make great looms and great fabric. It's still a handwoven product and there is no motor, cogs, etc., but it's not all done by hand. Tartan woven on Hattersley (the old Scottish type) looms because they're small and do require a lot of attention to the work/product. OK, again, NO motor per se, but motors can be used. Shuttles/colors also use cards to make color changes so it's still gray area keeps getting wider. Single width fabric made on these looms is considered handwoven, but the addition of motors, etc. trigger a change in terminology. Anything that has tucked selvedges can't be labeled as handwoven. Double width fabric produced on a high speed loom can not be labeled as handwoven. So there you have it. Poorly made tartan is just plain crap and should be avoided just to save yourself the grief, in my humble opinion. Happy Hogmanay, everyone!
I would not even start the warp without $300 in pocket. I'm working on a double width blanket that is 32"@ 15 dpi on a ridgid heddle loom. To warp that many strings on a heddle it takes almost three hours per heddle. I have to do that a minimum of four times. Plus to make a 4-8 yard tartan double width (if needed) it will be a few miles walk back and forth for direct warping. Not to mention the cost of the materials. Wool is not cheap and wool colors are hard to get in large enough quantities for that type of work. Most likely you would have to custom order the dyed wool. It makes since why these mills charge $3,000-$6,000 for a width for a bespoke tartan now and that is not for hand woven.
Agreed. The wool alone for my kilt was over 300.00. That doesn't include my time to warp and weave, sew it properly (hand sewing) nor the leather buckles, proper liner, etc. The video is right, you get what you pay for.
@@tls8688 um a traditional kilt is not sewn and has no buckles. It is about 32" long and 9 yards. The whole 9 yards. 8 yards for women. Lay it on the floor, pleat by hand and fold it over a rustic belt. Lie down, wrap it around. Fasten belt. Stand up. Kilt pin. Done. F the sewing. Sewing is for woosies. Stay stitching if you're fancy
What would you say the right age is to get a full great kilt, me and my family think 16. I have a great kilt but it is a very cheap material and a couple inches or feet smaller, should i wear that "great kilt" or my regular kilt which is an expensive material
Or very low cost labor in South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan). Export quality can be very good and most don’t have actual powered mechanical looms so they do make by hand, especially in the rural villages. Same is true for certain South American countries too.
Exactly. F that nonsense. Get your wool off Etsy from a real shepardess. Wash it and dye it. Wool dyes dharma trading. Spin then weave small loom. Now you have authentic tartan
Hi, Guys! I'm a kiltmaker and a weaver and my tartan is handwoven on a floor loom - nothing automated, no cogs, no motor, nothing mechanized about how I weave! The gray area comes from the use of technology (like a dolby system that uses cards for shuttle changes/color changing) on a small frame loom. AVL's make great looms and great fabric. It's still a handwoven product and there is no motor, cogs, etc., but it's not all done by hand. Tartan woven on Hattersley (the old Scottish type) looms because they're small and do require a lot of attention to the work/product. OK, again, NO motor per se, but motors can be used. Shuttles/colors also use cards to make color changes so it's still gray area keeps getting wider. Single width fabric made on these looms is considered handwoven, but the addition of motors, etc. trigger a change in terminology. Anything that has tucked selvedges can't be labeled as handwoven. Double width fabric produced on a high speed loom can not be labeled as handwoven. So there you have it. Poorly made tartan is just plain crap and should be avoided just to save yourself the grief, in my humble opinion. Happy Hogmanay, everyone!
I'm a handweaver and I would not consider weaving kilt quality cloth for less than $80 per yard. It's just THAT time consuming.
Are you pricing that per square yard, because that’s $800 for a Grand Kilt sized cloth.
Nothing beats Scottish tartan
I would not even start the warp without $300 in pocket. I'm working on a double width blanket that is 32"@ 15 dpi on a ridgid heddle loom. To warp that many strings on a heddle it takes almost three hours per heddle. I have to do that a minimum of four times. Plus to make a 4-8 yard tartan double width (if needed) it will be a few miles walk back and forth for direct warping. Not to mention the cost of the materials. Wool is not cheap and wool colors are hard to get in large enough quantities for that type of work. Most likely you would have to custom order the dyed wool. It makes since why these mills charge $3,000-$6,000 for a width for a bespoke tartan now and that is not for hand woven.
Agreed. The wool alone for my kilt was over 300.00. That doesn't include my time to warp and weave, sew it properly (hand sewing) nor the leather buckles, proper liner, etc. The video is right, you get what you pay for.
Get the wool off Etsy and get a spinning wheel. That's what I'm doing. Dye it myself. Dharma trading
@@tls8688 um a traditional kilt is not sewn and has no buckles. It is about 32" long and 9 yards. The whole 9 yards. 8 yards for women. Lay it on the floor, pleat by hand and fold it over a rustic belt. Lie down, wrap it around. Fasten belt. Stand up. Kilt pin. Done. F the sewing. Sewing is for woosies. Stay stitching if you're fancy
The singer did not come out until 1860. Sewing is not original
For $6000 get a floor loom fr Ashland, really?
I don’t know anybody that had a loom and tried to weave his own tartan; or that still has a dream of producing his own woven fabric.
I have your dream. Even spinning the wool myself
I have a spinning wheel and spinning is fun. Now I'm looking for a floor loom
@@jmdenison I left an 8 shaft 12 treadle 60” loom in Helena when we left. I paid $500 for it. I really didn’t like not being able to bring it.
@@lanceroark6386 awww. I would have loved that. I'm looking for a loom now..I'm in chicago
What would you say the right age is to get a full great kilt, me and my family think 16. I have a great kilt but it is a very cheap material and a couple inches or feet smaller, should i wear that "great kilt" or my regular kilt which is an expensive material
Sheep don't grow acrylic wool!
It could be hand woven someplace other than Scotland. For example, handwoven by slave labor in China.
Or very low cost labor in South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan). Export quality can be very good and most don’t have actual powered mechanical looms so they do make by hand, especially in the rural villages.
Same is true for certain South American countries too.
Exactly. F that nonsense. Get your wool off Etsy from a real shepardess. Wash it and dye it. Wool dyes dharma trading. Spin then weave small loom. Now you have authentic tartan
Wools fr Etsy come w a pic of your sheep. I even got a sticker photo of my sheep which is on my car
I think most of it you’re gonna find these things are coming from places like Pakistan.