I've been rather quiet about it, but for the past several months I've been on the opposite end of the kilt "jonesing" experience than is normal for me. That's right, I've been playing the part of the patiently waiting customer!
Friday of last week, my patience was rewarded when the postman delivered a package from Barb Tewksbury!
Why would a kiltmaker order a kilt from someone else? Isn't that a bit like a plumber paying someone else to fix his pipes?
I have to say first that I have been impressed with Barb's work since I first met her. When she came to Franklin to meet with me and see the museum when researching for the box pleated kilt suppliment to
The Art of Kiltmaking, she showed me a kilt she was at that time working on (she and I share the same habit of travelling with kilts-in-progress!). It was an Isle of Skye being made for a fellow X-Marker. I was immediately impressed by her skill and craftmanship. The quality that I saw equalled that of some of the best made kilts I have seen in my career at the Scottish Tartans Museum. Anyone would be proud to own a kilt with a Tewksbury label.
When she came to Franklin last summer to teach Kilt Kamp 2008, I got to spend more time with her, and watch her teach others about the craft of kilt making. I started to give some serious thought to having a Tewksbury kilt in my collection.
At the same time I am always thinking of tartans that I would like to have (occupational hazard). Last fall I "rediscovered" a fact that I had forgotten about the Earl of Inverness tartan. It had a hunting version (blue instead of red as the primary color), which also went by the name "Duke of York" (as those two titles belonged to the same man).
Now, some of you may find it curious that of all the kilts I have ever owned, none of the tartans have had anything to do with my surname. This is because my name is English. Newsome (meaning "New House") is actually an old Yorkshire surname. Most of my Scottish lineage is on my mother's side.
There is somewhat of a tradition of adopting (or you might say adapting) Royal Personage tartans for use as district tartans. For instance, the Duke of Fife tartan is often simply called "Fife" and is generally worn as a district tartan for that region. The Earl of St. Andrews tartan is usually worn as the St. Andrews district tartan. The Earl of Inverness tartan is likewise used as the Inverness district tartan.
There being no other "Yorkshire district tartan" I thought it fitting to wear the Duke of York tartan as a district tartan for the region that gave rise to my surname.
In considering this tartan, I didn't think I'd much like the way it would pleat up in a 4 yard box pleated kilt. I don't have many knife pleated kilts in my wardrobe (one solid color 5-yard casual kilt, one Highland Granite 6 yard kilt that I made myself, and one vintage Ebay find 8yd MacGregor kilt I've had for years). I thought that it would be nice to have a made-to-measure, heavy weight, 8 yard kilt in a tartan that actually had something to do with my surname. And since I had been considering asking Barb to make a kilt for me, I thought this would be just the tartan for it!
I ordered the cloth (it was a custom run), and contacted Barb. She's a real joy to order from, and had a lot of input and advice about pleating options. For example, I was originally considering pleating to the white stripe, but for various reasons we decided to pleat to the double yellow, and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.
In any case, anyone who has read this forum for any length of time knows the quality of a Tewksbury made kilt, and this one is certainly no exception. Fits like a glove, feels like a million bucks, and it as well made (better, really) than any kilt I've owned from anywhere.
So, without further adiue.... pictures!
In my front yard, next to my Scotch Broom (whin) that is now in full bloom with the spring.
Rear view, showing the pleating.
In my back yard. You can't see it in the pic, but I'm looking at a dogwood flower from one of our trees. They are also now just in bloom with the warmer spring temperatures.
Close up of the pleats.
A few notes about some of the accessories. Shortly after I sent the cloth to Barb, my wife and I took a vacation to Charleston. While on the trip, we ventured into a discount clothing store and I happened to walk past a rack of men's ties and saw the one you see me wearing in these photos. It was a "regimental stripe" style, which I think looks good with kilts, and in virtually the same colors of my Duke of York tartan. I had to buy it! I've worn it a few times on Sundays since that time, and each time I thought about how it would look with my new kilt. Now I finally see them together and couldn't be more pleased with my serendipity.
The hose are a new style we are going to offer in the "Royal Cuff" line we sell at the museum. (
See here). They are not shown on line yet. I have to decide what to call this pattern! It's an imitation "Argyle" pattern, but I can't call it that, for risk of confusion with a full Argyle sock. In any case, I'm wearing the proto-type that my wife knit for me, specifically to go with my kilt when it arrived. These socks were sitting completed on my shelf for several weeks and I'm glad to finally get a chance to wear them with their intended kilt.
The sporran is a
Ferguson-Britt, one of the new "half-hexagon" cantle styles. This one is the "Ben Glass" model, in black sheepskin.
I can attest to the fact that you can definitely feel a difference between this 8 yarder and the four yard kilts I usually wear. :-) I'm going to try not to keep this one reserved for special occasions, though. It's much too nice to be kept hiding in the closet.
As I get more pictures of this kilt in a more "casual" mode, I'll post them, as well.
Thanks, Barb, for making me such a wonderful kilt!
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