Scotweb now carries Dutch Friendship Tartan!

[ForresterModern]

It is not so contorted when we ordered several meters of DFT a couple years ago directly from the Netherlands store. I just checked and 16oz DW is selling at 34.5 Euros per meter (about $43-44/ 1.1 yard or 40/yd US plus shipping which can be exhorbitant and prone to duty). I remember ours tallied out at under $50 per yard total when we ordered directly through the website. That is far less than the 4 meters 252gbp price from Scotweb (tabs out at nearly $400 plus shipping and tariffs).
I emailed the website/store manager, he did the calculations into dollars, took our order, figured shipping and accepted my credit card over the internet for billing. Not entirely the safest transaction (no SSL security but the guy is very nice and easy to deal with). Link to the website in english (use google to translate it) for 16 oz tartan (tartan is hidden under "accessories"):

http://kiltverhuur.nl/index.php?item...id=202&lang=nl

E mail : info@kiltshop.nl

[English Bloke]

I agree the Scotweb price of £512 for eight yards (single width) that it would take to make a kilt is err... a bit ambitious. It may be the very special Dalgliesh 15oz variant, the finest quality fabric in the known universe, but it's still only kilt cloth and that's still an awful lot of bish-bosh to lay out before you've even got it sewn up.

The four meters of 16oz double width I arranged via the DFT man in Holland last year (through a Kilt Hire shop in Scotland where the fabric bolt is stored) was fraught with problems. Firstly it took weeks, much badgering and an eventual paypal dispute to get the goods delivered to me at all. Probably because I'd payed up-front and in full so service became a non-priority, and secondly, when it was eventually delivered it was four yards of 13oz, and not the four meters of 16oz I'd ordered and paid for. I kept it in the end as it was more hassle to send it back and drag out what had become a right ol' palarver, but suffice to say, I was very dissatisfied with the transaction and the slap-dash way the whole business was conducted and I wouldn't recommend anyone going down that route either.

I am pleased with the finished kilt, but that's only because the lady who I chose to create it for me makes a top-notch kilt. Don't think I would have forked out over £700 for it though (including the construction cost). I like it, but not that much. If you want my advice, pick a different tartan.

Now the, custom woven, four meters of Batley Mill, 16oz Australian Tartan on the other hand... (as arranged by Doug in Queensland). Couldn't have been simpler.

[ForresterModern]

Sorry to hear you had such troubles with your DFT acquisition, Bloke. I made one inquiry email to the address above, in English, and received a response from the Dutch shop proprietor via a different email address, also in English (pretty good too---better than I hear from a lot of folks here in Kentucky). He gave me a solid per meter price for 16 oz DW tartan, assured me that they indeed did have enough for my anticipated order (enough for tanks for myself and Ron and a junior sized kilt for my young son, plus some extra for a future project), and he even was able to give me a rough estimate of shipping time and charges. No guarantees about possible tariff/duty was understood. Two emails and one incoming international phone call later (the call was for a credit card purchase info exchange), the fabric was en route and recieved in a timely fashion. It actually took more time exchanging emails with Ron (and he with his kiltmaker) and me with my anticipated kilt maker, to finalize the decision for overall costs,etc..(a couple three weeks or so) than it did from the time I set up the actual order and paid by phone until I received the internationally shipped package (less than two weeks). And lucky me, no tariffs or duties. The only minor unexpected hiccup came when my credit card company hit me up for an international transaction conversion fee, and I fought that successfully (as my account level was supposed to be immune to those). Probably just dumb luck I guess.

[Canuck]

I was fortunate to meet the designer in Holland in 2007, but it took me over a year to acquire it. At that time it was woven by Locharron, even though 16oz was advertised I don't ever think a run of it in that weight was ever done.
I get compliments everytime I wear it. Nothing wrong with that! I'm kinda OK with the fact that it's hard to get and expensive, we are an elite bunch. ;)

[Canuck]

Well that's disappointing. I just went to the website and discovered four variations of the tartan. Not impressed!! The closest one to colour is the "Weavers Choice" Glad I have the original.

[Nick Fiddes]

I'm not exactly sure what you're unimpressed by, Canuck, but if the shades are wrong that's easy to fix! For tartan patterns that we've not woven since our online systems were developed, we usually display four variants, all of which are automagically produced by our computers.

"Weavers' Colours" are the closest match to the (usually quite vague) shades recorded in the Scottish Tartans Register. Modern, Ancient, and Reproduction palettes are created to default formulae to give a flavour of the different treatments. We always review these with an expert human eye anyway before weaving any, but if there's more established colours already known we'll employ these instead. Hope this helps.

Nick

[Canuck]

Maybe I should have articulated a disappointment on the variants that left me unimpressed with the outcome with this particular tartan. No doubt the computer program with the algorithms that can translate modern colours to that of reproduction and ancient is impressive. Granted. You also qualified it by saying the human eye will intervene.
In this case the original colours in the tartan are somewhat muted, subtle versions of "Oranje", Heather, and Thistle. In the process of projecting what the tartan may look like if weathered, has, in my mind and opinion, gone too far. Having said that, who's to say that in fact it is more appealing to someone else.
The tartan has a link to the Scot's, in relation to their part in the liberation of Holland during the second world war.
In it's original form, for those in the know, it is the only version it needs to be, the ancient and reproduction variants become meaningless to the original concept of the tartan in my opinion.