Tartan Troubles

For those of you who are old enough, you may remember Phyllis Diller, the comedienne who once said of her frazzled hairdo, "This isn't hair, it's nerve endings."  That's how I feel right now.  I am pulling my hair out because my main supplier of dress tartan, D. C. Dalgliesh, a company that I have always loved dealing with, has been making a few changes.

What they've done is to change some of the colors that are used in weaving the tartans.  That's fine, but I haven't found out about the changes until I receive a kilt length in the mail, and then it's too late.  The first instance of this was with a piece of Dress Blue Ross about 3 or 4 years ago.  It used to have a triple fuchsia stripe in the white area.  Then a got a piece that had purple--oops!  This may seem minor, but if a dancer already has socks made up with one color, and the tartan is something else, then they no longer match the way they should.

The next time I saw a significant change was last June, when I saw a piece of Dress Green Longniddry that had much lighter range of colors than my samples.  Again, if I had hose or a jacket, they might not match the new tartan.  The latest one was nearly a disaster--Dress Green Cunningham received a makeover to a new, lighter shade.  Then a friend showed me the picture of her sample of Dress Traquair and what she got in the mail.

                                                              See what I mean?

My samples are about 2 years old, but they no longer seem to reflect the real colors that are being used.  I have asked for new samples twice, but haven't received anything.  I will be emailing again to see what's up.

So, if you see me at  the games and my hair looks even thinner than usual, or it is standing up straight, this is why!

I've Got Pictures!

Here we go, direct from the Southeast Regional, pictures of a dancer wearing one of my kilts.  She is a lovely dancer, and the pictures show (I hope) how a dancer should be turned out.  If you look carefully, you can see that her kilt is centered, and she has it on straight.  That's a big thing, particularly with younger dancers.  This girl also has a well-fitting jacket that is a good length for her (courtesy of my friend Patti).  The nice thing about this one is the way it stays down on her shoulders.  The sleeve length is also good--the sleeves need to be longer than you would normally wear them so that when arms are in 4th or 5th position the wrists are not sticking out. The socks are on straight.  She is wearing a dickie high enough to be seen, but not right up to her neck. The hair is neatly put up, and she has everything in place.

What I look for in the action shots is how the kilt moves.  This one has a nice "swish", which comes from careful steeking.  The length is good, and the apron has enough flare that it lays flat at the sides, and doesn't stick out at the sides.

Wow!

So' I hope to see all of you at the Eastern Region championship this weekend near Albany, NY  Please come and say Hi!

The Highland Year

Every once in a while I glance up from my work and realize that there is no need to look at a calendar to tell what time of year it is in the Sullivan household.  If there is tartan fabric on every horizontal surface, it's definitely early spring.  The gardening catalogs interspersed with the fabric are a dead giveaway.  If the tartan isn't all over the place, but finished and almost-finished kilts are hanging on skirt hangers from every doorknob, it's later in the spring.  If there's a gigantic suitcase containing interfacing, thread, measuring tapes, beeswax, and other sewing supplies, it's time for Kilt Camp.  When it's relatively uncluttered, that means it's later in the summer or early fall.  If canning jars predominate, it's September.  Christmas wrap--well, you get the idea.

I don't feel like a hamster in a cage, going around and around on my wheel, but there is a rhythm to my life that cannot be denied.  Baseball season started last Thursday, and I'm back at it, watching the Sox, and getting lots of work done.

Dancers have a rhythm to the year as well.  In November, they start learning the Championship steps for the following competition season.  Then they start working on fitness and technique.  In March the competition season really gets going, and everyone is getting ready for Regionals, which take place in April, May, and June.  Then the USIR is in July most years.  After that there are more competitions and championships, and lots of smaller games, but they wind down in October.  After that the dancers start all over again.

My friends who have businesses associated with dancing know the same routine.  One person you may know (if not, then click on the new link at the top of the page) is MaryBeth Klein, the owner of Highland X Press.  If you are in need of  dance or piping supplies, she will be able to help you out.  Every spring her phone is ringing off the hook just like mine.  We compare notes now and then, and try to get our customers what they need.

So check out Highland X Press if you have a minute, and say Hi to "B"  for me!

Is It Spring Yet?

Here I am, watching the weather report (while sewing, of course), and wondering what is going on with the temperatures and the arrival of spring in New Hampshire.  Last week the temperature was in the 70's, trees were starting to bud out, and my tulips were poking their heads up out of the ground almost a month early.  This week it's in the 20's at night, 40's during the day, little ice balls are falling out of the sky on  to my car, and the cat is REALLY ticked off because she can't sunbathe on the back porch.

This is it--the height of my season, when I realize that I have to sew every single day in order to fulfill the orders that I have.  I'm working on a tiny red kilt at the moment, trying to get it done for the next competition.  This particular kilt really has to fit correctly, because the girl who will wear it is quite an accomplished dancer.  She will compete at the regional championship later this spring, and then, if she is one of the top three in her age group, at the USIR (United States Inter-Regional) Championship.  She has a pretty good chance of making it based on past performance, and it's my job to make sure that she looks good on stage.

Dance moms often ask me if their dancer can "make it one more year" with the kilt they have.  In many cases, they can make it do.  For Beginners, if they're dressed, they're good to go.  For Novices, the same is pretty much true-- you don't need to have a kilt that was made for you; you don't need matching tartan hose.  By the time kids reach Intermediate, it's time to have the outfit.  You need a kilt rather than a kiltie, and you need the matching hose in order to meet the dress requirements.  It's also helpful if you have a kilt and vest that fit pretty closely in order to show body lines.

Now comes the difficult part: if you are going to dance in Premier, you need to look right.  If you are standing up on the stage next to someone who looks really sharp, and you look like an unmade bed, you're not doing yourself any favors.  Judges, teachers, and kiltmakers understand that things can't always be perfect, but dancers should always look clean, neat, have a nicely pressed kilt, and everything in place.  A well-fitting outfit adds to this by showing the dancer's knees and body lines, and a REALLY nice outfit has proportions that flatter the dancer's physique.  I am always looking for the perfect length for a client's kilt, and the right balance of color and white on the tartan, as well as the right size sett for each dancer.  It makes such a difference when a dancer looks right.

SO, I need to carry on.  I'll post more pictures when I can.

Best regards, and don't forget to show your Scottish roots on Tartan Day, April 6.

Judy

One More Picture

Just a quick update--this is a picture of the inside of my current project.  You can see the stablizer sewn in at the waist, centered 2" from the top edge.  This is what keeps the waist from "growing" and sagging.  It is definitely the mark of a nice kilt.

The inside of this kilt has just been cut away at the top, which is why you see all of the loose threads.  The next step is to cover this cut part with interfacing, then a whole bunch of other steps.

Happy sewing!

I'm Just Sayin'

This morning I looked at X Marks the Scot--a very interesting discussion forum.  I wish I had time to spend writing in and giving my opinion on a couple of topics, but work calls, and I have to be careful with my time.  If you want to know what people are thinking and saying about a whole range of Scottish and kilt-related subjects, check it out. 

The one discussion topic that caught my eye was one on how to tell if you have a well-made kilt OR whether it's cheaply/shoddily constructed.  I will say that I see a lot of awful kilts out there, and even more that just plain don't fit the wearer.  When I do see one that is nice, it's a real treat.  The problem is that many people just have no idea of what to look for in a kilt that makes it a quality garment.

One thing that Elsie (who taught me how to make kilts) is that even if you ask questions, you WILL get an answer, but there's no guarantee that the answer you get will be the right one.  If you ask ANY kiltmaker if their kilts are well- made, what are they going to say?  If you ask if the fabric that you have is enough for a kilt, someone will tell you that they can make it work. People ask me stuff about kilts all the time, and I try to answer to the best of my ability, and I try to be truthful without ending up with hurt feelings.  It's hard, though, because there is a mountain of misinformation out there on the Internet, and customers often come to me with misconceptions that can be hard to change.

Here's what I will say:  most kiltmaking companies who work on a larger scale are in it to make a profit.  There's nothing wrong with this, but it means that they have to keep production costs down any way they can, and the easiest way to do that is to have their kiltmakers take every shortcut they can figure out.  For some this means using machine stitching on the hem, the aprons, buckles and straps, at the join in the center back, and even in attaching the interfacing, or just using a minimal amount of interfacing.  For others it means skimping on fabric, not having as many pleats, and not putting in a deep enough first pleat or inverted pleat.  For many it means not having enough stitches in each pleat to hold everything in place.  The end result is a kilt that is NOT well made.

 When the kilt is new you'll never see the difference, but with use, the kilt will lose its shape unless every detail is in place. It is possible to use a blindstitching machine to put in the interfacing, but what you sacrifice is all of the real shaping that tailor-basting over your hand will give you.  You can make a kilt for a customer with 4 fewer pleats (and the saving of a half yard of tartan in the process), but it may look skimpy and not have the "swing" that a kilt with more fabric in it might have.  You can leave out the steeking, and use the lining to keep the pleats from sagging, but the kilt will never move properly.  You can sew the fringe edge on using a sewing machine, and machine sew the buckles and straps on to it, but you lose the beauty and artistry of a truly handmade article.

So, the questions you might want to ask a prospective kiltmaker are, "Are your kilts hand sewn?  How much fabric will you put into my kilt?  What kind of interfacing do you use, and how is it applied?  Do you put in a deep first pleat?  I could go on, but you get the idea.  You will be paying them (or me!) a LOT of money for your kilt, and it's nice to get an idea of precisely what you will get for your money.

If I make a kilt for you, You are paying for 16-20 hours of my time, plus the cost of the fabric and supplies.  I do use a blindstitch hemmer, which saves about 3 hours over doing it by hand, and I do sew on the top band by machine, but that's it.  Everything else is painstakingly sewn by hand, even though I could save some time by using the machine.  I would rather have the kilt look right, even though it took me longer to do, than send out an inferior product, or one that is made using non-traditional methods.

I'm just sayin'.

It's Finally Here!

Hard to believe, but Spring Training is underway.  I am in my usual spot, stitching and watching the Red Sox play the BC Eagles.  Of course this particular game doesn't mean a thing, but it's the first time I have seen the team since their ignominious exit last season.  Lots of changes have taken place--some people I know are in mourning because of the retirement of Jason Varitek--but Big Papi is still there, and I'm planning on getting a Saltalamacchia shirt to add to the collection.  Hope springs eternal--maybe this year they'll make it.

I have decided to take pictures of the kilts I'm working on.  That way you can see what's going on in my world.  Two kilts went out his week--both red.  This week it's Dress Yarrow (turquoise) and Dress Ross Hunting (green/black).  The Ross is a really difficult job-- it has a difference of 13" between the waist and hips, and the girl has a small waist.  No room for error, and it has A LOT of shaping in the aprons.  The Yarrow is much more what I normally do-- 10" difference.

I know that these pictures make the work look all lumpy and uneven.  They DO look that way a bit until they are pressed.  The other thing that looks odd is the joining of the apron to the first pleat.  This looks funny until the basting is in there and all of the lines of the tartan are straightened out.  Fear not-- it will look great when it is finished!

So, I will be sitting pretty here-- Red Sox, Kilts, and spring just around the corner (what's a foot of snow like we got the other day? it will be gone in short order)

Take care,

Judy