Important Notice for Students attending my Kiltmaking classes at Fleming College

I will be teaching 'basic' and 'advanced' kiltmaking classes this year at Haliburton School of the Arts.

The 'Basic' course will be held during the week of 6 - 11 August. During this 6-day course the student will make a 4-yard 'casual' kilt.

The Advanced Class will run 13 - 18 August. The course content will continue directly from the previous week's intrsuction, and the student will apply the lessons-learned in the previous week to make an 8-yard kilt.

During this second week the student will also have the opportunity to practive laying-out pleats using a wide variety of different tartans.

The student will also learn how to make a shoulder plaid and how to effect alterations and repairs. I intend to bring several kilts in need of repair to use as training aids.

Kilt-cloth is expensive;

- a 'casual' kilt requires 4 or 5 yards of 16oz 'single-width' (27") or 2 - 3 yards of 'double-width' (57") cloth. Even at 'Trade' prices this will cost around $200

- a full kilt requires 8 yards single or 4 yards double width cloth of the same quality,(at around $400) and

- a shoulder-plaid requires 3 yards of single-width cloth.(at around $120)for a total of about $720!

If you want to attend both classes, here are some ideas about how to save some money:

- Option One; - buy 11 yards single-width or 6 yards double-width cloth (let's say $500-600). During part one of the course you will use 4 yards of single-width to make the casual kilt. For the advanced class, you can unpick your work (having taken copious notes and photographs!) and then re-use that 4 yards with the rest of the cloth in order to make the 8-yard kilt and the shoulder-plaid.

- Option Two; - buy 7 yards single-width or 4 yards double-width cloth ($400-ish). During part one you make the Casual kilt (which you then keep intact). During part two you make the shoulder-plaid and participate in all of the exercises short of making an 8-yard kilt. By the end of the week you WILL have gained the ability to make an 8-yard kilt.

I recommend "Burnett's & Struth" in Barrie Ontario for kilt cloth. The weight of cloth you need is called 'Strome' (woven by Lochcarron) or "K/1" (woven by D.C. Dalgliesh). Burnett's & Struth sometimes offers cloth at 'sale' prices.

You CAN buy the cloth from me (I buy only from Dalgliesh) but I need at least 6 weeks notice as most of their cloth is custom-woven to order.

The Mill WILL accept rush orders, subject to a 10% surcharge in addition to the courier's exorbinate fee...

Don't worry too much about what tartan to choose if you intend to make another kilt or kilts after you've attended this course -save the hunt for the Perfect Tartan for later!

I'm pretty busy right now, but I can still help you.

A little over 18 months ago I became a volunteer at the Seaforth Highlanders Museum. I honestly wanted to help, as anyone who knows me can tell you that I have an encyclopediac knowledge of the History of the Regiment, but there was a little enlightened self-interest at work as well. I had been offered a book deal, and I reasoned that if I worked there I only needed to ask permission of myself to gain access to the Archives.

Then the previous Curator left and nominated me as his successor. Since this last July I am Curator of the Seaforth Highlanders Museum and Archive and on 30th November (St Andrew's Day) I was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (FSA Scot).

The entire Museum and Archive will be moved into storage at the end of May 2012, and I have no time for anything else until the move is complete.

The move must be complete by 30 June 2012, and then I will be teaching 2 kilt-making courses at Fleming College in Haliburton Ontario for the summer.

This is a big project - probably the biggest one of my life.

It IS occupying my every waking thought (and many of the 'unwaking' ones as well - I've noticed lately that I've been dreaming about the place....) but I WILL continue to serve the 'kilt-wearing public'.

Rob's Regimental Kit Shop

The Regimental Kit Shop has demonstrated such improvement in its business model that I have turned this project over to them. As my new positioin as Curator/Archivist leaves me with little free time, I am training several of the soldiers to make stable belts, tailor tunics, and repair kilts.

It's all about getting the gear to the troops, after all...



Items/services that are currently in stock:

Tartan patches: $3.00 each.

Tartan regimental stable belts; made-to-measure,price depends on waist measurement.

Boot bands $3.00/pair

Adjustable elastic garter flashes for kilt hose, per pair:
-Other Ranks $20.00
-MWO/CWO/Officers $25.00
-Pipers $25.00
-'garter' only $10.00

Original and Antique cap badges. I maintain a selection of Other Ranks cap-badges of the patterns worn between 1881 and 1960. All badges are made of 'white metal' (usually 'monel' aka 'German silver) which polishes like silver and have loop backing mounts. Enquire for available selection and price.

DEU tunics cut-away

kilt alteration/repair/restoration/pressing, as well as new kilts

Rank/trade badges sewn on
- including my famous 'holy crap you forgot to do this and you fall-in in ten minutes' service

Coming soon!

Camp flags; in various sizes

Regimental stickers 3" x 5" image of the Camp Flag in peel-and-stick plastic or as fridge magnets

Regimental T-Shirts and hoodies guaranteed to be completely free of embarassing and stupid slogans!

Sporran flasks

Absolutely the best-quality Officer's/Sergeant's/Piper's brown leather sporrans with 3 braided leather tassles, lined with red Morrocan leather.

Replacement sporran straps in brown or black leather. Custom long straps available to order.

Full-dress rank badges gold bullion stripes, crowns or crown-and-wreath on Hunter Green (rifle Company)or scarlet(drummers)and 'silver bullion on Hunter Green' for pipers,

BRASS cougar collar-badges that will actually polish to a brilliant shine!

Better-quality Glengarry Bonnets than are currently issued. There are two styles available: the crap ones with cardboard lining and the good ones made by Alex Mackie that are stiffened with jute.

The recent fashion trend in glengarries is to make them with a much higher crown than most of us prefer. I'm trying to get them to produce a run of bonnets with the old profile. stay tuned.

I've had many requests for sterling silver cap-badges. I'm still looking into it.

Tell me what you want and I'll get it for you

I plan to have the shop open before and after field exercises, with the stuff that you suddenly wish you'd packed: boil-in-a-bag meals, resealable plastic bags, dry bags, chony bars....

The Best Kilt Cloth in the World

As you've no doubt read in my website, I only buy cloth from DC Dalgliesh in Selkirk, Scotland.

Here is an informative video about them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W9UBVjx_QQ

for some reason, my senile old computer won't enable the link. Search for "Scotland's Last Artisan Tartan Mill: A Tour of D C Dalgliesh"

The Year of the Seaforth

Are you, or have you ever been a member of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada (Battalion or Cadet Corps?

Are you related to/descended from a Seaforth?

Join "Seaforth 100" on Facebook to find out what's happening in this, the Centennial Year of the Regiment in Canada:

That's "Professor" MacDonald, thank you!

Life's Strange Tapestry:

A few months ago I received a 'cold-call' from Ontario's Haliburton School of the Arts ( http://www.haliburtonschoolofthearts.ca/index.cfm).

The college had decided to offer a kiltmaking course as part of their Fibre Arts Program, and that I was the person to teach said course.

Fortunately for me, I have done a great deal of instructional program design, so I'm not unduly worried about cramming a multi-year apprenticeship into 5 days!

I suffered through too many years of egotistical,incompetent and/or malicious 'teachers' to EVER inflict that on others - in fact since completing my teacher training I've become a real snob about 'quality of instruction' and the 'Competency-based Education' model. (which means that all other factors being equal: If you didn't learn anything it's because I didn't reach it to you correctly!)

Even with a 'pre-course package' that will teach everything that can be taught outside of the classroom setting, it's going to be a pretty intense week...

http://www.haliburtonschoolofthearts.ca/index.cfm/go/programs/sub/coursePT/code/013197/sc/HSA/q/sum/style/h.cfm

I take this extremely seriously for at least two reasons:

a) Each student will be laying out a great deal of money and if they don't feel that they've gotten their money's worth then they will (rightly) voice their discontent; and

b) There will be a number of people describing themselves as 'Kiltmakers trained by Rob MacDonald' released upon the buying public. If they do well it's due to their hard work, but their failures will be my failures.

I can't wait!

New Prices for 2010

I have been able to keep my prices the same for many years now, but my costs have risen and thus made a price increase necessary.

What has not, and will not change, is my commitment to the highest level of customer service and quality of product.

Here is the new price list, effective immediately:

- Kilts $800.
" " with box-pleats $880.

- Cut, Make and trim, using your kilt cloth; knife-pleats $400.
- " " " " " " " box-pleats $480

- Shoulder-plaids tailored to the old 'Officers' pattern as worn by the Highland Regiments when they wore scarlet full-dress (as opposed to the untailored length of cloth thrown over your shoulder that the other shops offer) :
-if ordered at the time you order your kilt: $250.
-as a single order $350

- To have your suit-jacket 'cut away' into a kilt- jacket $100.

- Gentlemen's Inverness Capes $1000.

- Tartan design service now normally runs around $400.00

I no longer will accept 'Band' orders because I work alone and therefore cannot complete large orders as quickly as you or I would like.

I will soon be offering tartan waistcoats.