“You can’t go wrong with a nice kilt” my Mum used to say. I suspect it was her student years in Glasgow which gave her a love of Caledonian things – like porridge, The People’s Friend, shortbread biscuits, Dr Finlay's Casebook, The White Heather Club…and kilts.
And a lovely warm length of British woollen fabric wrapped round one’s hips in the winter weather is a good idea, with a lot to commend it. Johnnie Boden thinks so, in his latest catalogue I found this…
A rather nice kilt-style skirt made from wool woven in Yorkshire.
But at £69 it is way beyond my pocket.
However I do have this book
I bought ‘Sew What Skirts’ when our ‘Borders’ was closing down, using a book token I’d had for my birthday – and as yet have not made anything from it. And in Button Boutique- Leicester’s best haberdashery shop, I asked Hannah to order me a set of these kilt straps.
And now I am just about finished the project that I had hoped to begin a month ago [here]
I should be posting pictures of my new kilt very soon. Watch this space.
I did try to check out the relevant tartan for the Almonds
Top left is allegedly the one for the ‘Almonds’ top right is for the ‘Halls’ [my maiden name] and the lower one is ‘Glen Almond’
Both seem dire to me.This whole clan tartan thing is made up anyway – so my kilt is dependent on the fabric I have to hand!
Until then, here is Andy Stewart
Are the straps the difference, then -- between a kilt and a skirt?
ReplyDeleteMy Mum, always used to insist that men had kilts and women had 'kilted skirts'... a distinction that was somewhat lost on me, save that women's wrap the opposite way to men's.
ReplyDeleteI quite like the made-up-to-amuse-or-is-thta-confuse?-Queen-Victoria thing, it appeals to my snese of the ridiculous and is proper Scots humour.
I was so proud of my kilt that I wore as a child, and sad when I grew too tall for it.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing the finished kilt. The girls always had kilts for Winter when they were little.You could get them with a bodice piece attached that was like the top of a full length underskirt, which provided extra warmth. One of these worn with tights and a jumper kept them toasty warm.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing your finished Kilt. Fascinated with Scarlet's comment as I was just coming to say how I remember wearing those same skirts when I was little, a kilted skirt with an underskirt top...worn with a jumper over and tights under!
ReplyDeleteI love that skirt and can't wait to see your kilt. My brother-in-law is of a Scottish heritage and has a couple of kilts he wears for special occasions.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE LOVE kilts and bought myself one this year! The Boden kilt is lovely but as you say, a little pricey! Cx
ReplyDeleteCanadians seem obsessed with kilts. Many weddings are full kilt kit! Private school uniform skirts are always kilts. We have a Scottish shop an hour or so away where they will custom make your kilt for you. I saw fewer kilts while I was living in Scotland!
ReplyDeleteJane x
I don't think I have even had a kilt unless you count the kilt I wore when playing hockey in school and that was all black.....
ReplyDeleteGill
I use to wear a kilt when I was a young girl.
ReplyDeleteMore like in the first photo, as far as length goes. There are some Scots and Scot wannabe's here, that are big into kilts and family tartans.
A red kilt with a big kilt pin and some red socks to go with it. I remember it well.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see your completed skirt/kilt!
ReplyDeleteMy great grandmother is a Hall.
ReplyDeletewow! this post has generated so many comments. I had better get on and finish the skirt!
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