Adventures in Textile Art
Yeah, I don't even know what category to file this under!

You might have received an odd question or two in messages from me over the past month or so.  Something along the lines of "What tartan is that in your photo, is it Campbell?"  Or "Who made it, and how long did it take her to sew that?" Some of you obligingly answered, some did not.  Granted, they were odd questions indeed.

But these questions definitely had purpose, for I was given an interesting challenge.   Not even sure if I can do it, so I'm learning everything that I can. Or trying to.

A friend of mine had seen the very traditional Pacific Northwest native regalia that I've been hand-sewing... button blankets, dance apron, octopus bags, all painstakingly hand-stitched and much of it with bead work too.  This friend of mine somehow determined that if I were capable of sewing such items, then I must be capable of making a proper kilt.

Yes, I said kilt.  Not one of those silly Seattle-made Utilikilts, either, a proper one, made with tartan, the way they're supposed to be made.

As hard-headed as I am, I'm not going to turn away from a challenge.  A kilt, is it?  Okay then!  So I'd began studying how these things are worn, how they're supposed to hang, the history leading up to the modern design, heck even the various clan and district tartans and trying to identify some of these on sight.  I found a great book on the matter, entitled "The Art Of Kilt Making", written by a lady who began her apprenticeship in Glasgow 50 years ago and is still going strong.  I found that on a website appropriately named Kilts-N-Stuff.com.   Within its pages was a treasure trove of information and detailed diagrams on pleating, measuring, the sorts of threads to use, and best of all photos showing how it looks done right and how it looks done wrong.  To the stripe?  To the sett? Exactly how the waist should taper and where the fall should...well, fall.

I also discovered something else.  Out of the thousands of registered tartans, there are a handful whose patterns are asymmetrical, which pose their own set of challenges.  Guess what?  My friend is a Buchanan! Yep, asymmetrical.  His wife just laughed and said to him, "Well, that suits you just fine, doesn't it!"

I'm still going to take on this challenge, I'm learning lots.  I think, though, that the first one (or 2, or 3, or...) that I attempt will be self-colour kilts. Just one colour, no tartan - and see if I can figure this out.  In my spare time, right!?

So now that you know the reasons for my random off-the-wall questions, have you any advice for a would-be kilt-maker? ;-D