New greetings from Sacramento

[StephenRMills]

Warm hellos from a newcomer from Sacramento, California as we prepare for the 150th Annual Scottish Games and Festival sponsored by the Caledonia Club of San Francisco on September 4-6th!

Having wandered among your posts for a few days, I am delighted to see the remarkable sharing of insight, wit and a good deal of poking fun.

Having been raised in the northern prairies of North Dakota and its bitter winters, it is the story of the Clan Cameron of Locheil escaping the Clearances that brought Mary Cameron formerly of a ticking and pillow business on Rose Street in Edinburgh and earlier from Fort William area and Achnacarry as she worked the Canadian railroad construction. Realizing, as many did, that the indentured workers were nearly as captive in Canada as in Scotland, she walked south from Canada to North Dakota, married an Icelander and grew the family that includes me -- her great-grandson.

A younger brother and sister's digging into ancestry brought me to the fever so many of you mention where one purchase or construction of a kilt begets another and another... and you know the outcomes.

I too began with modern kilt and fly plaid of the tartan named Spirit of Scotland. This was swiftly followed by the Ancient Hunting of Cameron of Locheil as its seldom produced tartan finally came into production for my kiltmaker, Gary (Garrett) Barreth of White Thistle in Lodi, California artfully stitched my kilts. Slowly learning about and acquiring elements that accompany a kilt worn as a gentleman, my visits to Scottish Festivals or Games is often as one who walks about in formal attire after being favored with an officer's mess coatee from Queen Victoria's personal guard. Though there are endless subtleties to learn and historic facets to explore, the process has been a joy to be among good people from all heritages and every nation and walk of life.

The photo attached (if I read and executed the steps properly) is just after having conducted a wedding in the Sierra Nevada mountains beside Lake Tahoe. The wedding couple (a Welsh bride and Irish groom) included a few old rituals of the broom and sword with a modified hand-fasting. It was a remarkable experience for all who shared.

Certain that your wise advice will speed along my deeper learning, I am already grateful for the forum and each contributor. My next project is to figure out how on earth to make a proper seam sewn between two tartan pieces of 33.25 inches wide to make a rectangular double-wide suitable for a Great Kilt -- féileadh-mór from a Cameron Clan muted tartan and then to possibly make a finely crafted fringe edge as the months go along through autumn and winter in time perhaps for a "Burns Night" or other suitable gathering.

Cheers to you each!!!

Stephen Mills of Clan Cameron of Locheil

[Tarheel]

Well met Sir Mills. Your questions (as I'm sure you will discover forthwith) concerning a Great Kilt, will be met by the ever diligent rabble here. We, like your introduction, honor and praise the women in our lives (living and passed) and like the single hose (lost in the laundry room void) would stumble about the house mumbling, searching for the elusive mate, eventually absorbing the elation of the repairing.
Welcome from Oxford.

[Profane James]

Greetings from another Mills in Alabama!

[ASinclair]

Hello Stephen!

[StephenRMills]

Thank you for your warm welcomes and wit. I'll wander among you with curiosity and amazements.

The living room is a mass of camping gear and tartan ready for the Labor Day Scottish Games in Pleasanton, California. I'll polish, brush and load all the attire suitable for a gentleman soon to be consumed by 35,000 daily visitors and possible have a voice about it in the aftermath.

Cheers to you each!

Stephen

[JohntheBiker]

Hello Stephen and welcome from Toronto, Canada.

[Father Bill]

Welcome to the "Great Rabble!"

[Richrail]

from just over the hill in Reno,NV. Unfortunately my wife and I will not be able to attend the Pleasanton Games and Gathering this year. We do attend the Woodland games and gathering, and The Reno Celtic Celebration in October.

[Kiltedjohn]

Welcome from a Scotsman living in the English midlands. You have a very impressive outfit!

[Tomak]

Hello and welcome from the Southern end of the state.