What's my tartan?

**Lokishadow** · 25th January 10, 08:34 PM

Hi, all. Forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong forum.

I made my first kilt about three months ago...flannel, made to sett (pattern looks the same on pleats), and of course, the pleats won't hold. At all. So now I'm working on another one.

Anywho, I started digging into my background. My mother's side of the family traces back to the MacDonald Clan (paternally, and yeah, I know it's huge) and the only information she has on the clan is that "they're from the other side of Hadrian's Wall." That doesn't help me, because Tartan Ferret won't let me specify that.

Also, I have Rolfe on my maternal grandmother's side. Yes, as in Red Rolfe. Don't ask me the significance, all I know is what dear old mom told me.

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out what my tartan is. I know I can wear the Modern MacDonald, but I'd kind of like to see what other tartan's I can wear without having to prove I'm really a man and a half.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
-Loki

**Jock Scot** · 26th January 10, 12:33 AM

Not every one will agree with me on this forum, but it is usual(in Scotland anyway) to stick with the one tartan from your father's side if there is one--------and there is. Job done.

**Philip S. Tibbetts** · 26th January 10, 04:20 AM

You can also have a look to see what district tartans might be applicable to either your heritage or your current identity/location.

**St. Amish** · 27th January 10, 04:37 PM

First question, do you have photos of your pleats? There are many skilled kilt makers on the forum who might be able to offer advice on how to fix your problem.

Now, about that tartan. Being a Donald, Donald is the obvious choice.

If you're looking for another tartan to wear, you may have ancestral ties to one of the septs of Donald. There's MacDonald of the Isles, MacDonald of Clanranald, MacDonald of Ardnamurchan, MacDonald of Kingsburgh, MacDonald of Sleat...

I would do some research and see if you come up with any connection.

**MacLowlife** · 27th January 10, 04:54 PM

Lokishadow, you can spend the rest of your life defining and choosing "your" tartan, up to and including designing and registering it yourself.

Meanwhile, you can simply pick one, you can affiliate formally or informally with a clan, or you may already belong to some other group that has its own tartan. Read around on this site and you will find people who wear several different tartans, people who only wear solids, and people whose family tartan was wrapped around them before they could speak. Simply by searching "Kilt police" or even "police" you will learn a lot about how little authority anyone can exert over your choice without your submission to that authority. Depending on where you go and how glib you are- and quite possibly how physically imposing you are- you may eventually be called upon to explain your choice. I would recommend that you spend more energy developing a reason for your choice of tartan and less on trying to discern someone else's plan for you.

And I'm betting someone can help you with those pleats.

Wear it proudly.

**Lokishadow** · 27th January 10, 06:53 PM

There are a lot of good suggestions on here, and thanks for the pointers.

As to my pleats, I know what's wrong with them:
1) I didn't quite fold my pleats over far enough
2) The "under" material isn't long enough. More specifically, as a friend and fellow kiltmaker told me, the pleats aren't "deep" enough. Basically I have 2 inch pleats with 2 inches of under material.
3) I didn't iron the pleats in prior to sewing them down.
4) I didn't have a cloth guide for the edges of the pleats when I sewed them down to make them stay. Hence, my stitching is a little...drunken-looking.
5) I used flannel. It's HORRIBLE at holding pleats, even though it's amazingly comfortable. I selected it because it was on sale at Hancock's and had an actual tartan-like weave, not dyed tartan pattern.

On pleating, I thought of pulling an old Marine Corps trick for keeping creases in trousers: get a piece of lightweight fishing line (15 lb test), iron your crease/pleat, stick the fishing line on the inside and iron it so that it melts into the fabric. The small plastic/nylon backing creates an almost permanent crease.

On tartans: I was specifically trying to find my sept tartan. I haven't been able to locate a finder that searches by region, and my geography is sorely lacking.

As to the paternal tartan...it ain't happening. My dad is Dutch/German heritage. All my Scot blood is maternal, but it's right around 95% in my mom, making me slightly less than half. The only issue there is the variety of bloodlines that combined, including MacDonald and Rolfe. I haven't been able to find a Rolfe tartan, but I'm more "entitled" to the modern MacDonald anyway. Besides, my mom says that the modern MacDonald is the closest she's seen to what came over on the boat. We still haven't been able to find the scrap in storage, but we're working on it.

I guess I'll just go with Black Watch, Warrior, or MacDonald tartans. My daughter is partial to the Warrior...purple is her favorite color. *grin* I kinda like it, too.

I've read the x-kilt article and downloaded the pdf....I wish I'd known about it three months ago. I'm in the process of making a black kilt out of 8-9oz. poly-cotton twill, Wal-Mart special (yeah, I know, not the greatest, but I'm strapped for cash at the moment). I've also been looking into hemp and bamboo fabrics online, given their durability and ease-of-care. Finding them in tartans is difficult enough. I'm also going to be receiving a SportKilt in MacDonald or Black Watch tartan here shortly as a gift, and that will give me a great example for construction. I also finally upgraded to a sewing machine that does more than just a chain-stitch. My first kilt was made on a 1940's Singer Model 221. My new one is a Brother SuperAuto Model 592, which is dated but can sew a 28 different patterns, works like a dream, and is considerably newer than the Singer. It's 1970's! Heh.

I'll go post my kilt-making questions in a more appropriate forum. Thanks for the input!

**Hothir Ethelnor** · 27th January 10, 07:29 PM

Sounds like you started kiltmaking exactly like I did...

I'd suggest right off the bat that you buy the Art of Kiltmaking by Barbara Tewksbury and Elsie Stuehmeyer. It will teach you how to make a traditional kilt that will last forever...

Although I still machine sew the pleats on my kilts I use the traditional techniques for finishing the garment inside and out, and the subsequent product is sooo much better for it.