New in the post: Weathered Buchanan

[Shedlock2000]

As many of you know, I have been full-time kilted for about 6 months now, and even though I have two of Rocky's wonderful PV creations (casual kilts for summer-cool, and hiking-awesome), I felt myself needing to feel the wool again.

This is a long story, and this is not the place for it (forum rules prohibit), but I was recently welcomed by the Armigers of Clan Buchanan to wear their tartan (which I do with great pride). Firstly, I felt this to be an extreme honour, and I am overwhelmed with humility; and secondly, I have felt very welcomed by all of the Clan members that I have come across.

Thus the natural choice for this new purchase (honestly, my mum bought the kilt for me as a birthday present) was a 4 yard 13oz weathered Buchanan.

I have toyed with a wool 4 yard for some time, and when choosing the wool, I chose a medium weight - so that I could wear it often in the summer, and yet late enough in the winters of the baren and frozen great white north!

I have to say that it is perfect for what I need of it. It is a super budget kilt, and the stitching is not as careful as we might see elsewhere; nor is the cut of the kilt fantastic as compared to my other high-quality kilts. However, the kilt was aslo only £175, cut from Locharron cloth, and delivered to Canada from Scotland! The kilt - even though it is only 4 yards was made from bolt ends to keep the cost down, and I have a less than preferable seam in the middle pleat, but I can live with that for a budget kilt.

On, the kilt fits comfortably (though I would have preferred a slightly deeper last pleat on the inner apron lead in). It swishes well for a 4 yard, and the lining is well inserted with an overall 'reasonable' finish.

What do you all think?



This is me at the start of my walk to school - 2 miles every morning!


Here's me at work - I find ironing on the floor the best way - but you do have to be careful of the plastic carpet!


A little late night ironing after a mad summer hail storm!


This is a photo taken on my way home - I wondered if the Lewis Lovat blew hose were too dark to pick up the blue in my kit (which is much more like my shirt colour).


This is taken at the U and in front of the Fine Arts building!


This photo is overlooking the University building (directly behind me) in Lethbridge Alberta. I have to walk 6 miles to work, and 6 miles back. I dont mind the walk, but the mosquitoes in the river bottom suck!






On a completely separate note, I recently had to go to a kilted photo-shoot; may I just share with you three photos from that event too? Because of forum rules, I cannot disclose any further information about this event either, but always appreciate feedback, comments, objections - the usual!



Thanks!

[Shedlock2000]

I forgot two showing off my hand made Broad bonnet!


When this was taken, it was 9pm MST, but also 38degrees centigrade still. Super hot!


The kilt I am wearing is my 21 year old 'tank' in the Roxburgh Red (ancient). It actually has blue in it - but its the devil itself to try and photograph! I have perhaps two photos in total which show the colours fairly accurately.

Do any of you have any advice for photographing tricky tartans? We tried to use the flash - but that made matters worse!

For those who are curious - these photos are taken at Writing on Stone - which is sacred area to our First Nations brethren.

There are stone-drawings, but mostly all we saw was beautiful scenery and A LOT of mosquitoes!

[Hopper250]

Great photos. I do like the blue hose. They work well.

[sydnie7]

A nice collection of photos, thanks! I'm intrigued by the belt you're wearing (shows up best in photo taken at Fine Arts bldg). . . any details on that?

[Skiballa]

A nice collection of photos, thanks! I'm intrigued by the belt you're wearing (shows up best in photo taken at Fine Arts bldg). . . any details on that?

Looks to my eye to be a standard ALICE style military issue pistol belt, I'd imagine they can be found for low prices online, as most US branches have gone away from them.

[ctbuchanan]

I always feel it is a compliment when someone chooses to wear one of our beautiful Buchanan tartans. And you wear it very well.

[Shedlock2000]

A nice collection of photos, thanks! I'm intrigued by the belt you're wearing (shows up best in photo taken at Fine Arts bldg). . . any details on that?

Yup, bog standard US Army webbing belt. I suspend my school bag from it as I hate carrying stuff on my shoulders:



I have just this week found a British P37 webbing belt which I am hoping will be much more conducive to adjustment for when I wear it over my BD jacket.

[Shedlock2000]

Thank you for the great comments, guys, and thank you for the Ironing advice, Barb! I have messed around on an ironing board - but never quite found a technique that works. I discovered this method only the past few months - so I have never yet experienced the phenomenon that you describe. I will re-address my idea to avoid it. I got the idea from an old photo of a soldier pressing pleats in his battalion:


Returning to kilt hose - there is a feint blue stripe in the Weathered Buchanan - I wondered if it would go well with the blue, and it did. My only slight dislike, is that the blue of the shirt (which is about the right blue for the kilt) is very different than the lovat blue hose. I would like a lighter pair of blue I think.

[sydnie7]

Yup, bog standard US Army webbing belt. I suspend my school bag from it as I hate carrying stuff on my shoulders: [snip]

Thanks for that. To my untrained eye, the earlier photos seemed to show larger sections of brass which I now see is just more webbing.

[Stilletto_Rebel]

Yup, bog standard US Army webbing belt. I suspend my school bag from it as I hate carrying stuff on my shoulders:



I have just this week found a British P37 webbing belt which I am hoping will be much more conducive to adjustment for when I wear it over my BD jacket.

Hi Shedlock,

I really like your schoolbag. Please could you tell me where you got it?

I use a WWII German breadbag I dyed black: