After spending most of my life wondering where my surname came from, imagine my delight in finding out last month we hale from the lovely shores of Bonnie Dundee! Long story short, a genealogical breakthrough was made by a researcher showing that Dundee was the port of embarkation for my forebears in the 1690s, headed for the shores of Virginia colony.

Now, I've worn kilts for years to honor mom's side of the family (Colquhoun) but of course, Breeden doesn't have a tartan...or rather, didn't until now.

Some of you may know that Matt Newsome is a tartan scholar of some reknown. He is also a tartan designer, having designed the X-marks tartan you see bordering this post. So, the creative fires were lit and here is the result...the Breeden Tartan.



For those of you with an interest in tartan design, the tartan is a blend of influences from the Stuart of Atholl and Dundee District setts, with some personal preferences as well. The colors are a nod to the national colors of France, Scotland, the U.S.A. and the state flag of Virginia.

I can't recommend Matt highly enough. His knowledge of tartan and ability to visualize and accurately represent my half-baked ideas and thoughts were excellent and very much appreciated.

Here's his website www.albanach.org

Let me know what you think! The tartan is in the queue at the weavers. Kilt to come by late spring I'd imagine.