MacBean Modern

[MacBean]

My first kilt was a Burnett's and Struth casual MacBean Ancient, a simple, light-weight kilt that I still love (visible in the bottom picture of the set).

Today, my first hand-sewn MacBean Modern (Locharron weave) arrived from Barbara T., who somehow managed to fit it in between Iceland and Mars (oh, did I forget South Africa?). I am wearing a regulation doublet hand-made for a Scottish piper back when I was a child, an eBay find by MacLowlife, to whom I am indebted for mentioning it here. It is well worn inside the lapels from all the music it produced. The fox sporran was made by David McConnell of Mineral, VA. OK, I don't normally go around in black tie on a Wednesday evening, but that's what jumped out of the closet.

I asked Barbara to experiment with some pleatings to the stripe, and she sent back two options. The first looked too dense...

The second was more interesting, but would have presented a very red rear. I chose pleating to the sett (we've been told that not all tartans pleat well to the stripe and this is a good example)








My wife noticed the improved swish factor over a machine-made eight-yard Scott Green Weathered, and I'd be curious to know why that would be.

I departed from a single-tartan convention when I wanted something less valuable than the MacBean Modern I'd ordered from Barbara. Early ancestors married Scott and Buckalew(both Clan Scott), so when Rocky listed one that didn't fit a customer, I relieved him of his problem . It's subdued hues make a nice alternative to the bright MacBean (there is no MacBean hunting or weathered), though here is my son wearing the MacBean Ancient).


Later, I found a picture of a MacBean Ancient pleated to the light blue and white stripes by Deborah Kommallan which I rather like. It's a little different from Barbara's as hers centered on a dark stripe. Here it is: