Kilt pins: Are you thinking of forgetting them?

[The Wizard of BC]

I find that hunting for unique and special Kilt Pins is a fine pastime.
It is now me that ogles over the used jewelry cases at flea markets.
It is now me that enjoys having that little bit of bling.

Now I don't usually wear a Kilt Pin on my work Kilts. Nor do I have a pin for each Kilt as others do. But I do like my pins and would never think of quit looking for more.

[Jock Scot]

I recently lost a nice kilt pin and was lamenting the loss to a friend. He stated "I'ts the queens ***** in any case. Good riddance!"

I started thinking he had a point.

Opinions?

Your friend used an interesting turn of phrase there. Is this phrase in common use in the US? Do you know where the expression came from?Is your friend an ex Brit. serviceman? Just wondering.

[Bugbear]

I have a traditional looking, though not sterling silver, four inch blanket pin on the kilt. I doubt it will ever come off on it's own.

[dfmacliam]

I think a nice kilt pin is like a classic accessory. I have seen many different styles I like and that leads me to think of others.
I like the deer tine, and it makes me want to get my buddy to carve me a bear, or animal out of horn. A grouse foot looks nice , I wonder about paws, claws, or?
I think brooches look good too.

[thanmuwa]

Your friend used an interesting turn of phrase there. Is this phrase in common use in the US? Do you know where the expression came from?Is your friend an ex Brit. serviceman? Just wondering.

Yeah, I got that too, my impression is that the word ***** with an "e" is particularly from this side of the Atlantic. I would have guessed Irish apart from the fact the guy knew the (alleged) origins of the kilt pin. Irish ex-British army? Guessing games are fun....

The fact of the matter is that if it wasn't for the "Queen" or the royal family the kilt would more then likely be nothing more then a brief tiny bit of history.

I say god save the queen!! And her kilt pin.

That is one way of looking at it.... the other way is that if it wasn't for the royal family, it wouldn't have been banned in the first place!

[English Bloke]

I have a pin for each Kilt and I'm with the Wizard here, gives a bit of Bling. Not all of my pins are actual kilt pins, some are brooches that I have stumbled across and thought would look good on my kilt although all are metal without jewels (or glass) and about kilt pin dimension. Just a personal preference. I also think that online, something with the word brooch in the description is about half the cost of another thing with the words kilt pin in the description and I'm a sucker for a bargin.

Haven't got around to Ron's rubber band trick yet but suppose I should as I wouldn't like to lose any of them (Not that they are unique, irreplacable or particularly expensive.)

As for it being the Queen's excrement. That's the wonderful thing about history, you can pin your principles (see what I did there...) on whatever bit of plucked, historical fact you fancy and ignore the rest if you so chose. Shame the sentiment had to be expressed in such a sneering way though.

Seems a bit odd NOT to enjoy wearing something so innocuous because you take a personnal, pricipled stand against the actions of a Monarch who passed on more than a century ago... like it's going to make a difference to her.

It's not that important where the wearing of pins began, more that they are worn now and in the opinion of some look nice. If you chose to not wear them or wear only the trad blanket pin type that too is fine. Each to his/her own.

[tyger]

I'm with cousin Glen. I bought off on Ham's "A Kilt Pin For Every Kilt" philosophy. I use the piece of rubber band on the back to save the pin in case the clasp comes loose.

And shopping for and ordering up kilt pins is a lovely little addiction in itself and can help minimize the jones when waiting for a new kilt.

Now - a true kilt pin addict will find a kilt pin, THEN order a kilt to go with it.

Ron

Great idea that- the rubber band. I have made a few pins that match the belt buckle design, just to see how they look. I like the pin for the manner in which it allows for additional interest, and personal expression.

[McClef]

I too have a kilt pin for every kilt (bar the leather and denim ones) and as Ron says have sometimes bought the pin in advance of the kilt!

[BassClefB]

I have three sword-style traditional kilt pins: one with a thistle crest design that says "Scotland" which I wear with any kilt, my clan crest pin (Lamont), and then a plain sword pin with no crest that doesn't get too much use, but some. I have a few random pins that are not 'traditional' that I wear sometimes as well. I find that most any pin helps to complete the look, and also as an added bonus deters idiots from referring to the kilt as a skirt. haha.

[Matthew Siegmann]

I've had to stop wearing kilt pins (except one) because I keep loosing them at my house (yeah they're on all day and when I take my kilt off the pin dissapears!). The one I still have is a diper saftypin type thing that a woman at a the KC Renfest pined on me because I wasn't wearing one at the time (of course I was trying to be more 16th century and I figured they didn't have kilt pins at the time).

Funny little story about that pin: The woman asked if she could pin it on me and I said to ask my wife and she appologised for not noticeing I was married. In the end my wife gave permission and she got to pin it on me. The woman seemed pretty excited about doing so!