Kilt making

[celt72]

Welcome from Seattle!

[millykilts]

Ladies and Gents,
Many thanks for the warm reception good to see that some of you are self taught an achievement by many peoples standards these days. Please be aware that some of the posts you submit may be some time being answered as we are just about to move into Afghan deployment and courses and excercising over the next 5 months for deployment prep. So will see many of your clansmen in Bastion and Helmand.Any quiries you have on Scots div fire my way i love a challenge.

I will be retiring to civie street next year just had to squeeze another op tour in before i hung up my kit. I have aquired a job drafting uniforms predominately Mess Dress for a firm in south of England just north of London.

Once i get a chance i will post some regimental pics.

regards

John

Cabar feidh -Gu Brath
(The Stags Horns Forever)

[Mac Ghille Sheathanaich]

Greetings, 20 August, 12:58pmMST

Welcome to the Rabble! I too am a self-taught kiltmaker. That is to say, I learned the basics from Barb T. and The Book. The rest of my skill, such as it is, is self-inflicted, due to my being left-handed, and some of the "rules" don't work for me.



Regards aye,

T.

[turpin]

Welcome to XMarksthescot, John

Many posters have mentioned their use of "The Art of Kiltmaking", co-authored by Barbara Tewksbury. Barb has made 4 kilts for me. You might also be interested that Barb's co-author, and the lady from whom she learned, is Elsie Steuhmeyer, who apprenticed over 50 years ago with Thomas Gordon and Sons, Glasgow and who likely made many kilts for the Highland regiments.

cheers

[bonnie heather]

Wow!!! I hugely admire your very impressive training, experience and expertise! I'm a professional kiltmaker and have made almost 200 kilts so far. I learned kiltmaking through a 4 year apprenticeship to Ann Stewart from Burchead, Scotland. She recently retired but had been a kiltmaker for 54 years. She taught me to make hand stitched traditional knife pleated kilts. First she had me practice sewing tiny, invisible stitches and aligning the tartan pattern on tartan remnants. Then she set up a kilt for me and had me sew it. Then she showed me how to completely make the kilt myself. After she felt satisfied with my work, she had me make kilts for many of her customers, since she always had so many kilts to do. I'm so thankful to her for teaching me. I always want to learn more and more, and Barbara Tewksbury's book and instructions are really good. I wish i knew how to make a lot of other highland and regimental clothing and accessories , Ann taught me how to make flashes, plaids with purled fringe, epaulets, and some other accessories. It's fantastic that you can make jackets, spats and the whole range of Highland attire. Do you teach those skills to others?

[okiwen]

Welcome,
Impressive resume'. I know that most of us on this forim have relied heavily on the expertise of Barb T. and her partner in writing with both the book and in classes around the country.

I have a particular interest in the trews you mentioned. Real classy in my opinion. I have made kilts only for myself but have every intention of improving skill and productivity. I hope you take on the mantle of Mentor here on this site.

Can't wait to see the photos.

Good luck in the sandbox, keep your head down.

[Tartan Tess]

I learned first from Judy Sullivan from New Hampshire who learned from Elsie and took over her New York kilt camp, when Elsie didn't want to travel so far anymore.
I also flew to California to take a class with Elsie, which was wonderful.
These kilt camps I speak of are usually a 5 day course to learn to make a "typical" knife pleat kilt. Alot of us go back every year with something harder planned.
I would love to try out different teachers but where I live in Maine the pickins are slim.
Novia Scotia is the only other kilt making school i have heard of this side of the peco's

[Pleater]

Welcome to X Marks, John.

I am another one making kilts for myself, and worked out the way of it from what I learned in the previous 50 years.

My sewing is mostly unstructured garments, in the English tradition of smocks and shirts, plus knitting and crochet - jerseys, socks and caps. I only just have time to make all the commissions I'm offered so could not take on making kilts as well, there are not enough hours in the day.

I use a sewing machine where it will make the join as though hand sewn, like many of my sex I lack the ability to compromise.

I make reverse Kingussie style kilts, either 24 or 27 inches long, out of anything - tartan to curtain, which seems likely to do the job. I like the extravagance of kilts, and smocks, all those yards of fabric sewn into regular folds, but the lack of waste too.

I am sure that there will be a lot of questions from the forum on Scottish military uniform and dress codes and the minuitia of kilt making.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Dr Mac]

From Bryan/College Station

[Mike_Oettle]

John, it is a privilege and an honour to number you among us!
Welcome to X Marks from the bottom end of Africa.
Your posting to Afghanistan intrigues me, since I was unaware that kilts were worn in that operational theatre – or is it camouflage uniforms you will be making?
I served in a kilted unit, First City, but since I remained a ranker, my experience of military tailoring is so to speak nil. I wore a regimental kilt and pouch with a khaki tam o’shanter (with tartan flash), khaki hose tops (with red flashes) and white anklets (misnamed puttees).
But it is possible you might have made kilts and other outfits for some of our officers, since they had red jackets for full mess dress, undress blues with tartan trews, horse hair sporrans, tartan hose and spats. And unlike the rest of us they also wore balmorals.
I look forward to learning a great deal from you.
The British Army in Germany covered the lower Rhine and Lower Saxony, if memory serves. I imagine your German postings still cover the same region.
My ancestral home in Württemberg was under French occupation, and Bavaria fell under the US forces.
My father served in the South African Army in East Africa and in Italy, his unit being in the front line from Monte Cassino northwards. He was injured at Monte Stanco.
There was a Highland unit in his brigade, but his regiment, the Royal Natal Carbineers, remains staunchly English in its tradition and detests kilts and the pipes!
Best regards,
Mike