End of Summer

Well, as summer is becoming a distant memory and autumn has most definitely arrived, I am looking back on a wonderful summer: long days in the studio at Coburg and heavily involved in wedding preparations for lots of people, including my own daughter's nuptials! A wonderful trip to Harris visiting weavers and buying wonderful tweeds, seeing Oasis at Murrayfield, beach days at Gullane (catching the sunshine and swimming in the dreamy sea) all wonderful, and I feel very lucky and blessed.

I also have had a wonderful time reconnecting with clients particularly the ones whose kilts I made over 30 years ago and it has made me think where a life as a jobbing kiltmaker has taken me.

I was fortunate to have had a paid apprenticeship about 35 years ago where I learned the craft and in the early 90s that was normal for young people to go into the kilt trade. Unfortunately you most likely have to pay to train nowadays which is unaffordable for most young people which is a great shame.

Kilt making is now listed as an endangered heritage craft and there are probably around 20 time served kiltmakers left in the world and I am proud to be one of them.

I frequently come across machine-stitched kilts that look like authentic kilts; however, they are very tricky to alter as the body grows and changes over the years. Kilts are made to be altered as required. There is a whole generation of people finding out now that the kilt they paid for in good faith has not been traditionally made, and altering it requires a trained professional to try and sort out this emerging mess. Anyway, if this is a concern, I am happy to have a look and sort it out!