Fly Plaid in MacPherson tartan

So, as I recently talked a bit about different plaids that can be worn with kilts. I had occasion recently to make one for a client, so here it is….Fly plaid in MacPherson tartan…..

Frequently a fly plaid is a square of fabric with a fringed edge. I like a bit more definition, so I add some pleats in one corner

And here it is in action at a recent wedding!

Looking for a fly plaid of your very own? Get in contact, and let’s talk!

Anatomy of Highland Dress

I like a good kilt (as some of you may know!). Although there’s more to dressing the part than just a kilt, so here’s a (very) brief primer on some other aspects of highland dress.

For gents, sometimes they wear trews (tartan pants), but most often it’s a kilt, which comes in different styles (I’ll talk a bit more about this another time). In addition, often a full plaid, fly plaid or belted plaid is worn. A full plaid is also a Piper’s plaid.

Pipers plaid-notice how long it hangs at the back-it has almost as much cloth as a kilt!

Credit: pxfuel.com

A fly plaid is a smaller version of the pipers plaid, meant to be worn over one shoulder, and secured often with a large brooch. Men’s highland jackets often have a shoulder strap that helps keep the plaid in place.

Fly plaid example.

Photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fly_Plaid_Final.jpg

In addition, one might wear a belt, sporran (man purse!), sgian-dubh (most often a blunted short blade dagger), knee socks known as kilt hose, flshies (or garters, usually in matching tartan), kilt pins and clan badges.

Women tend to wear kilted skirts rather than the more traditional kilt, but I think a hostess length kilt is a lovely thing (I guess I have to feel that way:). However, women do often wear a tartan sash, or a larger plaid, again, often secured with some kind of clan -related motif.

So, hopefully you understand a bit more about the complete outfit. Have a special event coming up or want to give a special gift? A kilt is a beautiful thing, and will last a lifetime!

How I became a kiltmaker

You might not have discovered this about me yet, but I love to sew! When I started doing custom jewellery shows (just pre-covid, sadly), I decided I needed some textile additions to my show display. And so I made these two mini quilts:

When I was thinking about moving back to Toronto, and what I was going to do with my career, I started thinking about my love of sewing, and how I might make some aspect of that into my business. While I love to quilt, I didn’t want it to become work!

Around that time, I reconnected with a friend in Edinburgh that happens to be a kiltmaker. We were chatting, and she happened to mention that they were starting up a kiltmakers academy to train the next generation of kiltmakers. You see, the art of traditional, handmade kilts was being lost, as knowledge was being lost or degraded over time. So, the idea was to develop a program that was a professional, technical designation, and bring some consistency of making to the craft again.

I love to hand sew, and there are a lot of Scots in Canada! So, I thought this might be useful . So, I spent 4 months of intensive Saturdays learning to make kilts on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

Here are a few examples of the kilts I made as part of the course. I had to complete a total of six kilts to graduate, including a child’s kilt, a military box pleat, an asymmetric tartan, a heavy weight tartan and a plain cloth kilt. In addition, I had to learn how to do alterations. It was a great course, and gave me a baptism by fire of most aspects of kiltmaking. I know about making pipers’ kilts and dancer kilts as well, although I didn’t have to make one to complete the course.

I feel very prepared to embark on my new journey as a traditional Scottish Kiltmaker!

Looking for an heirloom quality kilt? Or to have that kilt you grandparent handed down to you? Contact me for more information, and let’s talk!