As a skilled craft, kilt making by tailoring yards of woollen tartan into a perfect garment by hand is becoming an endangered profession. The issues threatening the viability of these traditional crafts range from mass cheap factory production to fewer people being trained in the required skillsets.
In fact, only 20 or so people in Scotland at present would regard kilt making by hand as a main source of their income and with only 15 to 20 trainees taking up the craft each year there is concern that this traditional and unique skill in Scotland is in danger of fading away. Cheap machine-made kilts and imported kilts have undercut the price of the traditional kilt makers which are bespoke, and handmade and are increasingly under threat of extinction.
The kilt began as a blanket like garment folded at the rear, held at the waist with a belt with the remaining tartan woollen cloth around the shoulders and over the head for protection. The tartan style became regional because the plants which were used to dye the wool in different colours were found in different locations in Scotland.
The wearing of this traditional and readily identifiable garment was banned by the British government in 1746 in the aftermath of the Scottish Jacobite uprisings. However, it was because of this kilt ban that the military, who were allowed to wear it, developed a garment that was more tailored and better fitting. In the Victorian period there was a resurgence of popularity of the kilt and during the 19th century it became the eight-yard hand tailored garment we still know today.
The tartan kilt is an icon of Scottish culture and heritage and an important symbol of family and being a Scott. Kilts are not associated with any particular social status or religion but reflect a family name and hometown in Scotland. Not surprisingly people from all around the world with Scottish ancestry are proud to purchase and wear a kilt.
The time-consuming factor which makes the handmade kilt so special is the method by which it is made. The customer has to be measured for size to calculate the bespoke pleat width to the stripe or the sett with a design either as a knife box, military roll or in a ‘Kinguissie’ form. The pleats are hand sown with invisibly stitching and sometimes reinforced with canvas. Throughout this very complicated process a variety of hand sewing stitches are used at each stage.
Differences in kilts derive from the tartan employed, which historically are clan related. The wool comes in different weights depending on their use, sometimes lightweight for women’s skirts, medium weight for men and women, and heavyweight for mostly military wear. As a spin off from kilt making, other crafts such as sporran making, knitted kilt hoses (long socks), brogue shoes, matching jackets and smock shirts are also made, but the means to make them manually is also under threat.
One pioneer who is trying to reverse this trend is master kilt tailor, Marion Foster, who has established the Askival of Strathearn Kilt College, just outside Perth. Offering kiltmaking classes, in house, and online, Marion is encouraging a new diverse group of people, not just in Scotland but from all over the world to create handmade kilts in the old ways.
Besides Askival there are other training establishments which are offering places where one can learn the art of making a Scottish kilt. They are The Edinburgh Kilt Academy, Kiltmakery, Keith Kilt and Textile Centre and The College of Master Kilt Taylors. Unfortunately, most people taking courses at these centres want to do it as a hobby rather than a means of making a living. Nonetheless it is hoped that these hobbyists will be encouraged with their newly learned skills to carry on this very important tradition.
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