May I brag a bit?

I just had a look and see that what they are referring to as a McGregor (or in my case McKenzie as that is my family tartan) is in fact the pattern of the tartan not the colour - the way they are woven that is. These tartans are not the correct ones as used by the Scots over the ages.

Any one want my favourite haggis recipe? It's on my web site...

Letting out there would do fine, but you might have to give it to the dry cleaners after to press the crease out of the redundant pleats!

This is the best tartan hunting site I've come across:

are ten or so different MacGregor tartans, starting with a rather swish red/green standard one.

ROTFL! Well, that does make sense. I know Blair has been told to wear suspenders to keep her borrowed kilt up above her waist, maybe that's how we'll do it. They always wear a vest or jacket over, so it wouldn't show.

But with a pleat depth of 8-to-1 or so, there is bound to be about six layers of fabric where the pleats overlap, so.... ???

However, I was thinking about the trimmed seams as I was responding to Sharon a few minutes ago. I was wondering if she could release a few pleats a bit to make her too-small kilt wearable. But if the pleats are trimmed, then that probably would not be possible, and I imagine that's definitely a factor for a child's kilt.

Yes! And with those reversible skirts, each pleat being sewn down at the top had to EXACTLY match the one on the reverse side. I loved those skirts!

That's gorgeous! I love the combination of green and purple.

Blair's doesn't *have* to be family-related, and in fact we have several branches of Scots so we can probably choose from a wide variety. DSIL has scotch ancestry, as do I. My paternal great-to-the-seventh-grandfather came here in the 17th century. He was an "Ulster" Scot, named "Robert Brown". (Rare, huh! ;-) I lent the family history I had received from my aunt to one of my nieces, and her home burned, destroying the documents, so I really don't know to which "clan" we really belong.

The dance teacher recommends that whatever we choose has a lot of white in it, because the competitions are usually held under a huge tent, and the girls get lost in the shade if the kilts don't stand out. So far we're leaning to a blue/white/? combination.

Not only close enough to drive to, but I *love* Vancouver and Victoria, so we'll make a mini-vacation out of the trip.

Will do! And I'm sure I'll have many questions for you when the time comes.

Beverly (who really needs to get off the computer and go mow the lawn before it gets any hotter)

What you need to remember is that there were *no* clan tartans as such up until about the 18th C, when all such things were suppressed by the Hanover regime. They were only set down and cartalogued as they are today in the 19th C. when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made all things Scots deeply fashionable. Before then, there were different patterns and weaves that were roughly attributable to areas which were the traditional homelands of different clans, but even within these areas there were significant variations. When the anodyne dyes appeared, the colours changed! Some of those 'ancient' sets are based on bits of old cloth that have been marinated for several generations in a peat bog... Their true colours are as much a matter of conjecture as the colour of Boadiciea's knickers!

LOL this is true (though I doubt Bodaciae had knickers in her time) but the colour ways shown on the other site were more like TOT colour ways than any real tartan as has been noted down at some point and is used nowadays as a reference as to what a clan tartan is and the many variations shown for some of the clans in itself shows that the clans sometimes agreed to disagree on colours

I now do understand why the "ancient" tartans come from - I did wonder why they were so dark looking. :-)

My cousin did that. His other grandparents were off-the-boat scottish. He and all his groomsmen were in kilts. And to answer the age old question, they did wear metallic bronze and black zebra boxers under the very formal kilts... grin

Cappy

Celtic Classic held every year at the end of September. Bethlehem PA Sept 22-24 2006

No affiliation just thought those interested might like to know. AK in PA

P.S. I live just 3 miles away and I've never been there! Sick or ladies retreat or something else has always come up.

Now those look familiar! I recognize them. My father always wore tartan ties. I think of him as a "professional Scotsman" - since he wore the tartan, had the family ring, and the family crest hung on the dining room wall.

Get out much? It works like this: He was waiting for his tip and a "Thanks for making my evening" and he's off to his next stop. JPBill

Thanks so much. I don't think I'll be able to get around to that for....ummm.....60 or 80 years. But appreciate it.

My father ate such things. He cooked, and especially cooked things like tongue and heart and other such parts. I think it may have come from growing up during the Depression, and being not too many generations removed from Scotland - one or two. Of course, he had gout.

This restaurant is where the accordian players club meets. I am always careful not to go there on meeting night.

That reminds me of the joke about the accordion player who left his accordion unattended in his parked car. He rush down to find his worst fears confirmed - someone had broken in and left another accordion.

Also >> Surely there is no such thing as the right sort of bagpipe music?? My

No head cheese?

;->

Beverly

Probably. He and I didn't enjoy the same foods, often. His spagetti sauce was good.

Tongue and heart are muscle. Tongue makes the most wonderful tender roast beef sandwiches, and back when I was in grade school in Phoenix nobody brought their lunch on the days when the cafeteria served stuffed beef heart.

Kathleen

Ugh. Just my laziness, but I think I will skip that tediousness and just keep the kilt for memories and dreaming. Maybe some day one of my DGDs will want to wear it. DD, like myself, has grown beyond it . I made myself an A-line skirt to wear for the Scottish communion from a luscious cashmere/wool blend glen plaid type I bought at a clearance for $2 p/yd. here at FabricMart. A lad processes into the sanctuary carrying in the large opened Bible, followed by the choir (I'm one of the members), followed by the piper playing a hymn. It would be nice if I had Scotts blood, but I'm a graft. I love Edinburgh and wish I could lay some claim to it. Sharon

I'll pass on the haggis, thank you, but your black bun looks fantastic> I'm sure my DFIL would love it too. Must make it for him for Christmas. Would you know if your measuring spoons are of a different size (imperial?) than American? Sharon