So, I’ve had this idea for about two weeks now. I’ve been talking my partner Wil's ear off about it, so he very kindly offered to buy me a book as a gift to support my new dream. I am now officially on letter box watch , waiting for 'Scottish Kiltmaking for Beginners' to hit the mat so I can read it cover to cover before I even think about touching a needle.
I am under no illusions here—moving from upcycled pouches to a traditional kilt is a massive mountain to climb. It’s a bit like learning to ride a bike and then deciding to enter the Tour de France. I'm sure there has to be a Netflix documentary about that somewhere.
This is going to be an entirely hand-stitched kilt. No shortcuts, no machine-cheating. Now, keep in mind my only real hand-sewing experience so far consists of a few embroideries I did for my sisters as Christmas gifts. Moving from a few floral stitches to the structural engineering of kilt pleats is… a choice.
While I wait for the postman, I’m launching Phase one: Practicing pleats. The last thing I want to do is go straight onto the fabric—that would be a very expensive mistake! Plus, I need something to kill the time while I wait for the book. My three-week training camp looks like this:
- Week 1: The Bedsheet Battle (sacrificing the linens).
- Week 2: Moving up to cotton squares.
- Week 3: Graduating to a pair of old curtains for that heavy-duty feel.
The Disclaimer:
I don’t think Will is ready for the 'bespoke' takeover. Between the mountains of practice fabric and the inevitable stray pins in the sofa, the living room is officially a kilt workshop. You can also expect a few guest appearances from the man himself; he hasn't quite realised yet that he’s just been promoted to full-time cameraman for me and my fabrics.
The living room is currently the calm before the storm, but it won’t stay that way for long.
Channeling my inner master tailor. Or just a person with a ruler and a lot of optimism. We'll find out soon