Kilted inheritance? How true is it really?

[MacBean]

My father's clothes and shoes fit me perfectly. And my son is also the same size, except in the waist, where he is still young. I've passed kilts and jackets to him already. I wear my father's English brogues, and nice they are. Most of my jackets are 50-70 years old, so although I didn't inherit them from my father, I did indeed get them from a kilt wearer of a former generation.

Glad to see this thread found it's way home!

[saxandpipes]

I seem to be invested in obtaining my kilts and accoutrements from either makers or retailers as I am the first in my family to embrace my Celtic roots. (until now it was mostly Pennsylvania Dutch and American Indian) I didn't have a kilted Grandfather to pass the family kilt down to me.
We hear a lot about hand sewn kilts and sayings like "you will be able to pass this kilt to your grand children" and "heirloom kilt". So this is a picture thread at heart but I really want to know how many of us have a kilt that we wear that has been passed from our parents, grandparents, or great grandparents down the generations to us. How do you feel about them? How are they holding up? Will you be passing them down to your children? Have you already passed a kilt from your kollection to your offspring? And again where's the proof?!? Pictures!!!

There is a beautiful kilt in the family (haven't seen it in years, but I believe it was an Anderson tartan... from memory) that came through my mother's-grandmother's side. It's very small, so neither myself nor siblings have ever worn it. I have yet to find any picture of any ancestors wearing it either, but I suspect that it may have been my grandfather's when he was a boy.


Mum's Grandma (edit: Born in Scotland, came to New Zealand)

We always had the feeling that we were Kiwi-Scots "Grandad says we belong to this clan..." there were kilts around, etc. We had the feeling of being Scots, but there was unfortunately no real active kilt wearing going on until I started playing the pipes a few years ago. I would love to find some "evidence" of these items being worn... but so far, no luck!

I've got plenty of photographic history, especially from one half of my Dad's side, but so far (despite being overwhelming Scottish) no kilt pics. The families just seemed to get on with being Scots-Kiwis, and the kilt was just somewhat old-fashioned.


Dad's Grandma (edit: she's the one on the far left. First generation of New Zealanders to Scottish parents)

Ok... going to start a new thread, before I completely derail this one.

Cheers!

Michael

[RAF]

Well, here is an opinion of a different sort.

I have made an "heirloom kilt" for my son. At least, it feels like it should be an heirloom or have some meaning beyond the purchased cloth. I have some unusual beliefs, one being that the essence of a person is imbued into the items that he or she creates and also in the items that the person wears and uses regularly. When I see or wear clothing that my mother made for me, I feel her presence, I notice every tiny stitch she made and, in a way, she speaks to me in memories more significant than the garment itself. I also have items that I made for my mother over the years, and when she died, I found them tucked away in her closet. They spoke to her when she wore them, and now they speak to me about the relationship we had and our time together.

It's probably sort of corny to a lot of people, but even if there is no one who wants to be the recipient of the kilt for the purpose of wearing it, I can always hope there will be someone who will enjoy it for what it is, a work of love, a gift of my time.

In naming the kilt an "heirloom," I am hoping it will signify to the family that I don't want it thrown out or given to the Goodwill the day after I die. I want it to stay with my son, or with someone in the family who appreciates it, to remind them of some good memories and to know that a part of me it still there. I want every stitch to be a testament that Mark was loved and cared for, that his happiness was important to me. I imagine when I am gone, there will be times when he will miss me, and at those times, I would like him to be able to hold the kilt in his hands and remember what it was like growing up. Maybe this is too much to expect of a young guy, but I can always hope he will develop some sort of sentimentality because it is a part of who I am. I have no daughters, but maybe the kilt will inspire someone in the family to create an heirloom for their child.

Sentiment is personal and unique, not corny. I think those who would dismiss your views as corny perhaps have not had the good fortune to have someone in their lives who could bestow such gifts on them. Speaking from the other side of this equation, my mom enjoys making me beautiful wool sweaters, and I thoroughly enjoy wearing them. And, like you with your mother's things, feel her presence and love in these items, and appreciate the work and time put into them.
Sorry, slightly off the path there. More to the point - like others have said here, I too am the first/only one in my family to embrace my Scottish heritage in a kilted way (or any way for that matter.) As I don't have children, and at my age don't expect to, I can only hope that someone, somewhere "down the line" family or otherwise, would appreciate, "adopt" and make use of my articles.

[Lyle1]

Norman blood flows pretty strongly through my veins too and apart from when I visit Normandy to visit distant relatives I rarely give my Norman-Scot ancestors a thought.

Which brings me back to my question! Apart from Shetland and Orkney where the Norse culture is,I think, stronger that the Scots one, most of the rest of Scotland, apart from academics and those mildly interested, do not celebrate in any major way(if at all) our numerous and mostly distant roots and I am not privy to any evidence that we really ever have in say the last thousand years. Clan stuff? Most certainly we celebrate those one way or another, the rest just seems to lurk in the mists of time. This is why I posed the question that I did to you chaps in the New World, just how long------if ever----will the roots that you have now and celebrate in your own ways, take to get watered down as some have in Scotland?

To David Pope's very well stated response to your original questions, I can only add a response to this post.

Unlike the Scots, many Americans do celebrate their roots, both distant and recent, and those celebrations are often public and quite elaborate. I can't explain why we do it; I simply know and accept that we do and don't worry about why!

It should also be noted that many Americans regularly join in and enjoy the festivals and observances of other people's roots (Why pass up a good party and great food?) So, as for the "how long" part of your question, I can only say probably never, or at least, I hope not in my lifetime.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I stocked our freezer with pastries that we bought at the local Greek festival, and at the local International Day festival, I set up the Sons of Italy booth (Italian roots in some of my Scottish and German lines), changed into my kilt, and ate the best pierogies (choose your favorite spelling) that I have had in years! The American experience at it's best!

[saxandpipes]

Sentiment is personal and unique, not corny. I think those who would dismiss your views as corny perhaps have not had the good fortune to have someone in their lives who could bestow such gifts on them. Speaking from the other side of this equation, my mom enjoys making me beautiful wool sweaters, and I thoroughly enjoy wearing them. And, like you with your mother's things, feel her presence and love in these items, and appreciate the work and time put into them.
Sorry, slightly off the path there. More to the point - like others have said here, I too am the first/only one in my family to embrace my Scottish heritage in a kilted way (or any way for that matter.) As I don't have children, and at my age don't expect to, I can only hope that someone, somewhere "down the line" family or otherwise, would appreciate, "adopt" and make use of my articles.

I agree RAF, I don't think it's corny at all. I think Mark is very lucky to have a mother like Mark's Mom.

My own mum used to always make our clothes as children... and we loved them- then of course, as older children we reached a point where that was totally uncool. Nowadays as an adult (just turned 30!), I have to plead with my mum to make (knit) me anything. When I asked her to knit some kilt hose, she ended up having them made by a "professional" because she was insecure and embarrassed about her abilities as a knitter (I will mention here, that back in the 80s when we were growing up, she was also knitting "professionally"). Of course, I blame myself and my brothers for not wanting "home-made" clothes anymore after a certain age! However, luckily as teenager I was already growing out of that need to "fit in" and have had the most beautiful things since, including Aran jerseys which would not have stood a chance at becomming an heirloom, because I simply wore them out!

Perhaps, unless one really knows/knew the person who made a beloved item, or the loving recipient of the item, it's not really possible to understand the significance... especially if said item is not necessarily "heirloom quality". But I'm sure that Mark's Mom's kilt will be a cherished item for generations to come!

Cheers!

Michael