Blanket Pin

[Mael Coluim]

Camellid started a thread on 1/7/2009 entitled “A Little History, Please,” asking for the historic reasoning/use of our kilt accruements.
On one of the posts MacMillan of Rathdown wrote,

"I've always believed that the kilt pin, as we know it, evolved from the blanket pin, which any proper Scottish gentleman knows is the only real kilt pin. As Chad pointed out above, the kilt pin really doesn't do much to hold the apron of the kilt in place. However, the corner of the apron does provide a handy place to store a blanket pin until needed.

Why a blanket Pin?

Simple. It allows you fasten your plaid around you (they have no button, zip, or velcro closure) when the need arises. If you "pop a button" on your tweeds the handy blanket pin will close your jacket against the mightiest gale. And once you've stuffed your deer into a bag, you can pin it closed shoving the needle through fabric and hide alike. Just try doing that with your wee claymore or bejeweled grouse claw.

In short, like so many other Scottish inventions, the "blanket" kilt pin is useful.”

What was a blanket pin, I wondered? A large safety pin, in the manner of the kilt pins? A quick search on the web took me to Tractor Supply that showed pins for horse blankets. Yep, that’s it, alright. A trip to my local Tractor Supply I was able to acquire two of them,



As you can see they are quite larger than the “kilt pins” from the local fabric store.



Well, I don't put myself in the league of proper Scottish gentlemen, but they look really sharp on my new Robertson Red and X Marks kilts. Thanks, Scott!

[Derek Conley]

Nice!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

WELL DONE!!!

And you've even got it "right way up"... What a gent!

[Bugbear]

Congratulations.

I bought mine from Stillwater, and it is longer or larger than a lot of the kilt/skirt pins I have come across. I'm not so sure what it is made of, but I did notice that a magnet sticks to it... so probably not sterling silver.

[GDub]

A while back I found these on eBay:

4" Horse blanket pins

The same seller also has 3" pins.

Or... I just found these for half the price of the above (though I didn't compare shipping charges):

Blanket pins

[Jock Scot]

If you can find a silver one, you will not need to bother to look for another kilt pin ever again. I am not sure about other Scottish regiments, but Officers in the Gordon Highlanders wore a silver kilt pin much like those. I wear my grandfathers.

[Bugbear]

Ok, the pin I have is four inches from end to end, and just under one inch from side to side. It is made completely of one piece of bent wire, in other words, there is no metal jacket at one end like on a regular safetypin.

As I posted before it is made from some kind of steel and probably nickel plated. Stillwater probably still cairies them, and they were $2.50 when I bought it a couple of summers ago.

[JSFMACLJR]

If you can find a silver one, you will not need to bother to look for another kilt pin ever again. I am not sure about other Scottish regiments, but Officers in the Gordon Highlanders wore a silver kilt pin much like those. I wear my grandfathers.

Exactly, Jock.

Here is the pin I wear almost all the time. It is silver:

[Carolina Kiltman]

Gee, I hadn't thought of horse blanket pins in ages. Brought back a bundle of memories!

Thanks

[thomaschisholm]

It is possible to find 'blanket pins'/kilt pins finished in brass or copper. I have also painted a pin in black. These are just personal variations. When studying some of the vintage kilt pictures, some men wore the pins 'upside down' which opens up another set of 'kilt rules'...So,lets get pinning!,
Tom.