A kilt made from hand woven tartan has been created from start to finish in Stirling for the first time in 150 years.
The unique item was made by Peter Dickie from Radical Weavers, a local social enterprise that uses weaving to help people who are socially isolated or have experienced loss or trauma.
Kiltmaker Claire Fell, who runs shop A Wee Favour on Friars Street, then used the cloth to create the piece of Highland dress.
The kilt, which is primarily black with red, yellow and blue threads, was inspired by video game and Netflix series The Witcher.
It was lined with a map of Westeros from the HBO Game of Thrones series, another of Peter’s favourite things, and can be extended, so will last a lifetime.
Once named, it will be added to the Scottish Register of Tartans.
In total, the threads used to make it equate to 15.5 miles’ worth – almost the distance between the Radical Weavers HQ in Stirling city centre to Callander.
The idea to create the kilt came about when Radical Weavers was nominated for a National Diversity Award for helping the LGBT community.
The not-for-profit run a project called Nip and Tuck, which teaches individuals how to alter clothing in a way that suits them.
Invited to attend the ceremony in Liverpool during October, they soon realised what they wore had to be handmade.
“We couldn’t turn up in a rented kilt for this – we are the Radical Weavers,” said Mairi Breslin, founder of the social enterprise.
“We were going to have to make something ourselves.”
First kilt entirely handmade in Stirling for more than a century
From there, Peter – who has wanted to weave his own tartan since joining the organisation in 2019 – decided to take the opportunity to make his own kilt.
“We all said that’s a really bad idea because to make it you’ll need loads of fabric,” said Mairi, 58.
But that didn’t put Peter off, and he went on to weave a 12-metre by one-metre tartan.
“It was a huge task and, undaunted, he went off and he did it. We were all very impressed,” said Mairi, his mother.
Peter, who spent around 200 hours weaving, described the process as “exhausting” but “good”.
The 24-year-old said: “With all weaving, you get something really quickly. But, because the stuff was so thin, it was maybe 12 inches at most every hour.”
Stirling kiltmaker finished the piece
The cloth was then passed to Claire, 41, who makes kilts, handfasting ties and accessories with her husband Iain from their Friars Street shop.
Despite having four years of kiltmaking experience, this was her first time working with hand-woven tartan.
She explained: “It’s looser than commercially-woven tartan so moves more, and it’s thicker.
“It’s a bit like tweed, but not tweed. It moved a lot more.
“The cloth – it was lovely to work with, so different, but it came together so nicely.”
Upon seeing the finished piece, Peter was delighted.
“It’s awesome to see something that I had started be finished and be made into an actual piece,” he said.
‘Delighted’ the next generation are weaving
It was only after the kilt was completed that the Radical Weavers realised the milestone it represented.
“To sit down and weave for a kilt, it’s a major endeavour, and it’s probably the first time it’s happened in Stirling since tartan-weaving was a profession,” said Mairi.
According to the organisation, there is no record of a kilt being made from woven cloth in Stirling for 150 years.
“We didn’t know until it was done, until it was sewn up,” laughed Peter, who runs workshops and weaves for the shop.
Throughout the process, interested members of the public watched the kilt being woven and viewed the final product.
“It’s such an iconic emblem of Scotland, I’m really delighted that the next generation are taking it on,” added Mairi.
Peter’s next project is a baby blanket commission, and another Radical Weaver is also planning to design and weave their own kilt.
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