#102 of 365 - Wee Dancer and her Seamstress

Today was the Kirkin o' the Tartan at Saint John's Cathedral in Denver, CO. Herewith is a picture of our little Bella, who debuted both as a dancer and wearing a Dress Blair kilt, no less!

The fabric arrived last week and I put my head down and whipped through the sewing to ensure that she was able to wear her dance kilt for the Kirkin' today. I must say, it's a challenge to get 180 inches of fabric down to 22 inches with the aprons.

#72 of 365 - Home from the Parade

Home from the parade and out of the hot woolens. Absolutely gorgeous day for marching thru downtown Denver. Here's our boy, Ryan in his Blair kilt that I made last week. Good looking that he is, in it. Here's our Judy as well in her Clan Shirt.

Here's me, clothes changed and ready to head to Boulder for supper and Great Big Sea...

#46 of 365 - Old Friends and New

The joys of the internet is reconnecting with friends from the past. Lysa and I went to the same tiny high school in New Jersey and somehow we both ended up in Colorado. This photo was taken at the Long Peak Scottish-Irish Festival in lovely Estes Park, CO this past September. Lysa is a Stewart and I, of course am a Blair.



Then there are newly met friends. That would be Shaun from Clan Rose. She was there with her workmates as the boss was a festival sponsor and took his whole team to the festival for a day. How cool is that?

How to Make an American Kilt

Here is the wool tartan in the Old Blair.

For more years than I care to think about I have been trying to get my Da, Allan to get and wear a kilt. I finally convinced him last summer to go ahead and purchase the Old Blair Tartan and let me make his kilt for him. This process, was of course, speeded up by my girlfriends admiring him in my Stewart Kilt.

I have a great friend, Judy Wisehart, who makes kilts professionally and she agreed to show me how to make a proper kilt from beginning to end. So with fabric in hand, I spent a couple days at her house, cutting the fabric, stitching the pleats, pressing the pleats, pressing the pleats some more and then more steaming and more stitching of the pleats. When all was said and done, and the buckles and tabs were added after I returned to my house (finally as I had been gone from home for 3 weeks) it was finished. I then went in search of a sturdy hanger to keep it on (whilst also avoiding the malls in the search) and made a hanging bag to protect it whilst Da traveled it to home in Arizona.

Here are some pictures of some of the many steps it takes to make an American kilt.








The finished product and when I can find it, I will post the picture of him wearing it. Now on to stockings to go with..

Colorado Clan Blair Society Burn's Supper

On Saturday Night, the Colorado Clan Blair Society celebrated the Birthday of Robert Burns the great Scottish poet. We used the occasion as a planning meeting for our CBS annual general meeting being held here in Colorado in August at the Colorado Scottish Games in Highlands Ranch, CO.

Torin Blair did a bang up job of reciting the Ode to the Haggis, that master of the Pudding Race, by Robert Burns. It was a lovely evening, enjoyed by all.

Attendees included myself and The Blair Family of Littleton, CO

We had a lovely meal, consisting of haggis and bacon tidbits, salad with dried cranberries and toasted oatmeal with whisky viniagrette, pork loins done on the grill and tatties and neeps (Smashed potatoes and turnips) followed by shortbread with pecans and chocolate chips and whisky soaked cake for dessert. Yummy! We do have some great cooks in our Clan.

We are well on the way with our planning for the AGM, we have our venue for the Clan Dinner and plans for events surrounding the visit of Blairs from all over the US and Canada.