If you’re visiting this website, you already know that our Wildcat is in trouble…. big trouble. We are Alan Hebert, Glen Allardyce and Barbara Tewksbury. We’re actually not Scottish, Alan and Barbara are from the USA and Glen is from Canada. Nonetheless, all three of us share a love of the natural world and the landscape, animals, plants and people of Scotland. We also love tartan, the unique cloth from which kilts are made, that signifies “Scotland”. All of us are aware of the plight of the Wildcat; the danger of genetic dilution from interbreeding with escaped housecats and the loss of habitat. We wanted to do something to help. So it is that we invented the notion of a Scottish Wildcat Tartan. Glen Allardyce provided the artistic “eye’. Barbara Tewksbury contributed her immense knowledge of kilt making and tartan, and Alan handled the fundraising end of the project. We included UK-based kilt maker, Paul Henry to work on distribution of the tartan in the UK. The end result is a wonderful tartan based on the colours of the cat. The black stripes are there. The grey and brown of the coat is there. The yellow of the eyes is there. It is being woven by D.C. Dalgliesh in Selkirk, and here’s the thing: 15% of the sales price goes to Wildcat Haven. www.wildcathaven.co.uk
Do you wear tartan? Do you feel that the Highland Tiger of Scotland deserves a chance to survive in the wild? If so, then you can help by purchasing some Scottish Wildcat Tartan. Make a contribution. Take it to your kilt-maker or dressmaker or make something at home. Wear the Cats colours and tell their story. A mans kilt requires 3-4 yards of this material, as it is “double width” meaning 56-58 inches wide. A ladies knee-length pleated skirt requires 2-3 yards. A ladies un-pleated but wraparound hostess skirt (ankle length) requires 1 1/2 - 2 yards depending on the girth of the lass in question. A waistcoat requires a yard. Wildcat Haven, where the true Scottish wildcat can be saved! www.wildcathaven.co.uk
UK price per metre and Kilt price details can be found at www.paulhenrykilts.com, contact Paul Henry to register your interest as enough yardage needs to be accrued to enable a bolt to be woven.
Information on how to buy in the USA contact Alan Hebert.
Once the order is placed with the weaver, PLEASE BE PATIENT. It typically takes 6 to 12 weeks (that's up to 3 MONTHS) for the fabric to actually be woven. If you have any questions, please pop over to our Facebook page and let us know or email the gallery administrator and he will pass on your enquiry.
