A Lowlander Meets Outlander

I had always known that my remarkable Scots-Irish grandmother had a fascinating history. Still, it wasn't until I finally delved into the Outlander saga by Diana Gabaldon that I was impelled to dig deeper. Watching the Outlander series on STARZ and seeing the rugged, stunningly beautiful Scottish Highlands brought to life sparked my curiosity about our heritage.

Several of my relatives had already made considerable efforts to research our genealogy and shared their findings and research with the rest of the family. I discovered that we are descended from Scottish Lowlanders, who crossed the border into Ireland in the 1600s and, in the early 1700s, emigrated once again to Pennsylvania, eventually settling in Tennessee.   

The Scottish fashion in Outlander has its unique style, and in our cold winter months, all those layers and shrugs are quite appealing. Although our McCanless "clan" doesn't have an official tartan like that of clan Fraser or Mackenzie, I've been drawn to many different beautiful plaid fabrics this holiday season and decided to honor our roots nonetheless.

I discovered a gorgeous, velvety soft red and blue plaid that I made into a lovely dress for myself.  I found a great pattern in "Chic & Simple Sewing" by Christine Haynes for her "Back-to-School Shift Dress." I kept the general shape, but added large red buttons to each pocket. Rather than sewing elasticized cap sleeves, I kept the sleeves a bit longer, straighter, and added a nice tuck in the middle. As Jamie would announce his clan motto in old French, "Je suis prest." I am now ready for the holidays!