Celebrating Zoe Watson

There are some moments at The Kiltmakery that remind us exactly why passing on traditional skills matters. Zoe Watson completing her three-year apprenticeship with us is certainly one of them.

Zoe first came through our doors when she was just 16 years old, joining one of our kiltmaking courses. Even at that early stage, there was something about the craft that captured her imagination – and what began as a course would eventually become the start of a much bigger journey.

Discovering a Passion for Kiltmaking

Following her first course, Zoe was able to continue developing her skills with the support of Heritage Crafts funding, progressing onto our Advanced Kiltmaking Course.

Here she began tackling increasingly challenging projects and learning that there is far more to the craft of kiltmaking than creating one particular style of kilt.

She learned to make traditional hand-stitched kilts as well as specialist pieces, including a dancer's kilt and a military box-pleated kilt.

It was the beginning of three years of learning, practising and, importantly, gaining confidence in her own abilities.

Three Years of Learning

During her apprenticeship at The Kiltmakery, we wanted Zoe to develop as a maker rather than simply learn one set of skills.

Alongside traditional hand-stitched kiltmaking, she has become increasingly accomplished at machine sewing and garment construction, creating beautifully tailored pieces including kilted skirts and waistcoats.

She has also conquered our Industrial Embroidery Machine.

Most importantly, she has developed into an excellent hand-stitched kiltmaker.

Anyone who understands traditional kiltmaking knows that this doesn't happen overnight. It takes patience, accuracy and many hours spent learning how cloth behaves beneath your hands. There are skills that can be taught, but there is also a confidence and instinct that only develops through making again and again.

Watching that confidence grow in Zoe has been one of the most rewarding parts of her apprenticeship.

Finding Her Own Creative Direction

One of the wonderful things about learning a traditional craft is discovering where those skills might take you next.

For Zoe, a growing fascination with historical clothing and embroidery is beginning to shape the next chapter of her development.

Recreating historical garments brings together many of the skills she has already learned – hand sewing, tailoring, construction, an understanding of cloth and an appreciation for the way garments were traditionally made.

Her next ambition is to develop her skills in jacket making, while continuing to explore embroidery and historical clothing.

We can't wait to see where she takes them.

Growing in Confidence – In and Outside the Workshop

The change we've seen in Zoe isn't only in her technical ability.

Over the last three years, her confidence and independence have grown enormously.

Last year, she even set off on a solo trip to South Korea – an adventure that felt like another wonderful marker of just how far the 16-year-old who first walked into one of our courses has come.

Today, Zoe is not simply someone who trained with us. She has become an essential part of The Kiltmakery team.

We are incredibly proud of her.

Passing the Craft On

Zoe's story also represents something that lies at the very heart of The Kiltmakery.

Traditional skills only survive when they are passed on.

It isn't enough for us simply to make beautiful kilts today. If hand-stitched kiltmaking is going to have a future, young makers need the opportunity and time to learn properly, to make mistakes, to practise and eventually to develop the confidence to call the craft their own.

That is why apprenticeships and organisations such as Heritage Crafts, which help make this kind of training possible, are so important.

Three years after beginning her apprenticeship, Zoe has become a skilled young kiltmaker with an exciting creative future ahead of her.

And while her apprenticeship may be complete, her journey as a maker is really only beginning.

Congratulations, Zoe. We couldn't be prouder to have you as part of The Kiltmakery.