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“If they put me in a home I hope they allow me a needle and a thread. I’ll be happy enough then,” says Gretta Campbell as she cuts out the shape of yet another skirt for a teddybear’s ‘Tattoo’ outfit.
Gretta Campbell with some of her soft toy creations.Gretta Campbell with some of her soft toy creations.
Gretta Campbell with some of her soft toy creations.

Gretta Campbell is the Walled City Tattoo’s secret weapon when it comes to the myriad of costumes being worn by the Scottish dancers. The Grandmother to Georgina Kee-McCarter, she has been the powerhouse behind all the kilts and jackets worn in this year’s Tattoo and last year’s for that matter, and is in high demand for pipe band outfits and band regalia generally.

Her hands never stop. Half-an-hour produces a co-orordinated outfit for a stuffed teddybear, and given a couple of hours she can churn out as many as 10 dancers’ skirts.

Georgina, who is choreographer for the Scottish dancing at the Walled City Tattoo, is amazed by Gretta’s skill: “She never stops. I drive to teach dance in Donegal and she comes with me for the trip. She knits the whole way there and back.”

Gretta Campbell with some of her soft toy creations.Gretta Campbell with some of her soft toy creations.
Gretta Campbell with some of her soft toy creations.

Discussing how they plan for the Tattoo in terms of costume design and production Georgina revealed that it was a case of teamwork: “For this year’s tattoo we have been putting stuff together for the past couple of months. We had a few different options and we are recycling some from last year with the leotards and skirts that the Irish dancers wore; we are basically wearing the same leotards and skirts but we are just putting new tartan and broaches on them.”

Asked how many were working on the production line, Georgina laughs: “Well, there’s me and granny and mummy and whatever mummies are sitting about while the girls are dancing. The mothers usually get handed a needle and thread to do something. We have a costume designer as well, who is in charge of the Irish dancing costumes, but for the Highland dancers it is usually all hands on deck and whoever is sitting down gets a job.

But it is Gretta who is the driving force behind the scenes: “I have been making costumes since 2002. I made four jackets and kilts and said this four would start us off, and I remember her daddy putting the buttons on for me on the jackets. Now I make all the wee uniforms for them all.”

That involved all the tartan skirts and all the sleeves on the leotards, and as if that is not enough, Granny Campbell is also a dab hand at recycling scraps of material and turning them into little uniforms for teddybears so that those who want a souvenir of the Walled City Tattoo. The sale of the teddies also helps to fundraise.

“Some of the dancers stuff the bears and Granny dresses them up,” says a justifiably proud Georgina.

Georgina sings her praises: “She has been making may costumes since I was 12, but she had been making pipe band costumes and flute made band jumpers by the score for years. Granny and mummy do most of the big stuff and all the detail and intricate sewing gets done by everyone but really Granny and mummy do the bulk of the work.

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