I'm noticing that most places offer ruana/serape/arisaid at 10-11oz.Looking at my swatches in hand it seems to me like this might be a bit light and was wondering if anyone had or knew of a heavier beast before I try making one that's too heavy. Yes I'm thinking of making it myself.

I'm also thinking of cutting my kilt making teeth on a child's kilt for my son and wonder if 13oz would be too heavy for that.

All thoughts and related experiences appreciated.

X

13oz probably wouldn't be too heavy but I would personally use a cheaper fabric for a childs kilt. (e.g. PV. ) PV is high quality but much lower cost and behaves very much like wool.

If you have the wool on hand though and don't mind using it for something that will be grown out of, give it a go.

About arisaids I think a lighter weight is used to decrease fatigue in the person wearing it. I have worn a heavy wool medieval cape for a day and it is alot of weight to lug around. (I happened to like it because it kept the rain off better than the poor souls wearing plastic ponchos.)

If you do land up making it please do post some pictures I'd love to see what it looks like :D

I presently have an order in with John of Keltoi for my son's first kilt. His is being made of 13 oz cloth, and John makes the kilts so the little guys can get a few years out of them, i.e. there is a hem that can be let down to lengthen it, etc.

Personally, I am a traditionalist, and just can't get myself to like PV. It just is not the same as wool, but it does come very close. Also, depending on the tartan, it doesn't have to be all that cost prohibitive. I think I got a heck of a deal from John on the price for a child's kilt. Although, I wish I had the sewing talent to attempt to make a kilt for him. My wife the seamstress just doesn't want to get into making kilts because they just seem to be so labor intensive, and she is just not that interested in learning that skill set. I hope over time I can persuade her, as I know she could be a wonderful kilt maker if she chose to.

Actually, it's easier for first-time kiltmakers to make a kilt from heavier, rather than lighter, weight tartan. I think that 13 oz tartan would be a fine starting point, and it would be dandy for a child. It's less likely to wrinkle than lighter-weight tartan, and wool is pretty tough stuff. So what if it gets dirty? Wash it carefully in the tub, in Woolite, baste the pleats, and press it. It's not that big a deal. And, if you've made it yourself, the actual $$ outlayed isn't huge.

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Originally Posted by Barb T.

Actually, it's easier for first-time kiltmakers to make a kilt from heavier, rather than lighter, weight tartan. I think that 13 oz tartan would be a fine starting point, and it would be dandy for a child. It's less likely to wrinkle than lighter-weight tartan, and wool is pretty tough stuff. So what if it gets dirty? Wash it carefully in the tub, in Woolite, baste the pleats, and press it. It's not that big a deal. And, if you've made it yourself, the actual $$ outlayed isn't huge.

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Enabler. :wink:

For tartan infant kilts, PV is definitely the way to go, but for children's kilts wool is fine. Kids tend to grow vertically more than horizontally so a generous hem will make for a kilt that will last for several years.