Simple,as possible, kilt

[Richard_D]

Hi guys. A small question has made me and my friends wonder.
Some who may know or remember I sometimes mentioned live action roleplaying, that would take place in so-called medieval Scotland.

We are just the halfway finished with our gear (swords, shirts shields, "backpacks" etc.) and now we are planning on making kilts. We found two diffrent colour themed, allmost tartan looking fabric that we are going to use to make the kilts ("two diffrent clans"). But here comes the problem. There is 42 of us now and we are looking for the most simple way of doing kilts. Any suggestion. I myself have made X-kilt to myself and if there is something more simple than that I would really appreciate to hear it.

We ones wathced the movie "Highlander" and it seemed that the kilts they used didnt have any pleats or stuff like that. Did we see wrong or was it just that the movie clothing makers got lazy . Any info on this?

Thank you and have a nice day

[chasem]

I haven't seen the movie (I know I know...) but the simplest way to do it would be to wrap it up like a great kilt. Lay 4 yards of double width fabric out, leave space on either end for two aprons, pleat it, and belt it on.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I don't know if you are trying to be historically accurate in your clothing or not, but there were no kilts in medieval Scotland. What you saw in Highlander was a Hollywood costumer's interpretation of the feilidh-mhor (aka breacan-feile or belted plaid, or "great kilt"). This is the earliest form of kilt that cannot be documented any earlier than the very end of the sixteenth century (1594) and was common during the seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth.

So, for something set in the Middle Ages, this would be quite anachronistic.

See this article to get a good time line of the development of the kilt:
http://albanach.org/generations.html

And more specifically on the feilidh-mhor:
http://albanach.org/kilt.html

Further reading:
http://www.reconstructinghistory.com...=&g=&a=134&w=2

And a great website for accurate information on Medieval Scotland:
http://www.medievalscotland.org/

[escherblacksmith]

yeah, what he said. Really depends on how accurate you are trying to get.

More likely it would been the leine (or a variation), which is a big shirt over hose. Then you wear cloaks as necessary.

That said, Chasem has the easiest solution.

[Richard_D]

We are not for historical accuracy basicly. Allmost. I know kilts didnt excist in medieval but we only want to wear them because of the fact that we play scotsmen. Well some are irish but still. I believe something will be made out of these instructions, thank you very much.

And by the way, can you give an honest opinion on this "kilt" sold near me ... I thought about buing it for work.
http://www.stuntman.fi/htm/tuotteet/darkness/kd008.jpg

Chears!

[ccga3359]

We are not for historical accuracy basicly. Allmost. I know kilts didnt excist in medieval but we only want to wear them because of the fact that we play scotsmen. Well some are irish but still. I believe something will be made out of these instructions, thank you very much.

And by the way, can you give an honest opinion on this "kilt" sold near me ... I thought about buing it for work.
http://www.stuntman.fi/htm/tuotteet/darkness/kd008.jpg

Chears!

Going by the picture and unless the pic is reversed, this is a womens kilted skirt. A man's kilt closes on the right hip. At €60, I think you do have alternate options that you could investigate. Where are you located Richard?

[Richard_D]

Going by the picture and unless the pic is reversed, this is a womens kilted skirt. A man's kilt closes on the right hip. At €60, I think you do have alternate options that you could investigate. Where are you located Richard?

I currently live in Finland and now I am located at our countrys capital Helsinki. For what I know that kilt is basicly " casual" type. It should have all those... was it pleats in english. Sorry my awfull english. Slept most of the time in class .
You have any idea on another shop?

[ccga3359]

I currently live in Finland and now I am located at our countrys capital Helsinki. For what I know that kilt is basicly " casual" type. It should have all those... was it pleats in english. Sorry my awfull english. Slept most of the time in class .
You have any idea on another shop?

Try Stillwater Kilts. I'm thinking that 1 Euro is roughly $2 US so a Stillwater "Standard" is roughly 40 euros plus shipping. Pehaps some of our UK rabble* can suggest something closer.
And


*Rabble is any X mark the scot member.

[Arlen]

You can order decent quality kilts on ebay.co.uk.
Here are a few kilts that are available in the U.K with fairly cheap shipping to Europe. They are all Men's kilts and all fairly decent quality. All are around 50 euros (60-70 euros including shipping)
Scottish national tartan (I quite like this one)

Heritage of Scotland tartan

Douglas tartan

Mackenzie Tartan

Blackwatch tartan


This one is a set... kilt, belt and sporran for around 100 euros including shipping.


Good luck getting a kilt to suit you.

As far as the LARP is concerned, you might be best bringing it forward just a century. That way you can still have a lot of the medieval weaponry and ideas, but you're starting to get kilts and a clan system going.

[Alan H]

The simplest possible kilt is probably the feileidh-beig...or "little kilt" which was worn for some 30-40 years in Scotland in the early 1700's.

Here are instructions.

1. Go buy a length of tartan cloth. The size of the pattern should be big, at least as big across as your hand. You'll probably have to buy cloth that is 45inches wide or 60 inches wide. If you can, get the 60-inch wide stuff. You'll want about 4 yards.

2. Cut it in half, or wherever you have to cut it to make at least one piece of cloth thats about 24-30 inches wide and 4 yards long.

3. Use a sewing machine to finish the cut edge of the cloth so it won't unravel. You could hem itor you could just run a couple of wide zig-zag stiches, right on top of each other, down the length of the cloth.

4. Hem the cut ends of the cloth. Don't get fancy, just fold it over and stitch it down with the machine.

You're done making your kilt.....now, how to put it on.

5. Lie down on your bed. Hang your calves off the edge of the bed so that your knees are right at the edge.. Slip a wide belt under your waist and lay it out flat on the bed, perpendicular to your body.

6. Now get up, leaving the belt on the bed.

7. Take the length of cloth and lay it on the bed with the edge you DIDN'T cut and finish at the edge of the bed where your knees were. The cloth should stretch from the head ofthe bed to the foot, and you should have lots of cloth! (twelve feet,or four yards)

8. Allowing about a yard for the under-apron, and 20 inches or so for the over-apron, pleat all the rest of that cloth, on the bed, right over the belt. This will take some time, so go slow until you get reasonable pleats.

9. Put on your shirt, whatever you're going to wear with your kilt.

10. Lie down on the bed, right on top of the pleats, with your knees at the edge of the bed, again..

11. pull the under apron over the top of your waist, then pull the over-apron over the top of that,fromt he other direction. Reach around the find the belt....pull the belt around your waist and buckle it down. The belt is what's going to hold this thing on you.

12. Stand up and adjust as you see fit.....voila....you are wearing it.