Non-descript tartan, made in Italy!

**Tartan Hiker** · 4th August 11, 07:55 AM

OK...I just ordered 3 yards of this for a cold-weather hiking kilt. The one I use now is an old band kilt in weathered Robertson, so it's very "orange". My wife hates orange, so she will be greatly relieved when I replace it with one in this great-looking brown fabric.

Thanks for the tip, Woodsheal.

**Tartan Hiker** · 13th August 11, 05:15 PM

My yardage just arrived, and I, too, am pleasantly surprised with the heft and quality of weave. This will make a dandy kilt.

**Baldybrown** · 14th August 11, 10:24 AM

I'd love to see the belted plaid on. How about a pic? Also, is 4 1/2 yds enough? I've seen pics where they had 8 yds of the stuff. What's the rule of thumb for a great kilt?

**mookien** · 14th August 11, 11:00 AM

In case some of you folks have been borderline on this cloth, it is now on sale (double sale, I guess) for $7 per yard until 8/22. Get it while it's hot!

**Tartan Hiker** · 26th August 11, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Baldybrown

I'd love to see the belted plaid on. How about a pic? Also, is 4 1/2 yds enough? I've seen pics where they had 8 yds of the stuff. What's the rule of thumb for a great kilt?

The confusion lies with the folks who forget that back in the days before automated looms cloth was only 20-25" wide. A six to eight yard piece that wide (what we call "single width") would be cut in half and joined side-to-side, making a piece 3-4 yards long and 40-50 inches wide (essentially "double width"). This is what was used for a "great kilt". Folks wanting to recreate the great kilt in modern times went to the fabric store, bought 8 yards of double width fabric, which is the typical width of commercial fabric today, and tried to wear this huge mass of cloth, marveling at the stamina of their forebears and coming up with all manner of elaborate, and historically inaccurate, wrapping techniques in order to keep this huge hunk of cloth under some semblance of control.