What's the difference?

[Liam]

If you want to do a Great Kilt for a Ren Faire may I suggest you look for a Tartan bed blanket. Not a light weight picnic blanket but one for on your bed in the winter.

You can often find them at swap meets and second hand stores.

Look for one about double or full size. A single size is too small and a Queen size is too large. If you can find one in boiled wool all the better.

I have one that I use during my history of the kilt lectures. It is a pretty good representation of a Brat. Shows how you can wrap up in it at night, keep warm out in the fields, and most importantly is incredibly easy and fast to put on. You don't lie down, you pull it over your head and take your belt from your leine and put it on outside the blanket.

Once I quite worrying about trying to create a modern looking kilt from it. I have found it is perhaps one of the most versatile garments.

Steve.... If you have a post with pics here, can you direct me? If not I'm sur there would be interest in seeing pics.
Cheers....

[The Wizard of BC]

I'll see if I can get some pics up this weekend.

In the mean time do a google search for "Matchcoat".

While there is no historical documentation of exactly what the great kilt was or exactly how it was worn we do have documentation of the Brat. And there is a lot of documentation of the Matchcoat.

This site has references to the Matchcoat from about the same period in history as the great kilt. About the early to mid 1700's.

http://www.oldetoolshop.com/trekking...atchcoats.html

[Benning Boy]

There's a very good description of matchcoats here:

http://wildeweavery.com/matchcoats.htm

I'm with Steve, I believe great kilts probably were worn more like matchcoats and less like some of the wraps the ren fairre crowd have concocted. Why? Because it makes so much more sense.

I've been watching for months some 22 ounce wool on ebay that would make a nice kilt. Maybe I'll break down and buy it. There are quite often good tartan balnkets. You could make your own version of boiled wool simply by washing the fabric in hot water and drying on high heat a couple of times. I have several wool blankets I've done this too. I always shrink wool to be made into garments that way, just to be safe. Upholstery weight fabric is easy to find on ebay, probably other places, too.