More Assistance...Feilidh Beag!

**RadioKen** · 9th April 08, 04:35 AM

Hello everyone! Well, the first weekend of Scarborough Fair has come and gone and the belted plaid worked well for me with a few exceptions. It was a bit hot with all that extra man-made fabric piled around my shoulders (and, yes, I know that there are other ways to wear it; I never could get any of them to work quite right for me). Also, it was a bit cumbersome for child wrangling.

So, what I've decided to do is to split it down the center (longways) and turn it into a feilidh-beag. Not precisely period for a renaissance festival, I know, but I saw at least one shop owner out there who was wearing a Utilikilt as part of his attire, so I don't feel quite so bad about it. This also gives me some extra fabric from which to fashion a little "minikilt" for my 18 month old son. My wife thinks the idea of father and son being dressed alike is cute, and I have to admit that I think it is, too.

So, the point of this thread is this: How does one go about putting on a feilidh-beag? With the great kilt one has all this extra material that sort of balances out the process. Is there any particular trick or tip to putting on this smaller one? Once split, the fabric is 30" wide. The measurement from my natural waist to my knee is 21.5 to 22 inches. That gives me at least an extra 8 inches at the top to deal with. I was thinking that I could trim that down somewhat, serge the edge, and then fold that edge down maybe three or four inches on the inside so it doesn't show. OR, that I could trim it down even further than that, make a 1" hem at the top and then go from there.

Any wearers of the feilidh-beag care to chime in with advice or opinions?

Thanks!
~Ken

**Woodsheal** · 9th April 08, 05:16 PM

On mine I had loose, unpressed box-pleats stitched into place at the top (they started doing this at some point in the 1700's):

As you say, the philabeg is not at all authentic for the RenFaire period, but if you're going to wear one you might as well make it easy on yourself and tack the pleats in place! Or you could try a drawstring method: fold over and sew the top hem of the kilt into a tube and insert a cord, sort of like the top of a pair of sweat pants. Bear in mind that the pleats on the earliest philabegs were not a bit uniform or tailored, and came around well to the front of the kilt. Check out the boy on the right:

**RadioKen** · 9th April 08, 06:33 PM

One thing I've been trying to determine is what happens to the extra bit of material at the top. Celtic Croft sells theirs with the extra material flopping over the belt. That makes sense, but none of the period images I've seen show the actual top edge of the philabeg; everyone's wearing a jacket or waistcoat that covers it.

I was trying to decide whether or not I should hem the top edge. If I don't hem it I could let it fray naturally, or I could pick out the fabric by hand and turn it into fringe. I'm not so sure I like the fringe-look, so I think I'll end up hemming it instead. About how much material should remain above the belt? Right now I've got about 8 inches to spare.

I think I'm going to go the drawstring route. Instead of making a tube from the top hem, though, I was thinking that I would add individual loops spaced about every six inches. That way there would be less material to try to bunch up under the belt. Alternately, I considered tacking the pleats in place like you mentioned by pleating it like I want, pinning the pleats in place, and then running a line or two of stitching across them where the belt will go. If the drawstring method turns out to be not to my liking, I may go ahead and do that.

In another thread from last year there was mention of a "shoulder plaid" that was (sometimes) worn with the philabeg. Was this essentially the same as today's fly plaid? How and why was it worn, anyway?

Thanks very much!
~Ken

**Woodsheal** · 9th April 08, 07:06 PM

Ken,

I hemmed the top of mine, so it's about the same length (drop) as my modern kilts, and I fasten it with buttons and loops. The drawstring idea sounds cool, though, and might yield a more "period correct" look if it works.

The plaid carried while wearing a philabeg would be of greater dimensions than today's shoulder plaid, because it would still be used as a blanket - but not as big as the full sized feilidh mhor.

**Malcolm MacWilliam** · 10th April 08, 01:16 PM

As 18th century reenactors we wear feilamors and feilabegs. We hand pleat both of these. You pleat the begs the same way as the mors, only there is no top part. We take about 3 to 4 inches off the width so it's about 26 inches wide, the kilt comes a bit above our knees cause that's 18th century style and there is 3 to 4 inches of a hangover on the belt at the waist. In the front that is tucked in to look neater, in the back it just overhangs and our jackets cover that up. But, if it's pleated nicely, that back overhang even looks good. Malcolm, 42nd, 77th, Jacobite troops, Sjt. Major

**RadioKen** · 11th April 08, 04:16 AM

As 18th century reenactors we wear feilamors and feilabegs....We take about 3 to 4 inches off the width so it's about 26 inches wide,...there is 3 to 4 inches of a hangover on the belt at the waist.

Ah, ha! Got it. Three or four inches of overhang at the waist. Now, since this is a cut edge, do you hem it or just let it fray naturally? If hemmed, is it hemmed to the inside, like you would normally for a hem, or to the outside so that when the overlap flops over the hem is hidden? Also, if you hem it, how large of a hem do you use?

In the front that is tucked in to look neater, in the back it just overhangs and our jackets cover that up. But, if it's pleated nicely, that back overhang even looks good.

How does one go about tucking that in to make it look neater? Is it folded forward, but tucked under the belt, or backwards, tucked to the inside of the aprons? I'm intrigued. Are there any good pics of you or your reenactment regiment showing that tuck?

Thanks!
~Ken

**sharpdressedscot** · 11th April 08, 11:43 AM

So what exactly can you do abou the material left over on the phillabeg? I honestly hate the look of it, I like to see the belt. You would have to trim it? but isn't the point of the left over material to help holdthe kilt in place so it doesn't slip? I guess you could put straps and belt loops...

**Malcolm MacWilliam** · 11th April 08, 12:47 PM

Ok, the tuck in the front.....I usually just take the left over material that looks sloppy, fold it a bit and slip it behind the belt, straighten it a bit and it works. As for hem in the back...most of ours are hemmed all around so the hem would show out on the pleats in back.....you could leave it fray.....good wool will only fray a bit and I've always liked the look of that. malcolm

**sirdaniel1975** · 11th April 08, 02:40 PM

It might not be the most authentic way to wear it, but adding a draw string might make it much simpler to get dressed. I would imagine you would not want the draw string strung through any part of your apron(s).

**RadioKen** · 11th April 08, 04:28 PM

Okay, I've sewn in the drawstring loops (one about every six inches, sans overapron) and hemmed the top edge so that when the material flops over the hem is to the inside. Preliminary wearings over my trousers (I finished it up right before I headed off to my afternoon bus route) look promising and I should have access this weekend to a full-length mirror to make my pleats look nice (well, "nicer"). I'll experiment with the front tuck and see how that goes; I may have more questions on Monday.

Thanks for all your help so far!
~Ken