Making a Great Kilt

[Pearce117]

Hello all. I need some advice I'm going to be making my first kilt very soon and need to know just how much material I'm going to need.

I hear that a piece of cloth roughly 4-5 yards in length by 60 or so inches in width is the average. So I will give you as much of my info as you need to help me get this right.

I hope that I can tell you what I know right now and that will suffice.

Height 5'6''
Waist 36''/40''

[turpin]

You should get between 4 and 5 yards. I am a 6', 38" waist. I hve a 4 meter piece of clothe and would like it to have more pleats when I do the GK, but I am limited by a minimal need for the aprons. 5 yards would be just right.

[Piper]

This site has been a help to folks.
http://www.theweebsite.com/greatkilt/index.html

[Pleater]

If you have a long shirt or tunic, or a mid thigh one and nice legs then you can get away with less fabric, but if you are going to wear a modern length shirt then a longer piece of fabric and a couple of safety pins holding the aprons is going to be a good idea.

Also if the inside of your belt is smooth and slippery, gently roughing it with a blade or maybe sandpaper will help it keep a grip on the fabric.

I used a modified great kilt as a Winter dressing gown and am thinking of adding snaps to keep it more under control this year.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[JRB]

I'd say any length between 4 and 5 yards of double width fabric will be fine. I have a 38" waist and consider my 5 yard belted plaid to be a bit on the long side for my personal taste. It works fine but I'm thinking of lopping off a yard of fabric so I don't have as much on top to deal with.

BTW, as far as the belted plaid (great kilt) goes, there's nothing to "make". It's just a length of wool fabric that's strategically pleated and wrapped.

[Highlander31]

I'm 6'3" and have a 39 inch waist. I chose to go with 6 yards of material for my great kilt. Mainly because I like the way it hangs and the greater amount of pleats available. The down side is it's heavier (and hotter in the summer.)

[HeathBar]

If you are a reenactor then you can ignore this. If you are going with the great kilt or feilehd mor (sp?) because it costs less than a tailored kilt, here are some suggestions. Go ahead and get quality kilt material in at least 13oz weight. And go ahead and get at least 4yds double width. Here's why. At some point you will likely get tired of finding some CLEAN spot large enough to spread out the material, then get on your knees to pleat it, (did I remember to grab the belt?), then trying to figure out what to do or how to use the top part, then adjust it to make it look right, only to discover your aprons are going in the wrong direction. How do I know this? Because this was me. After a few years, if you've taken good care of the fabric and not abused it, you can send it off to a kiltmaker and have them make a traditional tailored kilt for you. That's what I did after I joined xmarks, with the exception that I bought the book, the Art of Kiltmaking, and made my own.

Sure you can go to the fabric store and get the cheap stuff for $5 a yard, but it will never look right, hang right, or feel right. And trust me, people do notice the difference.

Best of luck to you. And let us know what you decide.

and

[Tartan Hiker]

Pearce, listen to HeathBar. He is a wise man (despite his sketchy relatives ).

Welcome to XMTS!