A number of questions

**horseshoehank** · 3rd December 08, 09:03 PM

As a member of the SCA, and a kilt wearer, you can wear whichever tartan you want whenever you want. Anyone who gives you guff doesn't understand kilt history at all. Tartans were never reserved for any one family.

Go for a wool, about 6 yards, a little less if you are slight.

Chuck

**socalferg** · 9th December 08, 09:59 PM

Greetings and Welcome from SoCal.

**Matty Ross** · 2nd December 08, 06:06 PM

Ceud Mile Failte
(A HUNDRED THOUSAND WELCOMES)
from
Matty ROSS

**GDub** · 2nd December 08, 06:14 PM

Welcome from the San Francisco Bay Area! And good luck finding what you want!

**The Wizard of BC** · 2nd December 08, 06:55 PM

Welcome to our little corner of the web.

It seems from your first post that you may be suffering from the same misconceptions that many have when first coming here.

Clans today are more like social clubs than they were in olden days. I have never heard of one requiring verifiable Credentials to pay your dues and get the newsletter.

And the SCA is a group about fun far more than it is about historical accuracy. But why let facts such as the Kilt not being invented until about 400 years after the period of the middle ages.

So my advice to you is imagine what a really poor guy living in a remote isolated part of the world would wear.

A Great Kilt was probably made from fabric more akin to an army blanket than to what we today call Tartan fabric.
In fact if I were going to make what I imagine a Great Kilt was an army blanket would be what I would choose. Two or three of them sewn together into a large rectangle is about perfect to what we actually know about the garment.

Alternately choose any really heavy, home spun looking fabric. Avoid anything even close to today's Tartan. The colors would probably be dark browns, blacks, dark greens mixed into a Tweed like fabric.
If your piece of fabric is about 5 feet wide and somewhere around 10-12 feet long and weighs about 8 pounds I think you would be pretty close.

Your fabric should also be a plain weave. Avoid today's Twill weaves. And I would probably avoid any but the most muted and dark Tartan if I just had to have Tartan.

Just my 2 cents worth and you know what that is worth today.

Good luck and have fun.

**SteveB** · 2nd December 08, 08:05 PM

Hello

and a warm Celtic

from Boston, Massachusetts.
For the first Great Kilt, with on non-Scot spouse in the picture, I highly recommend visiting the local fabric store for a heavyweight muted plaid (browns, black, dark blues, dark greens) in rayon polyester, or acrylic. I found a four yard piece of 60" wide in the remainders bin for only $ 2.00 a yard. It was heavy enough to use for seat covers. I took it home and put my belt on the bed, pleated the fabric over it, laid down on it and folded the ends of the front so that the outer apron ended on the right side, fastened my belt around my girth, grabbed the top of the fabric and held it over my shoulder, and stood up. Great Kilt done. Since the weft and wane of the pattern do not match, it is a plaid and not a tartan. For renfaires, SCA, etc. it does not make any difference. The fun is the important part. Even the Kilt Police did not show up on the poor young gent that had the aprons backward at the last renfaire that I attended. As everyone was having fun, it was not even brought up.
Should the spouse overrule any future kilt use of the fabric, you have a great cover for over the sofa when the kids are on the loose. And not out much money.
Slainte

**sathor** · 3rd December 08, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by The Wizard of BC

It seems from your first post that you may be suffering from the same misconceptions that many have when first coming here.

You mean 'ask a question when you have a post count under 5 will yield about 3 answers hidden among 4 pages of various welcomes' myth?

I skipped that by posting a few times before I ever started a ? thread. (Or so I think I did)

Anyways, I haven't seen it mentioned in this thread yet, the wife may come around to normal kilt wearing, but I think a great kilt might be asking much for day to day wear. I'm sure it's done by someone, but...

My wife went from refusing to go out of the house with me in a kilt to not saying a word, though last weekend she did ask why I wear it every weekend (I can't wear it to work on weekdays) and to humor her, I probably won't wear mine this weekend. (By humor her, I really mean it's damn cold outside, and I only have 1 pair of kilt socks, still in the package, that I am not going to get dirty before I wear them to her grandma's house just before xmas, so I can figure out how to clean them later.)

**mbhandy** · 3rd December 08, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by sathor

I only have 1 pair of kilt socks, still in the package, that I am not going to get dirty before I wear them to her grandma's house just before xmas, so I can figure out how to clean them later.)

Wash them by hand or throw them in the washer in cold water and hang dry.

From the Mts. of Utah

MrBill

**sathor** · 3rd December 08, 09:40 AM

I was thinking of doing the washer, then throwing them in my mini spin dryer, then hanging to finish drying. (centrifuge, no heat, saved my butt a few times, that and a hand cranked washing machine. Great when the laundry room pipes freeze.)

Originally Posted by mbhandy

Wash them by hand or throw them in the washer in cold water and hang dry.