Great Kilt fabric

[Scottish Chi]

After seeing a number of great kilts at the Grandfather Mt. Games I was curious as to where they are getting their fabric. There would be few circumstances that I can think of in which I would wear a great kilt but I thought it would be fun to look into this. Of course I would want to keep the cost down. Anyone have a suggestion?

Cheers! Bill

[Southern Breeze]

Hamilton Dry Goods has tartan fabric at $10.00 a yard. I don't know if it's suitable for a kilt but it might be good enough to experiment with.

http://www.periodfabric.com/TartanFlagBunting.htm

[auld argonian]

http://www.garbtheworld.com/pgs/kilts.shtml


Cheap but effective.

Best

AA

[Woodsheal]

Click on the "Celtic Croft" link on this page, and you'll find a variety of "great kilt" options....

[MacWage]

With a Great Kilt (better termed a "Belted Plaid"), one can get away with a FAR greater range and quality of wool than a normal kilt. My BPs are made from several types of wool, a HEAVY weight, a loose weave, and a cheap Acrylic that looks homespun (I got it at clearance for $1 a yard). A store that has reinactment materials is a GREAT place for good wool. Most of my store bought wool (non-internet/mail order) was from 96 District Fabrics in Abbeville, South Carolina (which speciallizes in American Revolution and (American) Civil War/War Between the States).

That said, a clan tartan kilt is perfectly acceptable too.

By the way, 4-5 yards is PLENTY for a BP, 8 is WAY to much. Some use 6, but, unless you are really large (50+ pants), it is too much for me and my 40 inch pant size.

Most were probably in the range of 4-5 yards, based on known orders for belted plaids. Also, the earliest known tailored/waist down kilts are ALSO in the 4 yards range (see Matt Newsome's site and the Scottish Tartan Museum, of which Newsome is the curator).

Matt's site:

http://albanach.org/index.htm

Relavant parts:
http://albanach.org/kilt.html

Especially:
" The earliest picture we have of a belted plaid comes from after 1600. The exact dating is uncertain but it would seem to be from the first decade of the 17th century. And there are ample 17th century references to the belted plaid so we know its use became nearly universal among the Gaelic Highlanders. When trying to recreate one of the first belted plaids from the late 16th century, it is necessary to extrapolate from what we know of the garment from later times. We know is was untailored. It consisted of a length of woolen material or a linen-wool blend, most often of tartan pattern (although solid colors were worn as one early 17th century portrait of a Campbell chief attests to). The length would appear to have been between 4 and 5 yards.
One will often hear it repeated that the plaids had to be at least 9 yards. Often it is 10, 12 or even 16! This myth has its foundations in the records of the 17th and 18th century that show where often 8 or 9 yards of tartan are purchased for the making of a belted plaid. What one needs to realize is that this material was only about 25” wide, and the plaid had to be wide enough to reach from the knees to above the head. So two widths of material would be sewn together to get a 50” width (or more if needed). Therefore 9 yards of tartan material would make a plaid 4.5 yards long. This corresponds with the earliest surviving tailored kilts we have, which all contain about 4 yards of cloth. Certainly 5 is enough for a man of any girth—too much for some. "-Newsome

http://kilts.albanach.org/yardage.html

" Is there anything wrong with a four yard kilt? Absolutely not! In fact, history shows us that when the kilt was being worn by the Highland people, as an everyday garment, the typical amount of cloth used was about four yards. It was not until the kilt became the stuff of ceremonial wear that tailors began to go overboard with the cloth.

As stated earlier, the original feileadh-mhor contained, on average, three and a half to four and a half yards of cloth. When this garment evolved into the feileadh-beag sometime in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, we find that the length of the cloth was consistent. The feileadh-beag was simply the lower half of the feileadh-mhor, and where the feileadh-mhor was four yards doubled, the feileadh-beag was four yards single width."- Newsome

Hope this helps..

[AllenJ]

I can second Matt Newsomes research. He's got his stuff together. He's a friendly guy and has very reasonable prices.

[Woodsheal]

One thing to consider when purchasing a belted plaid: if you're going to be doing reenactments or camping where open campfires are involved, only get 100% wool. No one wants a polyester or acrylic meltdown in their lap or on their thighs from getting too close to a fire! Wool smolders, but doesn't ignite and melt....

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Good tip Brian, especially as Pour1Malt found out to his chagrin very recently! Although his was a rogue halogen lamp that attacked his defenseless kilt!

[Scottish Chi]

How important is the tartan pattern and colors so as not to look foolish since official tartans were not established until relatively recently? Are there any guidlines for choosing a tartan pattern?

Cheers! Bill

[Caradoc]

How important is the tartan pattern and colors so as not to look foolish since official tartans were not established until relatively recently? Are there any guidlines for choosing a tartan pattern?

Cheers! Bill

Muted "earth-toned" tartans work nicely. Documentation of the period said that the Highlanders liked colors that worked as camoflage.

In James Aikman’s 1827 translation of George Buchanan’s 1581 History of Scotland: “They delight in variegated garments, especially stripes, and their favourite colours are purple and blue. Their ancestors wore plaids of many colours, and numbers still retain this custom but the majority now in their dress prefer a dark brown, imitating nearly the leaves of the heather, that when lying upon the heath in the day, they may not be discovered by the appearance of their clothes; in these wrapped rather than covered, they brave the severest storms in the open air, and sometimes lay themselves down to sleep even in the midst of snow.”