[Paul]

Originally Posted by slohairt

I've made a couple for customers. I just use two metres of double-width cloth and fringe the two short ends. If you look at most of the men in that picture you'll note their plaids look to be the same fabric as their kilts. This produces a much less cumbersome plaid to wear than using a picnic blanket.

The man third from the left has his plaid worn across his chest and then draped over his shoulder. I would imagine it is easier to keep on that way.

I noticed that... do you just tuck it under the piece on the other shoulder to hold it in place?
I phoned House of Edgar for a price on 2 yards of double-width - which coulod be a day plaid or the plaid on Matt Newsome's blog and they said they no longer do runs of double-width... which is annoying! My Campbell Ancient tartan kilt looks different to the tartan made by other mills - as it's a lot darker. So if I were to wear either of these plaids I've have to buy 4yards of single-width, cut them in half and sew them together!

[Jock Scot]

Originally Posted by Chas

Just as an aside, does anyone actually own a Laird's Plaid? If so (or even if not), what size and type of cloth are we talking about?

I am imagining something the size and weight of a single blanket. That is to say, roughly 5' by 6'. Does that sound about right? From the pictures the Plaids all look substantially thicker than kilt material, that is why I am saying a blanket. Surely it would not have been 16 oz and felted up to be thicker.

And what would have been the cost? Woven material has never been cheap. It would be interesting to hear from someone who has seen one used 'in action' so to speak.

Regards

Chas

Well yes, I own one and I have just dug it out of the trunk that it has been resting in for the last umpteen years. No moth holes either, but the stink of moth balls is pretty powerful! Anyway I have just measured it for interest sake and it is: 54 inches wide and just under four(12ft) yards long. At a guess it is 16oz possibly 18 oz kilt type cloth of "modern" hue and I would guess that it is at least 70 years old.I would quite happily(if I was able to keep it in place, that is!) carry it wearing my "ancient" hued kilt. Yet again, we here do not bother with all this matching up carry-on, as long as the clan tartan is the same, the hue matters not one bit. If you don't believe me, find some pictures of the Atholl Highlanders, you will see at least three variations of colour of the same clan tartan.

As to cleaning wool as long as it is not oil,blood or red wine, plain dirt is dead easy to remove from wool, let it dry and gently brush it off with a softish brush. For more stubborn stains in wool, including the kilt, dump it in the nearest clean burn, or clean river, well loaded down with boulders and leave it a few days there and then dry it in the fresh air. Nature seems to sort it all out. Even most of the stubborn stains!

[cavscout]

Originally Posted by slohairt

The man third from the left has his plaid worn across his chest and then draped over his shoulder. I would imagine it is easier to keep on that way.

I imagine that Lairds plaid were intended for an elegant way to carry your "stadium blanket" from the carriage to your chair at which point you would wrap up in it or spread it on the ground. As others have said, it is simply a PITA to deal with.

Like slohairt suggests, I like the plaid worn across the chest much more. Whether you simply wrap it around you or fasten it with a single brooch or pin is up to you. Here's one image


Many other images of this application can be seen here

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...1&postcount=39

I feel it's a great compromise between the function of the Lairds plaid and the appearance of a fly plaid and the complexity of the pipers plaid

[Jock Scot]

Originally Posted by cavscout

I imagine that Lairds plaid were intended for an elegant way to carry your "stadium blanket" from the carriage to your chair at which point you would wrap up in it or spread it on the ground. As others have said, it is simply a PITA to deal with.

Like slohairt suggests, I like the plaid worn across the chest much more. Whether you simply wrap it around you or fasten it with a single brooch or pin is up to you. Here's one image


Many other images of this application can be seen here

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...1&postcount=39

I feel it's a great compromise between the function of the Lairds plaid and the appearance of a fly plaid and the complexity of the pipers plaid

Oh no you misunderstand. The day plaid(lairds plaid) whilst worn at outdoor functions and did look the part, in my view, it was actually a functional piece of kit to be worn, not for posing in, or sitting upon. Remember that Gortex, oilskins,rubber coated cloth,nylon etc., has only been with us for about a century, some for less than half that time, so wool has done pretty well for hundreds of years keeping us Scots warm(ish) and dry(ish).

[Jack Daw]

I no longer wear a plaid with my prince charlie because the plaid tugs to annoyance at the shoulder and pulls up on the jacket.

In winter, I have worn a "laird's plaid" as shown above with day wear. I like this as it does not attach to the jacket.

[cavscout]

I with you Jock Scot. If nothing else, I believe highland fashion is very much about function first. While the Lairds plaid being made of wool was functional, I was referring to the method of wearing it draped over one shoulder. I assume it is put on ones shoulder to keep your hands free, but if you have to keep using your hands to put it back on your shoulder there's no benefit to wearing it on your shoulder for any thing longer than getting to a place where you can put it down If it were being worn for warmth it would not be only on one shoulder. For clarity, these are just my opinions

[Jock Scot]

Originally Posted by cavscout

I with you Jock Scot. If nothing else, I believe highland fashion is very much about function first. While the Lairds plaid being made of wool was functional, I was referring to the method of wearing it draped over one shoulder. I assume it is put on ones shoulder to keep your hands free, but if you have to keep using your hands to put it back on your shoulder there's no benefit to wearing it on your shoulder for any thing longer than getting to a place where you can put it down If it were being worn for warmth it would not be only on one shoulder. For clarity, these are just my opinions

Again you misunderstand, which is not surprising if you have not seen a Day(Lairds)plaid in action. The plaid is carried folded over the shoulder, when not in use, but is ready for action should the occasion arise, as it so often does in Scotland! When needed it is worn over both shoulders, like a shawl.The hands can poke out from underneath if needed, but other than that, one hand holds the join from the inside at about mid rib height and the other remains snug under cover too.

Don't forget that there were few cars around a hundred(even 50 years ago) years ago in the highlands, and none before that! So, often the highlander would be 20 miles or so from home doing whatever and there was only one way to get from A to B and B to A and that was by foot and for probably most days of his life! So carrying something to keep you warm and dry makes sense.

[cavscout]

Nope, no mis-understanding. I can follow how a blanket works.

The misunderstanding appears to be on your part. Carry it however you choose. As the prints I linked to show their is clearly a better "traditional" method of wearing a plaid and still be used as a blanket, shawl, rain coat,... any method you would use a Lairds Plaid.

And once again, I get it. It's not rocket surgery

[slohairt]

Originally Posted by Paul.

I noticed that... do you just tuck it under the piece on the other shoulder to hold it in place?
I phoned House of Edgar for a price on 2 yards of double-width - which coulod be a day plaid or the plaid on Matt Newsome's blog and they said they no longer do runs of double-width... which is annoying! My Campbell Ancient tartan kilt looks different to the tartan made by other mills - as it's a lot darker. So if I were to wear either of these plaids I've have to buy 4yards of single-width, cut them in half and sew them together!

No, it just sits on the shoulder, looking pretty much as it does in those old photos.

The House of Edgar is slowly phasing out double-width in favour of single-width. Some of their ranges such as Hebridean or Nevis are only double-width and will remain that way. So, when it comes to the other ranges, they only have double-width available in old stock. They have Campbell Ancient in 13 oz. Mediumweight and 16-17 oz. Heavyweight. You may have to pick a different weight than what you have, assuming they have any stock remaining.

[Jock Scot]

Originally Posted by cavscout

Nope, no mis-understanding. I can follow how a blanket works.

The misunderstanding appears to be on your part. Carry it however you choose. As the prints I linked to show their is clearly a better "traditional" method of wearing a plaid and still be used as a blanket, shawl, rain coat,... any method you would use a Lairds Plaid.

And once again, I get it. It's not rocket surgery

This is getting rather silly. You do actually misunderstand. The day plaid (Lairds plaid) is carried over the shoulder without fixing. The one wrapped around the body is not called that. It is wrapped like a piper might and if I recall correctly,I not too sure here, to be honest, too long ago, the dimensions of the plaid were different. In any case they did the the same job, but they are not the same thing.