Great Kilts

[Jim H.]

How large does a great kilt have to be in length, and are they cheaper than a wee kilt? I know the difference, but are great kilts warmer than a wee kilt, and does anyone have comments on them?

[Dreadbelly]

Oh boy, here we go again.

Do a search for Great Kilts. You are, uh, bound to find all kinds of opinions and feelings about said garmet, as well of it's supporters and detractors.

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Great Kilts, as we know them, are merely a stretch of fabric with no tailoring. For that reason, they're MUCH less expensive.

As for weight, that's entirely up to what you're looking to "warm-up". The Great Kilt covers the shoulders, whereas the Little Kilt will concentrate on the... um... lower body.

I'm currently designing and finishing a "tailored" breacon feileadh mor. It will be a hybrid of a breacon feileadh mor and a breacon feileadh beg. I guess that makes it a feileadh-middle? The design is DONE, and is as easy to put-on as a casual kilt. This all came about because the SCA was looking for something that was not available out there. There were also a number of guys that were looking for the "full" look without the pain of the gathering. This will make it as easy as a feileadh beg.

With that, it will be as warm as a "little kilt" with the extension of the "great kilt". Depending on the fabric sources (which are near completion) the cost will put them in the casual kilt range... in wool or other.

This will be an "original" design that will in no way replace the little kilt. It's more of a challenge-and-solution to bringing the breacon feileadh mor into the modern fold. Celtic bands, pipe bands, re-enactors, SCA and individuals are already lined-up! I'll let you know more in 3 months.

[bubba]

I'd like to see a few pics of that when you get done. Sounds like a cool idea.

[Sir Robert]

After reading this I went and read up on great kilts.

For the most part a great kilt would be a rectangle 60 inches by 162 inches of wool blanket material. Most likely this would be solid brown in color for camoflage. Yes ther are paintings of the great kilt in the most outrageous tartan colours. But keep in mind that the paintings are of nobles showing off their wealth by dressing up nice.

I made a great kilt today by sewing togather two Army blankets for 67.5 by 175 inches of olive green. It is hidious to behold but it is historicly accurate.

You might want to get 10 or 13 ounce material in a pre-45 tartan. Not period but would look better.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Here's some info on the great kilt:
http://www.albanach.org/kilt.html

Robert,
You are correct that the great kilt would be worn for camoflauge, but that does not meant it would most often be a solid color. We do know that solids were *sometimes* worn in the great kilt -- we have one portrait that shows that c. 1635, but in this case it is solid red.

The camaflauge would have been tartan. In natural tones, the stripes of the tartan design would have served to break up the wearer's outline and camoflauge him, just like a tiger's stripes, or a leapord's spots. So rather than wearing tartan to be identified, people once wore tartan to be hidden!

Jimmy,
Sounds like you are doing something that the military did towards the end of the eighteenth century -- sew in the pleats of the feilidh-mhor to make it easier to put on. I'm doing the same for a client now (or will be, I should say, when the cloth comes in). Nothing new under the sun, I'm afraid!

Matt

[gmcdavid]

Jimmy,
Sounds like you are doing something that the military did towards the end of the eighteenth century -- sew in the pleats of the feilidh-mhor to make it easier to put on. I'm doing the same for a client now (or will be, I should say, when the cloth comes in). Nothing new under the sun, I'm afraid!
Matt

I did that on one of my great kilts a couple years ago. It works quite well. I also added some belt loops and a couple laces on the inside--where the inner apron buckle and strap would be on a normal kilt. That way I can align the end of the inner apron correctly. One of the belt loops is at the end of the outer apron, so I can align it accurately as well. If you are going to cheat, you might as well be thorough about it!

A minor drawback is that the thing is rather hard to store. You can't just fold it up anymore. What I do it is hang it by the belt loops in the back. This is OK, but looks a little sloppy.

Glenn

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Jimmy,
Sounds like you are doing something that the military did towards the end of the eighteenth century -- sew in the pleats of the feilidh-mhor to make it easier to put on. I'm doing the same for a client now (or will be, I should say, when the cloth comes in). Nothing new under the sun, I'm afraid!

Matt

If it was that minor of a change, then you would be correct sir! It's much more than that little sewing run, and one that will make it as easy to wear and store as a "little kilt". All the while, it will maintain the look of one that's wrapped.

[Tiran]

I'm currently designing and finishing a "tailored" breacon feileadh mor. It will be a hybrid of a breacon feileadh mor and a breacon feileadh beg. I guess that makes it a feileadh-middle? The design is DONE, and is as easy to put-on as a casual kilt. This all came about because the SCA was looking for something that was not available out there. There were also a number of guys that were looking for the "full" look without the pain of the gathering. This will make it as easy as a feileadh beg.

I am looking forward to that information. As a SCAdian (which is how I wandered into kilt wearing) I frequently wear a great kilt. I just pinned the pleats and had my sister run a stitch at my waist length so I don't have to repleat them everytime. Its quick enough to put on (although I still have to lay down) and I can even get dressed in my dummy dome tent. You are right, doesnt fold worth **** now so its a pain to pack. However I used poly cotton blends for weight and washability, so i dont worry to much about hanging or other issues. I figure knife pleats arent period anyway lol

[Sir Robert]

MAC you have made your argment, you may be right, I could be quite wrong.

However let me say this, if you asked me to describe a 21rst century American, I would say T-shirt with some tobacco company logo and bule jeans. A quick look in my closet would find 13 pairs of pants only 2 pair are blue jeans, and that is not counting 3 kilts or at least a dozen shorts. So that would be 2 of 28 or 1 of 14 or 7%.

Another anology might be that 99+% of US Civil War re-enactors wear pegged sole shoes, while US Army records indicate that a miniscule 1.5% of footwear was pegged. Once an idea is out there the fact that it has not been documented will never be a good reason to change the opinion of the faithful.

So there is a small chance that I could be right.