How I make a kilt for a Highland Athlete

[Alan H]

WARNING...long post, but I SWEAR it's not a rant!!!

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Making a kilt for a Highland athlete is an interesting proposition, as the kilts take a tremendous amount of abuse during the Games. Undoubtably the most popular kilts on the field in North America are the Sportkilts, and it's easy to see why. They're easy-on, easy-off. They're machine washable. They're inexpensive, and they look good. They are *Great* in hot weather and a lot of Games take place during the summer. Also, one of the big Sportkilt distributors on the West Coast is Buzz Kidder and Buzz is a big supporter of the athletes in So Cal. One of the regular "B" class athletes in So Cal drives a truck/van for Sportkilt. Also, Sportkilt has a few tartans which can be difficult to get elsewhere at a reasonable price, like the California State tartan and Coast Guard. There's a lot to like about a Sportkilt for doing the Athletics.

A number of the Pro's wear Stillwater Standards. I don't see them wearing Stillwater Economy models. I'll be honest with you, a Stillwater Standard does NOT deal well with being wadded up and thrown into the flight bag after a Games. While I really like a number of these guys, their kilts usually look bloody awful in my opinion. To these guys, the kilt is not an object of any interest, in and of itself. It's just that to compete, they have to wear a kilt, so they get something that they feel they can trash without losing too much money.

A number of guys wear the much-maligned Gold Brothers kilts. My mentor, Mike Pockoski wore a Royal Stewart kilt from them for several years until I made his kilt. As much as many people on X Marks hate-hate-hate the Gold Brothers and their products, their kilts are actually pretty good for throwing on the field. They're relatively inexpensive. They look pretty good. They're machine washable. They're machine top-stitched and strong. You can get them in a dozen-plus common tartans. I wore a 5 yard Gold Brothers Kilt a lot during my second and third years throwing.

A few guys, and nearly all the upper-echelon Scottish athletes, wear 7-8 yard wool "tanks" on the field. In Scotland, where it may be pouring rain on any given day while you're throwing, I can see the logic behind this. Also, it's my impression that there is a bit more awareness of the tradition of the athletics in Scotland than in the USA. Over here, it's ALL about the throwing. In Scotland, guys are a bit more aware of the giants who have been on the field before them.

In my humble opinion, THE best off-the rack, or "pretty affordable" kilt to own for the Athletics is the USA Kilts Casual model, as I've written several times on X Marks. It has all the advantages of the Sportkilt, with the sewn-down pleats and to my eye it just looks more like a "real kilt" than a Sportkilt does. I threw in a USA Kilts Casual model my first season, and if I hadn't gotten into making kilts myself, I would absolutely still be wearing one for competition. I've sent lots of athletes to USA Kilts for their kit.

With all that as an introduction, how do I make a custom-order kilt for a Highland Athlete?

First of all, I always try to use the Marton Mills polyester-viscose. It's common for athletes to put pine-tar "tacky" on their hands to help with holding on to the hammer handles, or to help with holding their hands together under the caber. This stuff gets everywhere, and it will ruin a wool kilt in no time at all. However, it washes right out of the MM - PV. Also...chalk. Many athletes chalk up their throwing hand and their neck/jaw during the stone throws. Again, chalk washes right out of the PV. Sweat and beer? NO PROBLEM.

Another advantage to the MM-PV is that it's light. People think that Highland Athletics is a strength sport, but I'm here to tell you that it's not. It's a SPEED sport. Great core strength is good only in that it allows the athlete to move quickly while handling a lot of weight. There are many *extremely* strong men (and women, too) who are terrible throwers because they don't have the flexibility or quickness to throw well. I don't want my kilt to slow down the thrower, and in that respect the Marton Mills PV is excellent.

Mobility is everything. Power comes from the core and hips; there's a reason you see Highland Athletes doing squats and jumps and Olympic lifts in training. Lots up upper echelon HG athletes can hang-clean 300 pounds and more. Not too many Highland Athletes worry about bench pressing huge amounts of weight. Also, a basic throwing principle involves getting the hips ahead of the shoulders by driving with the legs and core. This sets up a strong rotational, torqued "spring" with a lot of kinetic energy in the midsection of the body. That "spring" is unleashed during the throw. Since mobility, especially in the hips and legs and gut is SO important in throwing, I don't want my kilt to get in the way of the athletes hips. And that means..... no lower buckle on the right side.

My kilts have a strong canvas or twill waistband, machine sewn in along with the tartan waistband, which takes the cinching loads around the waist. This strap means that cinching loads aren't transferred to the pleats. Many athletes like to cinch their kilts really tight. My throwing kilts (although my own personal kilt is different, 'cause I haven't updated it yet) have an internal buckle on the left side....got that technique from Matt Newsome....and an external buckle/strap just like a traditional kilt, just under the waistband on the right side. These are stitched VERY strongly into the load-carrying waistband strap. I machine-sew..."topstitch" ..the pleats in the fell. Well, this is how GGGP's kilt and three of the other athletes kilts that I've done, are made. Mike P's kilt is machine-sewn in the top 1/3rd of the pleats, where the majority of any cinching load might be, and then I hand-stitched the bottom 2/3's because I had a lot of lines in the tartan to keep straight. Mikes P's kilt is in the Holyrood tartan. GGGP and Summer's kilts are made out of the Warrior tartan, which in terms of colors and stripes, is a pretty simple pattern....ergo, easier to line up under the feed dog and presser foot of the sewing machine.

I want my kilts to look like as much like a traditional kilt as I can, not an "imitation kilt". Therefore, I tend to use 6 yards of fabric. I'll get about 24 reasonably deep pleats out of most of the Marton Mills PV tartans. That's enough, in my opinion, to make a kilt with enough pleats to look good, and develop a little swish. I honestly believe that six yards looks significantly better thanfive yards! If you don't think six is enough to "swish" , I note that GGGP commented on how her 6-yard Warrior kilt was the "swishiest" kilt she owns, and she has several of them. The athlete can wear it to the pub in Scotland after the Games and practically nobody outside the kilt crazies will think he's wearing some piece of junk. If he wins at the Braemar Games and stands up in front of the Queen to receive his awards, he won't have some elastic waistband bunching up his pleats! Dare I say that after a washing and pressing, he/she can wear it out for a night on the town, and they'll get compliments?

Six yards of polyester-viscose (which I buy direct from Marton Mills), and a lot of machine-sewing helps keep the price down, which is a good thing because most Highland Athletes are not interested in spending a whole lot of money on a kilt...."dapper" is usually..not always, but *usually* not applicable to these guys! The kilt is something you have to wear to compete in, for most athletes, it's not an article of reverence or enthusiasm, like it is to many of us on X Marks. Some athletes really appreciate a fine kilt. Most don't really care all that much. There are exceptions! For example, Mike has a Scottish made 8 yard worsted wool "Golden Holyrood" kilt for nice occasions. He wears the one I made him to beat up on, on the field. Mike's the exception to the rule, though.

I'll pleat to sett or stripe, whichever the customer wants, or whichever seems good to me with that particular tartan. I back the top 4-8 inches of the over-apron with interfacing....though I'm now moving back to hair canvas because I think it's more durable.... to help the kilt drape a little better in the front. Because the kilt is 6 yards and of 11 ounce material, I don't cut out the pleats in the fell, so no stabilizer is needed. I usually don't put in steeking, though I did for one fellow who is...shall we way, an "athlete of substance". That was really just a whim, I don't think it's necessary. The kilts have a lining over the fell, top 4-8 inches of the under-apron and over-apron. This is stitched down at the waistband but "free floating" at it's lower edge. Honestly, I may change that in the future, to a more traditional type of lining.

I'm always trying new things!!!

So far, I've made six of these things... GGGP has one. I've written about two others on this forum; one for Summer Pierson (currently absent from the Games as she takes a run at an Olympic berth in the womens discus) and Mike Pockoski. The other ones are sported by local guys here in Nor Cal.

I've charged for three of these kilts and done three for free, or for barter. No, I won't tell you how much I charge, I'm not an X Marks advertiser. Odds are strong that I won't make one for you if you ask, these things are really favors or labors of love for friends. What's the closest commercial product out there to what I build? Probably the USA Kilts semi-traditional model.

I hope this was of interest to folks...

[Father Bill]

Marvellous, clear, and articulate post Alan. There will be other opinions shared on this forum, but I for one appreciate the detail, the advice, and the information.

Thanks!

[Brock63]

thanks.... so no built in jock, sweat band ;) or reinforced areas against thighs to help in longer wear....just material that is more apt to last and continue looking good under hard use with lots of sweat, dirt, beer and other stuff thrown around?!

Thanks for the reply....very much

[HenryT]

Great post! How about some detailed pics of the next project or a past one if you have any...?

Thanks
Henry