Great Kilt Question

[Piper]

My greatkilt is about 5-51/2 yards by 60". I'm a well padded (270lbs) 6'. That length seems to work fine for me. Truth be told I could get by with less. I've heard of the drawstring & belt loop idea, and it makes sense and seems to work well. I have a "cheater" great kilt that has the pleats sewn to a cloth belt. It's not strictly correct, but it's a lot easier to put on in the morning in the tent. For demonstration purposes, or when I'm feeling energetic, I have a length of tartan that I use as a great kilt. A few years back, someone showed me a method of "throwing on" the great kilt. You pleat the end of the plaid up into one hand, drape it over your left shoulder, anchoring it with your chin. Then you buckle your belt, a bit loosely, around you. Following that you arrange your aprons into position, and fasten the plaid as you wish. A bit cumbersome, but it works.
My favorite description of the great kilt is that it's a way to wear 5 or more yards of wool around your waist and not look like a bag of rags, from the front.

[Pleater]

If you cut the fabric selvage to selvage, matching up the stripes - that is cut a piece off that is - say 63 inches, place it at the edge of the fabric, matching the stripes and cut across, then do the same again, you should get three pieces 45 inches - though do it by eye before you cut it for real just in case the edges are not cut square or the set is a large one.

Joining them together will give you 4 and 1/2 yards. If there are 'wrong' colours in the selvage take them out with a darning needle or seam ripper or cut off the selvage and use herringbone stitch to sew them together, to cover the edge.

No frugal Scot is going to be trimming off the tartan and not have enough left to be covered. You make your kilt according to the cloth.

I would mention that no one with any sense lays on the muddy ground if there is bracken or heather to cut to make a bed, and to heap up to break the force of the wind, assuming there is no place with a bit of shelter to use.

I have seen people on a field trip struggling to keep a fire alight on exposed ground when only twenty feet away I have been sitting in the lee of an erratic some glacier moved there from the next county, heating up a tin of stew whilst drinking my hot chocolate.

Every Biologist knows about micro-climates, studies Ecology - even a bit of Geology - and they still don't know where to put the barbecue?

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[figheadair]

Wwwwwweerr

Actually, not 6 ells of double tartan, but 6 ells of tartan doubled, for a total length of 3 ells, or about 3-3.5 yards total length - depending on whether you're talking about Scottish (37") or English (45") ells! This was the size plaid issued to Highland enlisted troops in the British army. Civilian plaids could be a bit more generous, but usually no more than 5 yards.

Remember, the tartan fabric came off the hand looms about 27" wide, so two lengths had to be joined together lengthwise to make the completed plaid, with an approx. 54" width. So, 6 ells of tartan yields a 3 ells in length plaid.

Loudoun's Highlanders were issued 12yds to make a plaid. 3 yds is too little to be effective if one is living & working in a plaid. The Highland troops comlained when financial restrictions caused the government to reduce the amount of cloth from 4 to 3.5 in the late C18th. I've recently examined a civilian plaid c1700-20 that is 18' (6yds) long. I suspect that older plaids were longer & at least 4yds in order to be practical.

[Woodsheal]

A possible indicator of the "common" length of plaids would be the length of tartan incorporated in the earliest philabegs - which were simply the bottom portion of a plaid un-joined to a top length. These early "little kilts" utilized only 3 to 4 yards of single-width tartan until well into the 19th C.

This is not to say that more voluminous examples like the 6-yarder described by figheadair did not exist. Obviously, they did. I doubt if there were any "rules" regarding plaid length - except those imposed upon one by the contents of one's purse!

Here's another wrinkle: Gen'l David Stewart of Garth in his Sketches at one point describes plaids as having their lengths folded in half before being donned. Look closely at the edge of the Grant Piper's plaid in the famous painting, and evidence of this practice seems apparent:

[Pleater]

I thought for a moment that the image might be reversed - but the writing is the correct way - however the kilt is wrapped in what some insist is the lady's way, right over left - and he has the drones on his right shoulder not the left.

Maybe it wasn't important then?

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Piper]

I thought for a moment that the image might be reversed - but the writing is the correct way - however the kilt is wrapped in what some insist is the lady's way, right over left - and he has the drones on his right shoulder not the left.

Maybe it wasn't important then?

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

This is related to a situation I have myself. I'm left handed. In a reenactment setting, as a clansman, I wrap my great kilt opposite of the norm. In other words, right over left. I do this to avoid the chance of snagging the edge of the plaid when drawing a sword. I know that if I was in the military I would be taught, or simply forced, to use my weapons in a right hand manner. But, I don't think that would have been the case in a clan setting. The first person who noticed I had the kilt wrapped the "wrong way round" thought it was done because I am a piper, to keep the plaid out from under the drones. I know the Pencicuik (sp?) drawings show both left and right handed highlanders. I realize some of the images may have been reversed, but I believe there are a couple that show both in the same image. Additionally, I don't believe that drones on the left shoulder was the "rule" until the pipes were used in the military

[Pleater]

I did wonder if the piper might be left handed - though not familiar with the pipes many blown instruments are played with the left hand above the right. He has the left hand lower.

As a southpaw myself I tend to notice handedness.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Kilted Hiker]

@Pleater, I've taken your advise, hopefully it will come out all right. Will post Pictures at some point!

[figheadair]

A possible indicator of the "common" length of plaids would be the length of tartan incorporated in the earliest philabegs - which were simply the bottom portion of a plaid un-joined to a top length. These early "little kilts" utilized only 3 to 4 yards of single-width tartan until well into the 19th C.

An interesting idea but one that is not, so far as I'm aware, by any historical evidence. None of the early kilts that I've examined or am aware of was made from a cut down plaid. I use the term kilt to mean a sewn garment as opposed to a feileadh beag. I don't know of any extant example of the latter.

The earliest surviving kilt is the 92nd one which yes, is just short of 4 yards, but is post 1794 and is definitely not made from a cut down plaid. all other surviving early kilts are post 1800s and therefore must be treated with caution when considering earlier uses and techniques.

[Woodsheal]

An interesting idea but one that is not, so far as I'm aware, by any historical evidence. None of the early kilts that I've examined or am aware of was made from a cut down plaid. I use the term kilt to mean a sewn garment as opposed to a feileadh beag. I don't know of any extant example of the latter.

The earliest surviving kilt is the 92nd one which yes, is just short of 4 yards, but is post 1794 and is definitely not made from a cut down plaid. all other surviving early kilts are post 1800s and therefore must be treated with caution when considering earlier uses and techniques.

I wonder, were ANY philabegs actually made from "cut down plaids" or simply derived from the quite obvious step of NOT joining two lengths of tartan together...?