Drawstring Belted Plaid

[Bugbear]

Here's what I want the plaid to do. I'm planning on putting a loop of thread or fabric where I want each pleat to be. The paracord goes through the loops, then the pleats can be drawn together kind of like opening a curtain. This idea comes from Matthew Newsome's albanach.org in an artical called "Did the Belted Plaid Have a Drawstring?" http://www.albanach.org/drawstring.htm
I will be using the plaid as a blanket/ sleeping bag by folding it in half width wise. It will be twelve feet long and so six feet when folded.
I also use wearing blankets a lot during the winter, so the plaid will probably be used in this way from time to time. I want to be able to put the plaid on fairly quickly because often I will be gathering up my blanket and going outside early in the morning to keep citrus and other plants from freezing. More often it will be to stop the cats from fighting in the un-heated end of my house.
Another way I will use the plaid is to hang on the wall either in the winter or summer for a little extra sound and heat insulation. I tend to only heat and cool one end of my thin walled house and I've found that hanging my wearing blankets and that type of thing on the wall makes things a little quieter and a little easier to heat and cool. Keep in mind I live in the desert.

I wore a belted plaid, not too long ago, with the pleats sewn in. As I put it on, it reminded me of a robe without sleeves. This is very much what I want to have. I don't want the pleats sewn in though because of the use as a blanket, so the draw string is the practical answer.

I have experimented with using a heavy robe as a winter blanket, but it isn't quite big enough. However, in the spirit of the robe, I now plan on making a belt from the same fabric as the plaid. Perhaps I could put belt keepers on the plaids, but it wouldn't work as the drawstring for a number of reasons. For example, the drawstring needs to be almost as long as the plaid, so nine feet or so. Also, there would have to be one keeper loop for each pleat and that might be a bit bulky. I like the spirit of the idea though.

[Bugbear]

Wow! never thought of tieing my leg to my butt to hop down a mountin. Guess you got to do what you got to do. I would probably use paracord to stake trees and things like that. That nylon garden twine doesn't always hold up too well.
How does paracord hold up in the sun over time?

[Bugbear]

All this is very interesting.

[turpin]

Agreed. Now less talk and more pictorial examples.

[Bugbear]

Sorry, I don't have a USB port connected to my visual cortex... yet. LOL

Agreed. Now less talk and more pictorial examples.

[James MacMillan]

Sorry, I don't have a USB port connected to my visual cortex... yet. LOL

But someday we will! Then the problem will be to tie it to the imagination bump...

[Bugbear]

Then it becomes a problem of who's imagination are we seeing, yours or mine. LOL

But someday we will! Then the problem will be to tie it to the imagination bump...

[Bugbear]

Let's try this.

Agreed. Now less talk and more pictorial examples.

Here's the link http://www.albanach.org/drawstring.htm

[Bugbear]

Somewhere, I reported that my three belted plaids were with the sewing lady being fitted with the drawstrings. I also reported that the sewing lady's husband was having open heart surgery and all of that was on hold for a while.

I'm thinking a lot now about getting some extra long shirts to go with the plaids. Perhaps as long as to within three or so inches of the knee. Kind of like what the Scots would have done..., but with the plaid covering the shirt and the shirt not sticking out the bottum.

Guess that's an update for this thread.

[Jack Daw]

Somewhere, I reported that my three belted plaids were with the sewing lady being fitted with the drawstrings. I also reported that the sewing lady's husband was having open heart surgery and all of that was on hold for a while.

I'm thinking a lot now about getting some extra long shirts to go with the plaids. Perhaps as long as to within three or so inches of the knee. Kind of like what the Scots would have done..., but with the plaid covering the shirt and the shirt not sticking out the bottum.

Guess that's an update for this thread.

Barkertown Sutlers makes great long shirts in linen, silk, and cotton. You can get them in white, offwhite, and saffron yellow. And, they are not expensive.