The Great Kilt
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'technically' it's eight yards, but, cloth woven on an old household looms was rather narrower than we use today. So, they wove eight and stitched two lengths together to get enough 'width.
If you can get 54 " or 60" wide cloth, then four yards is enough.
Why are you making a tweed great kilt ?
If you can get 54 " or 60" wide cloth, then four yards is enough.
Why are you making a tweed great kilt ?
Women wore sark and skirts under theirs. Men just wore the sark. Waistcoat over the top and then a jacket.
Basic garment was a linen shift, the sark. Everything else was layered on top.
The plaid lasted four times the length that trousers did according to the regimental records....same with the original short kilt before it was stitched and not just folded into pleats. Turned both ways and upside down to spread out the wear.
Is that the long shawl worn over a white linen gown? I think that the formal Scottish women’s wear is absolutely wonderful.
You don't.
You get dressed and then the plaid goes on, and then your jacket, and then you bring the top half of the plaid up and it becomes your outer cloak sort of thing. Big brooch....ring brooches work well for them.
It's an adaptable garment. It's basically a big length of cloth that becomes your blanket as well as your cloak, as well as your outer clothing, as necessary.
You get dressed and then the plaid goes on, and then your jacket, and then you bring the top half of the plaid up and it becomes your outer cloak sort of thing. Big brooch....ring brooches work well for them.
It's an adaptable garment. It's basically a big length of cloth that becomes your blanket as well as your cloak, as well as your outer clothing, as necessary.
I think that's rather posh kit.
The white sark is the basic garment, but it's like your underskirt and blouse in one. Over that we wear 'a pair of bodies'...which is two pieces of leather cut to shape and laced on. It's not so much a corset as a support and something to pin brooches onto. If they're made of lined wool, and have shoulder pieces then they're sort of like lace on waistcoats....and skirts, heavy linen or wool or both, skirts. Jackets if they could afford them.
The Arisaid goes over the top. Belted round the waist and the top comes up and over your head. It's wide enough to comfortably wrap a baby and keep him close and secure.
When I was very little, and Granny showed me how to pleat mine over a belt, "Girls without sisters could look very untidy", she said
and then I was told in no uncertain fashion that I mustn't be seen wearing it outdoors, except maybe in the back garden.There's social history here.
Y'see, women sat in kirk with their arisaids pulled up over their heads for warmth, to cover their hair, maybe to feed a baby, but the Ministers couldn't see that they were paying attention....and in the past the sermons could last hours. Preaching the word meant just that, but folk were expected to listen and pay heed.
So, they said that wearing the arisaid was disrespectful, and in no time respectable women wore coats, jackets and the like instead. The arisaid remained as the shawl women wrapped around them and the baby, but I do remember hearing folks tut at one mum who came out to the fruit and veg van while wearing hers. Not done, kind of thing. I was just at school so that'd be mid 1960's.
Different times.
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You can get Yorkshire tweeds from the Fabworks shop online...... although their bricks and mortar shop in Huddersfield is worth a trip if you are in the area.
fabworks.co.uk
Most of the wools are 60 inch wide. Nice quality fabric and a range of tweeds and plaids woven in Yorkshire from British wool. Plaid and checked fabric wasn't just a Scottish thing.
GC
WOOL & WOOL BLENDS
Fabworks Millshop - Online Fabric Store - specialist clothing fabric retailer based in West Yorkshire, UK.
fabworks.co.uk
Most of the wools are 60 inch wide. Nice quality fabric and a range of tweeds and plaids woven in Yorkshire from British wool. Plaid and checked fabric wasn't just a Scottish thing.
GC
My mate is a piper and I had a very interesting visit with him where I got an interesting intro to all of his kit including his Kilt.
I wonder if tweed would work well for a Great Kilt, of the kilts I've ever handled the material was very dense and heavy, tweed seems like a looser weave to me. I was told that the reason the material was so dense and heavy was to make it move in a certain way when walking. That being said, the kilts ive seen were all modern kilts with modern woven fabrics and I wonder if the material from 500 years ago may have been more like tweed? Another thing to look at its the pleating they use, there were a couple of types but I don't remember exactly what the difference was.
I wonder if tweed would work well for a Great Kilt, of the kilts I've ever handled the material was very dense and heavy, tweed seems like a looser weave to me. I was told that the reason the material was so dense and heavy was to make it move in a certain way when walking. That being said, the kilts ive seen were all modern kilts with modern woven fabrics and I wonder if the material from 500 years ago may have been more like tweed? Another thing to look at its the pleating they use, there were a couple of types but I don't remember exactly what the difference was.
We're told that pleating was originally box pleated, then it was mostly changed to knife pleated, and that caused a whole different look to things because you can pleat to the sett (you get the pattern in the pleats) or you can pleat to the weft so that every kilt looks the same on parade.
Tartan is a fine worsted cloth. It's 'waulked' to full it, to tighten it and yet leave it flexible, not like a sheet of felt.
Tweed is, these days certainly, a softer woven cloth, estate tweeds are sometimes more of the tightly woven worsteds though.
If it's just being used as a great kilt though, and not worn in harsh conditions, it'll probably do fine.
Tartan comes in different weights, the ' hill kilt ' is much heavier weight than that used for the very expensive formal outfits.
Tartan is a fine worsted cloth. It's 'waulked' to full it, to tighten it and yet leave it flexible, not like a sheet of felt.
Tweed is, these days certainly, a softer woven cloth, estate tweeds are sometimes more of the tightly woven worsteds though.
If it's just being used as a great kilt though, and not worn in harsh conditions, it'll probably do fine.
Tartan comes in different weights, the ' hill kilt ' is much heavier weight than that used for the very expensive formal outfits.
Just buy four. Its only 16" extra. You can always make a scarf from it
Box pleats (don't sew them down on the great kilt)
Knife pleats
Box pleats (don't sew them down on the great kilt)
Knife pleats
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