X-marks tartan

[Alan H]

Does everyone understand that to make an "eight yard kilt", you buy FOUR yards of double width cloth?

Fraser and Kirkbrights cloth is "double width", meaning that it's about 58 inches wide. Most adults will want kilts that are between 22 and 26 inches in length. Stillwater kilts are default at 24 inches in length. I personally like 25 inches for myself. I've measured about 20 people for kilts and I've only once ever found an adult male who needed 21 inches for his length.

OK, so to make an eight yard kilt, the kiltmaker measures up from the selvedge on one side, 25 (or 22, 23, 24) inches. They then rip or cut the entire length of the cloth, that distance from the selvedge.

Now they turn the remaining cloth around and measure 25 (or 22, 23, 24) inches from the OTHER selvedge. They cut or rip that section out, too. This leaves you with a strip about 6-10 inches wide, right out of the middle of the cloth. That strip goes to making the waistband, flashes, the buckle straps and maybe a sash for the Lady.

The two pieces, 25 (or 22, 23, 24) inches wide, are combined end-to-end to make one piece, eight yards long. The kiltmaker takes care to match the pattern and the twill lines. It is from THAT, that your kilt will be made.

I have a 41 inch waist and 48 inch hips/butt. When I made my 6 yard X-Marks tartan kilt (two strips, 3 yards long combined) I got a nice-looking kilt with 25 knife pleats, with a 1-inch reveal per pleat. An 8 yard kilt wwould have given me a kilt with 32 pleats (roughly) and about a 3/4 inch reveal. This is how Piper George's kilt came out. This is the "traditional" kilt and Piper Georges hips/butt measurement is about 48 also....same as mine.

If you are smaller around than I am, then you can make a kilt with about the same number of pleats (25), but each pleat will be narrower. If you are larger than I can you can still make a 6-yard kilt with 25 pleats, but the reveal on the pleats will be larger. You don't HAVE to have any particular length of cloth, no matter how big or small you are. The default is "8 yard kilt" but that is NOT Gospel Truth. On a very small guy an "eight yard kilt" might wind up with so many pleats that they get REALLY narrow and that doesn't look very good. In fact a very small guy might look better with a 6 yard kilt, with each of those approx. 25 pleats being 3/4 of an inch wide.


I hope that is helpful.

[turpin]

14oz
less than 55 mtrs.= $57.00cdn = $48.00usd
more than 55 mtrs. = $47.00cdn = $40.00usd

16oz.
less than 50 mtrs. = $62.00cdn = $53.00usd
More than 50 mtrs. = $52.00cdn = $44.00usd

I think the general consensus is to order the 16 oz. According to the above, we need 54.7 yards (50 meters) to get the lower price, not 60.3 yrds (55 meters), as would be needed for the 14 oz.

I just did a count of the people who have expressed interest in this thread and via PM and e-mail.
Here are the totals;

H. Hastings = 4.0
Splash 4 = 4.0
Retro Red = 2.0
Ruanatdh = 5.5
Cloves = 4.0
War Hoover = 5.0
Turpin = 4.5
Way 2 Fractious = 3.0

Total = 32 yards

55meters = 60.43 yards

Still a way to go to get the reduced price.

H. Hastings = 4.0
Splash 4 = 4.0
Retro Red = 2.0
Ruanatdh = 5.5
Cloves = 4.0
War Hoover = 5.0
Turpin = 4.5
Way 2 Fractious = 3.0
sjrapid = 9
Discobubba = 4
Steeplechase = 3
Mark Keney = 5

Current total = 53

Only 2 yards to go if the 50 meter target stated above is correct. It's a bit confusing because the target for the 14 oz. is 55 meters.

[sjrapid]

Does everyone understand that to make an "eight yard kilt", you buy FOUR yards of double width cloth?...

(snipped...)

The two pieces, 25 (or 22, 23, 24) inches wide, are combined end-to-end to make one piece, eight yards long. The kiltmaker takes care to match the pattern and the twill lines. It is from THAT, that your kilt will be made.

I hope that is helpful.

Thanks Alan, it is very helpful indeed. The rip/cut up the middle explanation clarifies my feeling that if I order 9 meters of fabric, I will get three kilt-lengths out of it, one a 9-yard continuous piece to make a knife-pleated tank, and 2 x 4.5 yard lengths to make box-pleat kilts out of.

Many thanks for the clarification.

OK, for the avoidance of yard/meter confusion, I'm ordering 9 meters.

Best regards

[Panache]

I need to confirm with the F-H.C.A.G. and my local kilt maker (whose card is still in my billfold and I will see this Friday), but I think I'm in for 3 yards of the 16 oz.

Cheers