Great Kilt Assistance

[RadioKen]

I've never really liked the draw-string idea for a feileadh-mor (although I like it quite a bit for the feileadh-beg)....with a (very) little bit of practice, you can learn to put on a completely untailored feileadh-mor in about 2-4 minutes, without even having to sit or lay down on the ground.

Okay, now THAT I would be interested in learning! The whole point (well, MOST of the point) of a drawstring for me is to be able to don the great kilt in a short amount of time. We'll be working this fair with two small children in tow (whom yours truly will be in charge of wrangling), so the less time I have to spend getting dressed, the better. Is there a particular technique to master to get the kilt on without laying down?

[As a side note, I considered making a feileadh-beg for this, even though there isn't any definite record of them until the 18th century (if memory serves). My thinking is that if the great kilt was two lengths of fabric stitched together to make an upper and a lower part, then surely SOMEone during a particularly hot summer MUST have decided that it would be cooler to wear just the one lower. Who knows? I may still do that once the season wears on and I get another length of fabric to play with.]

~Ken

[Ryan Ross]

Okay, now THAT I would be interested in learning! The whole point (well, MOST of the point) of a drawstring for me is to be able to don the great kilt in a short amount of time. We'll be working this fair with two small children in tow (whom yours truly will be in charge of wrangling), so the less time I have to spend getting dressed, the better. Is there a particular technique to master to get the kilt on without laying down?

[As a side note, I considered making a feileadh-beg for this, even though there isn't any definite record of them until the 18th century (if memory serves). My thinking is that if the great kilt was two lengths of fabric stitched together to make an upper and a lower part, then surely SOMEone during a particularly hot summer MUST have decided that it would be cooler to wear just the one lower. Who knows? I may still do that once the season wears on and I get another length of fabric to play with.]

~Ken

The technique is really pretty easy. This is how I do it, but after you've practiced it a few times, you'll probably end up making some modifications, to suit your specific needs.

What I do is:

1. Start by holding the cloth in front of you, by it's upper right corner (with the width of it going vertically and the yardage going off to your left, probably in some sort of pile. If you're outside and don't want your plaid on the ground, see if someone will hold the excess for you, as this part should only take about 30 seconds). Now, start gathering the yardage into your right hand, acordion style (don't worry about formal pleats-they didn't in period. If you just take a little care in aranging it, after it's all belted on, it'll look much like box pleats, anyway). Once you've gathered up all the yardage, you should have a neat bundle in your hands that's as long as your plaid is wide (about 60 inches).

2. While keeping a good hold on the top, swing it over your right sholder, so it's hanging straight down your back; at this point, ajust the length by sliding it further onto your shoulder as needed, untill the selvage is just above the back of your knee (or where ever you want the "kilt portion" to come to, once it's belted on).

3. Next, hold the bunching in place by tilting your head sideways and sandwitching it between the side of your head and your shoulder. This will free up your hands, so you can put your belt on. Put it on, around your waist and the bundle, but keep it a couple of notches looser than you would normally wear it.

4. Then, work the "aprons" around to the front, whil keeping as good a grip as you can, on the bundle at your shoulder.

5. Once the aprons are about where you want them, tighten your belt the rest of the way.

6. From there, you can let go of the bundle between your head and shoulder, as the belt should hold things in place.

7. Then, I throw the upper part of the feileadh-mor over my head (just to get it out of the way) and reach behind and re-distribute "pleat portion" of the plaid, such that the bunched material is evenly distributed across the back.

8. At that point, just make everything else look as neat as you'd like it, with a pull here, a yank here, and a tuck there.


It sounds much more complicated than it really is. It's a bit difficult to explain, so if this passage didn't describe the process well enough, let me know, and I'll try and whip up some pictures.