BRENDA THOMSON
HIGHLAND KILT MAKER
Traditional kilts use eight (8) yards of 100% pure wool fabric with six to seven (6-7) yards of this taken up by the pleats. Other non-traditional kilts use five (5) yards of fabric and have no pleats. Each kilt has pleats across the front and across the back. Each pleat must lay in one (1) inch increments. The number of pleats depends on the tartan pattern and the size of the person it is made for.
Fabric for traditional kilts are manufactured in tartan patterns, designed and named for specific families or clans. To have a kilt made in your specific clan pattern you should first search for your tartan design using the search capabilities of such partners as House of Edgar and Scotweb in Edinburgh, Scotland [ www.scotweb.co.uk ]. Other tartan search websites exist, but these two are our valued and trusted partners who use only wool from the finest mills in the world. However, the DC Dalgliesh Ltd, Dunsdale Mill, Selkirk, Scotland, are reputed to be the best traditional tartan weavers in the world.
There is no real restriction so you can wear any tartan you wish, but there is something special and meaningful about wearing a kilt in the unique tartan that represents your specific clan. Tartan fabric purchases can be made directly by you or we can make the purchase for you once an order is placed for a kilt. A payment deposit will be required to cover the cost of the material and make the order active and placed into scheduled production.
KILT LORE
KILT HISTORY
The earliest form of the kilt was known variously as the Breacan, the Feileadh Bhreacain and the Feileadh Mor - the 'Big Kilt' or 'Great Kilt', usually referred to in English as the 'belted plaid'. This was a single piece of cloth measuring 5 feet or so wide and 4 or 5 yards or so long. The cloth consisted of 2 pieces 28” wide (the maximum width of cloth which can be woven on a hand-loom) which had been sewn together. The garment was gathered-in at the waist with a belt. At night, the belted-plaid served as a bedroll. The weave was tight enough to resist midges, small flying insects well known in Scotland for gathering in clouds and biting humans.
The Fileadh Beag or ‘Small Kilt’ replaced the 'Great Kilt' sometime after the raising of the first Highland Regiments sometime after 1776.
Although the introduction of the kilt as daily wear by the Scottish Highlanders (and them only, the Borderers and Lowlanders didn't wear the kilt until after the great ‘revival’ of 1822 – which also saw the introduction of the concept of “Family” and ‘Clan” tartans), the use of the kilt in Scotland was a case of convergent evolution.
