GREAT KILTS

The Belted Plaid, Breacan-Feile, or Feilidh-mhor

"Plaid" is the Gaelic word for a blanket, and that's just what the feilidh-mhor, or belted plaid, was -- a large blanket that was gathered around your body and belted at the waist.  This garment, worn from the the end of the sixteenth century until the beginning of the nineteenth, was the beginning of the kilt as we know it today.

Originally, it was made from two widths of hand woven cloth (usually tartan). 25" to 30" wide, sewn together to make a plaid that was 50" to 60" wide and anywhere from 3 to 6 yards long (with 4 to 5 yards being average).

We generally recommend our 10 oz light kilt weight tartan range for great kilts, though cloth is available in all of the weights listed below.  The light kilt weight is preferred by many of our customers in warmer climates, and comes 59" wide for an ample drape.

Prices below are for 5 yard great kilts.  They can be purchased three ways.  The first is as an untailored item.  You receive the cloth and hem the two cut ends yourself.  The second option is to have the cut ends hemmed and a drawstring installed to aid donning.  The kilt would be worn by gathering the plaid with the draw string, tying it around the waist, then putting a belt around the whole thing to secure it. This is one easy way of donning the plaid without assistance (or lying down on the muddy ground!). We know this method was used as early as the late seventeenth century, possibly earlier.  The third option was used by the military in the late eighteenth century. That is to sew down the pleats in the kilt a length of two inches. Three belt loops (keepers) are also added. Your belt is run through the keepers to secure the kilt in place.  All tailoring for the latter options will be done by kilt maker and kilt historian Bob Martin.

To order your great kilt, please call (828)524-7472.  For the drawstring option (2) we will need to know the length from your natural waist to the bottom of your kilt (anywhere from 1" above the knee to the middle of the knee).  For the sewn option (3), we will need to know not only the desired length of the kilt, but your waist measurement as well.
 

LIGHT WEIGHT KILTS - 10 oz/yd, 59" wide

Option 1: $275.00

Option 2: $350.00

Option 3: $425.00

Available in the following tartans:

Scotland: Aberdeen, Angus ancient, Argyll ancient, Argyll modern, Atholl ancient, Atholl modern, Badenoch, Buchan ancient, Buchan modern, Buchan weathered, Caledonia modern, Culloden ancient, Dundee ancient, Edinburgh, Eglinton modern, Eildon, Ettrick, Ettrick Forest, Galloway Dress modern, Galloway Hunting modern, Glasgow, Gretna Green ancient, Holyrood, Huntly Old ancient, Huntly Old weathered, Inverness modern, Isle of Skye, Lennox modern, Loch Ness, Lochaber, Lochcarron Old ancient, Lochcarron Hunting ancient, Lochcarron Hunting modern, Lochcarron Hunting weathered, Loch Lomond, Mar modern, Musselburgh, National Millennium, Nithsdale ancient, Orkney, Paisley ancient, Perthshire modern, Pride of Scotland, Rothesay Hunting ancient, Roxburgh modern, St. Andrews, Scottish Borderland, Stirling & Bannockburn, Sutherland District ancient, Sutherland District modern, Sutherland District weathered, Teviotdale, Tweedside modern

Ireland: All Ireland Blue, All Ireland Red, All Ireland Green, Connaught, Connemara, Leinster Green, Munster, St. Patrick, Ulster, Ulster Red, solid green

Cornwall: Cornish National, Cornish Hunting modern, solid black

Northumberland: Northumbrian modern

Canada:  Alberta, Cape Breton, Maple Leaf, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan

United States: New York City, US St. Andrews

MEDIUM WEIGHT KILTS - 13 oz/yd, 54" wide

Option 1: $315.00

Option 2: $390.00

Option 3: $415.00

Available in the following tartans:

Scotland: Angus ancient, Angus muted, Atholl ancient, Atholl ancient, Atholl modern,Atholl muted, Badenoch, Banff & Buchan ancient, Buchan ancient, Carrick ancient, Crieff ancient, Culloden ancient, East Kilbride muted, Edinburgh ancient, Eglinton modern, Fife modern, Fort William muted, Galloway Hunting ancient, Galloway Hunting muted, Glasgow modern, Grampian modern, Gretna Green ancient, Holyrood, Huntly Old ancient, Inverness modern, Isle of Skye, Lennox modern, Lochaber ancient, Lochcarron Old ancient, Lorne ancient, Moffat District ancient, Musselburgh ancient, National Millennium, Nithsdale muted, Paisley ancient, Perthshire modern, Perthshire muted, Perthshire New muted, Rothesay Hunting modern, Roxburgh muted, St. Andrews, Stirling ancient, Strathclyde Blue ancient, Strathspey ancient, Sutherland District ancient, Sutherland District modern, Tweedside Hunting modern

Ireland: solid Saffron, Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanaugh, Galway, Irish National, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Londonderry, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

Canada: Maple Leaf muted

United States: New York City

MEDIUM WEIGHT KILTS - 13 oz/yard, 54" wide, Old & Rare Range

Option 1: $375.00

Option 2: $450.00

Option 3: $475.00

Available in the following tartans:

Scotland:  Angus modern, Argyll modern, Blairlogie modern, Caledonia ancient, Caledonia modern, Carrick Hunting modern, Culloden muted, Dunbar District ancient, Dunblane ancient, Glen Orchy ancient, Perthshire ancient, Perthshire modern, Rothesay Hunting muted, Strathearn modern, Strathearn muted

Ireland:  Tara ancient, Ulster modern (red), Ulster weathered (mustard)

Wales:  Welsh National ancient

Canada:  Nova Scotia ancient

HEAVY WEIGHT KILTS - 16 oz/yd Range 1, 54" wide

Option 1: $335.00

Option 2: $410.00

Option 3: $435.00

Available in the following tartans:

Scotland: Argyll modern, Atholl ancient, Atholl modern, Badenoch ancient, Buchan modern, Isle of Skye, Loch Lomond, Loch Ness (while supplies last), National Millennium, Orkney modern, Roxburgh ancient, Scottish National modern, Sutherland District ancient, Sutherland District modern

Ireland: solid Saffron

Cornwall: Cornish National, Cornish Hunting modern, solid black

HEAVY WEIGHT KILTS - 16 oz/yd Range 2, 28" wide (10 yards of cloth will be needed, doubled over to a 56" width)

Option 1: $600.00

Option 2: $700.00

Option 3: $825.00

Available in the following tartans:

Scotland: Aberdeen modern, Angus ancient, Angus modern, Argyll ancient, Argyll weathered, Atholl weathered, Buchan ancient, Buchan weathered, Caledonia ancient, Caledonia modern, Culloden ancient, Dundee ancient, Edinburgh, Eglinton ancient, Eglinton modern, Fort William ancient, Gala Water, Galloway Dress modern, Galloway Hunting ancient, Glen Orchy ancient, Glen Orchy modern, Huntly Old ancient, Huntly Old weathered, Inverness ancient, Inverness modern, Lennox ancient, Lennox modern, Lennox weathered, Lochaber, Lochcarron Hunting ancient, Lochcarron Hunting modern, Lochcarron Hunting weathered, Mar ancient, Mar modern, Paisley ancient (while supplies last), Perthshire modern, Perthshire weathered, Sutherland District weathered

Isle of Man: Manx weathered

Northumbria: Northumbrian ancient

Canada: British Columbia (while supplies last), Maple Leaf