A kilt is the national costume of Scotland. It is the knee-length wrap kilt for womens and men. The kilts are a symbol of Scotland and mostly worn by men. These are the popular outfits which are not only worn in Scotland or Scottish people. Many Americans, British and other people of the world also wear the Scottish kilt. As you know, fashion moves like a windstorm, so this will be an upcoming fashion in the USA and UK. We can say these kilts are the cultural heritage and pride of Scotland.
The structure of a kilt
The making of the modern kilt is different than that of traditional tartan style kilts, but the structure of both types of kilts remains the same. The front side of the kilt is Apron which the backside is full of pleats. A kilt without a pleat is not a kilt. In every type of kilt, the pleats are essential. The buckles and straps also attached to the kilts for better fitting. However, in modern kilts, there are also other utility things like pockets, buttons, studs and other metals.
How Much Fabric To Make A Kilt?
In the past, traditional tartan kilts were made with 9 yards fabric. With the evolution of this awesome outfit, nowadays, there are many kilts have been made between 4-5 yards fabric for an adult. These are the suggested yard fabric for making a nice pleated kilt. With these 4-5 yards fabric, there is now a more complex pleating style. Furthermore, you can make about 4 meters knee-length of 54-inch fabric. This is for average men whose hip around 45 inches. There is a simple formula: with every 5 inches increase in hip size, additional 1/2 meter fabric requires. In addition, 2-2.5 meters require for making a small kilt for children.
However, the pleats at the backside are usually sharp knife pleats. The average number of pleats in a traditional tartan kilt is about 25 – 30. The pleats have made on the backside by special pleating which is repeating pattern of the tartan. The tartan pattern repeats across the pleats which give beauty to the pleating. In this way, it gives uniformity in pleats. The characteristics of a traditional man’s tartan kilts are waistband lining, 1-3 metal buckles and 1-3 leather straps for perfect body fitting.
What kind of fabric is used to make kilts?
Acrylic and wool materials use every time for the manufacturing of Traditional tartan kilts. As these are traditional tartan kilts, there are no pockets, buttons, belt loops and other utility things for making these kilts. There is 13oz wool, 12 Oz wool, 16oz and 18 Oz wool available in the market. If heavy material is used, then the kilts ultimately heavier in weight. These men in kilts make heavy for men to walk. In other modern design utility kilts, cotton, cotton blend and synthetic material used in the production of these kilts. Well, whatever material you use, you need a fabric that can hold your kilt. Moreover, if you are a new kilt maker and may face difficulty with pleats matching then you must start with the solid color fabric.