This video has me SO EXCITED! I am an American with very distant Scottish blood on my mother's side [MacDonald of the Isles] and since I was in my early 20's I started to desire to have a kilt of my own but I knew NOTHING about it. Back then [20+ years ago] I was very discouraged that anything that I could find [the Internet was still getting off the ground as we know it] was way beyond what I could afford...and I assumed that the Great Kilt was all there was. Fast forward to this year, I purchased my very first "utility" kilts to "enter the scene." I understand that utility kilts are totally American in nature, but it opened my interest deeper in learning more about the history, design, form and function of the garment. I soon after went and bought some heavy plaid flannel cotton fabric that was on discount sale and went through the process of making my own first kilt [machine sewn] out of 3.5 yards of fabric. I would not try to sell it, but I was happy enough with it as my first project as it gave me some experience in learning some of the philosophy even when I didn't really know much yet..... All that is to say that I now wear kilts more often than I do pants or shorts and I really want to learn the art so that I can have the best basic understanding and practice in place before I begin to put my own "modern spins" on it for my own use. I was driving to my office today and kept hearing in my head to do a TH-cam search for "the art of kiltmaking" [which I know is also a book] and your video was the very first one on the list of results. I am very much looking forward to more videos of yours in the future. Do you have a website where we can get more information? Cheers from the USA!
Idea you may like as a garment between Great kilt and utils, Get yourself 4m of suitable/desired fabric, Hem the two long edges at 5mm. Fold and iron the fabric lengthways so it's half width. Lay on the fabric and take your waist to knee measurement, noting where your desired 'top of kilt' is on the fabric, (you may need to add or remove 2-3 inches to that as required for a good seating once it's on and in place.) And fold the top (folded) edge down to that level all along, and again iron that down. Lie down on it to the right and fold your under apron to desired place, pin through at the hip bone to mark that. Same on the left for your front apron. Do your pleating folds and iron in, use pins if you need to. Iron pleats damply and firmly. (Don't worry about the waist fold just yet) Iron pleats. Iron the damned things. Cry, realise it's probably good enough by now and feed your belt under the waist where your foldover is with the buckle to the right as you stand facing it. Lie down as normal to put on and adjust the foldover/apron lengths as needed/desired. Once happy with fit, iron the waist foldover hard and give the pleats one last blast whilst you're there, Remove pins if any used, Job done, lay down to take it off and roll/wrap it around itself to store. I wear other styles but this is my favourite wear. Enjoy if you do try it 👍
Oh, additional, if you prefer a neat lower, make your waist from the edge where the two sides meet instead of on the fold* Neat effect without having to hem the two loose edges together.
I love this aproach, many crafts, or generaly people who are proud of their tradition, fall into the pit or guarding their knowlage enviously in fear of others destroying it. Sadly the main result of that is killing it slowely cause those able to pick it up are to few. Art needs to be lived. It needs the freedom to breath, beeing allowed to evolve and reinterpreted and than track back to its roots again. Nothing is more deadly than restrictions and silence. Thanks for shareing ^^
I see this alot with native american crafts and it makes me sad because I feel like I can't participate without stepping on some toes or getting crucified on social media for appropriating a culture 😔 that has become lost to me
Phew, I've just worked my way through a number of Americans who have never made a kilt before (and one professional Canadian kiltmaker, who to be fair was worth watching). I'm just making clothes for myself, so a practical overview of the craft from experienced kilt makers is exactly what I'm looking for right now!
Is it me, or are those soft scottish voices, gentle laughter and occasional anecdotal information along with the gentle repetitive music - one of the the most soothing video's I have ever seen. This should be used as an insomnia aid. Something so olde worldy and safe about this video. Plus kilts are amazing. Thanks for making this video!
Thank you for this video. Several years ago (in Australia) we were invited to wear something tartan to my uncle's BD party, so I was lucky to be able to borrow a friends 2nd kilt (a Royal Stewart) to that event. That sparked interest in our family's past etc which also eventually led to me being involved in learning to play Scottish fiddle (I played classical violin) & also Scottish Country Dancing. So of course I needed a kilt & the first I found was in an op shop based on Stewart of Bute (not a traditional deep red colour though). It was a light weight material & although the apron was the man's side it was obviously made to fit a women's hips. So I ventured forth & undid it all, washed it, ironed it & was able to make a nice kilt for myself, with more pleats per set pattern too. The pleats were only 2" deep so the internal edge of the pleats around the waist had not been trimmed so that allowed me to start from scratch for where the pleats were placed etc. I put some solid straps on to add that more masculine feel to it too. 😊 From there I bought a couple of used pipe band kilts in the tartan associated with the family (yes, they are a large set compared to what the clan members normally where). One was heavy weight but made with a bit of a cheat with a shortage of material used & that fitted at the time while the other was from a large man (medium weight material). I undid that, washed & ironed it, taking careful note of it's construction as I did with the first kilt & also had a little bit of guidance from local kilt makers from whom supplied me with straps & buckles etc. Because the material was a little faded I turned the material inside out (sorry about the wrong convention for the slope of the weave), cut the front apron off with plenty to re-join inside the first pleat, remade it, aligning the pleats to match the inside fold since they were trimmed. Thankfully I could also cut the top lower with me being shorter than the original wearer too which helped with being left with plenty of material to use to finish off neatly again. Anyhow, that is the kilt I wear for suitable events now (or did) such as Scottish Country Dancing etc (BTW, the friend gave me his Royal Stewart kilt too). I also found a tails coat & remade that into a Prince Charlie coat too, priding myself with my concealed stitching etc., so I could go formal to appropriate events too.
I love all the background history of how you came about to be in business. Teaching the world how to make your kilts etc! Love that new kilt makers join your family!! 💙👍🏼
Could I use a tartan I have woven myself on this course? Currently teaching myself to weave with a 4 shaft table loom, doubt I’ll reach the quality of a machine loom mill any time soon though but the end goal for me is to go from cloth to kilt.
Anything is possible. Making the weave tight enough for kilt making may be difficult. Tartans are usually 'finished' It would also need a good quality selvedge, Finishing is washing, softening, and pressing. Without this the tartan is too 'hard' . It would be very difficult to use for your first kilt.
@@Scotclans I suppose that doesn’t really answer my question. If I took this course, could I still use my own hand woven cloth or would I have to buy machine manufactured tartan? I wet finish all my cloth so it’s not ‘hard’, if anything I get a lovely soft cloth (I weave for sewing not rugs/blankets) and floating selvage makes weaving neat edges much easier thankfully. I’ll just continue at my own pace and keep practicing.
@@sierralarars We would advise you to buy woven cloth from the mill and order the cloth for you. We would need to see your woven cloth to see if it would work for a hand stitched kilt. Usually hand woven is too loose and stretchy and doesn't have the selvedge. We would need to see it.
I am a social studies teacher in the United States and I am absolutely in love with Scotland and its traditional fashion. I wear kilts regularly. I am looking into learning how to make a kilt, and I love this video. Thanks! :)
I'm very interested in this I am Cunningham Clan and would really love to make Kilts for my boys we know how to do the old Kilt cuz we perform at Scottish games peruse the two belts and 8 to 10 yards of fabric so I would really love to do this
Fascinating and really well presented video. Thank you so much. I only paused half way to make coffee, returning to watch the remainder absolutely spell bound! You two seem really compatible and reassure us Scottish kilt-making is in very good hands. Also love the history. Didn't know Walter Scott was such a scoundrel, but at least he, King George and Queen Victoria were all key in getting in things started. Agree the history is crucial in fully understanding the kilt-making process, ditto most things of genuine value. The learning process of proper kilt-making reminds me a little of highland piping, which is also a long, exacting process where high standards are not left to chance. What we all need to do now is get every man and boy, every woman and girl in a kilt! Continued success to ScotClans.
The energy in this video is fantastic! I love everything about this. So beautiful! I'm studying fashion and I am just fascinated by all the history and craftmanship involved in making a kilt. i love the passion you show and the honesty. Just beautiful.
It looks like we are not going anywhere in 2021 either, but I am interested in this course and I'd love to know if there is going to be a video class, please. Thank you!
Thank you for all the info! My husband's mother came from Scotland.Lamont clan. My son has a kilt but I am not sure if it made right way?? How many pleats it should have .Is there anywhere I could get the good instructions how to make it ??
do ya'll have a website or something where you sell kilts? I would love to make one myself but I'm not very handy when it comes to sewing and I don't have all that much free space or time to make one
I have 5 kilts one being truly made in Scotland the rest who knows. Making my own kilt is something I have never given any thought two. Please tell me more.
I am from the United States (Midwest). I would very much like to see other videos by you as well. How long does it take to go through the learning process of making a kilt. Do you have a course going on already? What does it entail? I'd like to learn more. I think if anyone wants to make a kilt and do this for other people who don't sew, it needs to be done the right way. So, thank you for this introduction. I actually have German heritage on both sides of my family. Looking forward to many more videos by the both of you.
Hi - yes there are female kilts and female kilted skirts. For a kilt it's exactly the same, the difference only comes in the shape of the pleats. We were going to produce a separate mini course about this. A kilted skirt is different. This is machine sewn and has none of the inner workings of a kilt. This wouldn't be covered by the introduction to kiltmaking course - it would be a separate course.
There I was wanting to make a kilt, my brain thinks this is rocket science lol..... I didn't even know each family had unique colors.... be that guy that shows up with the wrong colors to the party
I love all of the content of this video so much. However, for any future videos, could you consider not having music running on repeat in the background? It feels like being on hold for 29 minutes straight.
I like your video. Thank you! But the music in the backround makes it difficult to understand you. My english is not very good, so I have to concentrate me exremly about that what you say. 🙈
Great video. Horrible unnecessary background white noise. When we are lecturing, presenting or talking in the kitchen we don't normally say, " hang on, I'll go and put on some background din to improve the quality of our conversation" Can we not take content seriously without, please?
Thanks, we thought this as well. We learnt a lot about making this first video and have worked at making this better. The new videos will be a lot better. We are kiltmakers so this is all new to us.
This video has me SO EXCITED! I am an American with very distant Scottish blood on my mother's side [MacDonald of the Isles] and since I was in my early 20's I started to desire to have a kilt of my own but I knew NOTHING about it. Back then [20+ years ago] I was very discouraged that anything that I could find [the Internet was still getting off the ground as we know it] was way beyond what I could afford...and I assumed that the Great Kilt was all there was. Fast forward to this year, I purchased my very first "utility" kilts to "enter the scene." I understand that utility kilts are totally American in nature, but it opened my interest deeper in learning more about the history, design, form and function of the garment. I soon after went and bought some heavy plaid flannel cotton fabric that was on discount sale and went through the process of making my own first kilt [machine sewn] out of 3.5 yards of fabric. I would not try to sell it, but I was happy enough with it as my first project as it gave me some experience in learning some of the philosophy even when I didn't really know much yet..... All that is to say that I now wear kilts more often than I do pants or shorts and I really want to learn the art so that I can have the best basic understanding and practice in place before I begin to put my own "modern spins" on it for my own use. I was driving to my office today and kept hearing in my head to do a TH-cam search for "the art of kiltmaking" [which I know is also a book] and your video was the very first one on the list of results. I am very much looking forward to more videos of yours in the future. Do you have a website where we can get more information? Cheers from the USA!
Idea you may like as a garment between Great kilt and utils,
Get yourself 4m of suitable/desired fabric,
Hem the two long edges at 5mm.
Fold and iron the fabric lengthways so it's half width.
Lay on the fabric and take your waist to knee measurement, noting where your desired 'top of kilt' is on the fabric, (you may need to add or remove 2-3 inches to that as required for a good seating once it's on and in place.)
And fold the top (folded) edge down to that level all along, and again iron that down.
Lie down on it to the right and fold your under apron to desired place, pin through at the hip bone to mark that.
Same on the left for your front apron.
Do your pleating folds and iron in, use pins if you need to.
Iron pleats damply and firmly. (Don't worry about the waist fold just yet)
Iron pleats.
Iron the damned things.
Cry, realise it's probably good enough by now and feed your belt under the waist where your foldover is with the buckle to the right as you stand facing it.
Lie down as normal to put on and adjust the foldover/apron lengths as needed/desired.
Once happy with fit, iron the waist foldover hard and give the pleats one last blast whilst you're there,
Remove pins if any used,
Job done, lay down to take it off and roll/wrap it around itself to store.
I wear other styles but this is my favourite wear.
Enjoy if you do try it 👍
Oh, additional, if you prefer a neat lower, make your waist from the edge where the two sides meet instead of on the fold*
Neat effect without having to hem the two loose edges together.
I love this aproach, many crafts, or generaly people who are proud of their tradition, fall into the pit or guarding their knowlage enviously in fear of others destroying it. Sadly the main result of that is killing it slowely cause those able to pick it up are to few. Art needs to be lived. It needs the freedom to breath, beeing allowed to evolve and reinterpreted and than track back to its roots again. Nothing is more deadly than restrictions and silence. Thanks for shareing ^^
I see this alot with native american crafts and it makes me sad because I feel like I can't participate without stepping on some toes or getting crucified on social media for appropriating a culture 😔 that has become lost to me
Phew, I've just worked my way through a number of Americans who have never made a kilt before (and one professional Canadian kiltmaker, who to be fair was worth watching). I'm just making clothes for myself, so a practical overview of the craft from experienced kilt makers is exactly what I'm looking for right now!
Is it me, or are those soft scottish voices, gentle laughter and occasional anecdotal information along with the gentle repetitive music - one of the the most soothing video's I have ever seen. This should be used as an insomnia aid. Something so olde worldy and safe about this video. Plus kilts are amazing. Thanks for making this video!
Are there plans to do video based/distance learning or will the courses be in person only?
Both my granddaughters do Scottish dancing , it would be awesome to make them a beautiful kilt .
Thank you for this video.
Several years ago (in Australia) we were invited to wear something tartan to my uncle's BD party, so I was lucky to be able to borrow a friends 2nd kilt (a Royal Stewart) to that event. That sparked interest in our family's past etc which also eventually led to me being involved in learning to play Scottish fiddle (I played classical violin) & also Scottish Country Dancing. So of course I needed a kilt & the first I found was in an op shop based on Stewart of Bute (not a traditional deep red colour though). It was a light weight material & although the apron was the man's side it was obviously made to fit a women's hips. So I ventured forth & undid it all, washed it, ironed it & was able to make a nice kilt for myself, with more pleats per set pattern too. The pleats were only 2" deep so the internal edge of the pleats around the waist had not been trimmed so that allowed me to start from scratch for where the pleats were placed etc. I put some solid straps on to add that more masculine feel to it too. 😊
From there I bought a couple of used pipe band kilts in the tartan associated with the family (yes, they are a large set compared to what the clan members normally where). One was heavy weight but made with a bit of a cheat with a shortage of material used & that fitted at the time while the other was from a large man (medium weight material). I undid that, washed & ironed it, taking careful note of it's construction as I did with the first kilt & also had a little bit of guidance from local kilt makers from whom supplied me with straps & buckles etc. Because the material was a little faded I turned the material inside out (sorry about the wrong convention for the slope of the weave), cut the front apron off with plenty to re-join inside the first pleat, remade it, aligning the pleats to match the inside fold since they were trimmed. Thankfully I could also cut the top lower with me being shorter than the original wearer too which helped with being left with plenty of material to use to finish off neatly again. Anyhow, that is the kilt I wear for suitable events now (or did) such as Scottish Country Dancing etc (BTW, the friend gave me his Royal Stewart kilt too).
I also found a tails coat & remade that into a Prince Charlie coat too, priding myself with my concealed stitching etc., so I could go formal to appropriate events too.
I love all the background history of how you came about to be in business. Teaching the world how to make your kilts etc! Love that new kilt makers join your family!! 💙👍🏼
Could I use a tartan I have woven myself on this course? Currently teaching myself to weave with a 4 shaft table loom, doubt I’ll reach the quality of a machine loom mill any time soon though but the end goal for me is to go from cloth to kilt.
Anything is possible. Making the weave tight enough for kilt making may be difficult. Tartans are usually 'finished' It would also need a good quality selvedge, Finishing is washing, softening, and pressing. Without this the tartan is too 'hard' . It would be very difficult to use for your first kilt.
@@Scotclans I suppose that doesn’t really answer my question. If I took this course, could I still use my own hand woven cloth or would I have to buy machine manufactured tartan?
I wet finish all my cloth so it’s not ‘hard’, if anything I get a lovely soft cloth (I weave for sewing not rugs/blankets) and floating selvage makes weaving neat edges much easier thankfully. I’ll just continue at my own pace and keep practicing.
@@sierralarars We would advise you to buy woven cloth from the mill and order the cloth for you.
We would need to see your woven cloth to see if it would work for a hand stitched kilt. Usually hand woven is too loose and stretchy and doesn't have the selvedge.
We would need to see it.
I am a social studies teacher in the United States and I am absolutely in love with Scotland and its traditional fashion. I wear kilts regularly. I am looking into learning how to make a kilt, and I love this video. Thanks! :)
Good luck with your endeavor, Ladies! I'm already a kiltmaker, but it would be fascinating to watch how you do things. Slàinte!
I'm very interested in this I am Cunningham Clan and would really love to make Kilts for my boys we know how to do the old Kilt cuz we perform at Scottish games peruse the two belts and 8 to 10 yards of fabric so I would really love to do this
Great video! What is the tartan of the kilt on the mannequin?
The tartan on the mannequin that the kilt maker is holding at 14:08 is the Modern Holyrood tartan.
Fascinating and really well presented video. Thank you so much. I only paused half way to make coffee, returning to watch the remainder absolutely spell bound! You two seem really compatible and reassure us Scottish kilt-making is in very good hands.
Also love the history. Didn't know Walter Scott was such a scoundrel, but at least he, King George and Queen Victoria were all key in getting in things started. Agree the history is crucial in fully understanding the kilt-making process, ditto most things of genuine value.
The learning process of proper kilt-making reminds me a little of highland piping, which is also a long, exacting process where high standards are not left to chance. What we all need to do now is get every man and boy, every woman and girl in a kilt! Continued success to ScotClans.
The energy in this video is fantastic! I love everything about this. So beautiful! I'm studying fashion and I am just fascinated by all the history and craftmanship involved in making a kilt. i love the passion you show and the honesty. Just beautiful.
Amazing video! I look forwards to watching the rest of them!
What tartan is in the opening credits? The one with the scissors and measuring tape on the kilt?
It's Roxburgh Muted in the medium weight - lovely tartan.
This was very informative and I thoroughly enjoyed the history lesson.
It looks like we are not going anywhere in 2021 either, but I am interested in this course and I'd love to know if there is going to be a video class, please. Thank you!
Where do we find the info for the courses please or the book you talk about
Thank
Thank you for all the info! My husband's mother came from Scotland.Lamont clan. My son has a kilt but I am not sure if it made right way?? How many pleats it should have .Is there anywhere I could get the good instructions how to make it ??
do ya'll have a website or something where you sell kilts? I would love to make one myself but I'm not very handy when it comes to sewing and I don't have all that much free space or time to make one
hi - yes we do: www.scotclans.com
I have 5 kilts one being truly made in Scotland the rest who knows. Making my own kilt is something I have never given any thought two. Please tell me more.
I am from the United States (Midwest). I would very much like to see other videos by you as well. How long does it take to go through the learning process of making a kilt. Do you have a course going on already? What does it entail? I'd like to learn more. I think if anyone wants to make a kilt and do this for other people who don't sew, it needs to be done the right way. So, thank you for this introduction. I actually have German heritage on both sides of my family. Looking forward to many more videos by the both of you.
could i make a Frysian kilt?
Sorry this is not something I know about
How can I sign up for an on line beginner course?
Where is the link?
Hi - we are still working on the online course, we can currently only do physical courses. We hope to be going live soon with our online course.
Please tell me how I can find and access these classes? Nikki, I would love to be one of yours!!!!
how do I find a Gilliland tartan of the MacClellan Clan?
Where can I get the videos
Where can I get the kilt making course
said you do not make any more youtube video's
How can I access learning to make kilts please, Anna mairi
Hi - we are still working on the online course, we can currently only do physical courses. We hope to be going live soon with our online course.
Why is it measured just for a man ..can a woman now wear one or is the female version a kilted skirt... wondering because i want to make one
Hi - yes there are female kilts and female kilted skirts. For a kilt it's exactly the same, the difference only comes in the shape of the pleats. We were going to produce a separate mini course about this.
A kilted skirt is different. This is machine sewn and has none of the inner workings of a kilt. This wouldn't be covered by the introduction to kiltmaking course - it would be a separate course.
I want to like to take Scottish Class and I want to like to wear my kilt all the time
No comprendo el ingles però entiendo las medidas.
There I was wanting to make a kilt, my brain thinks this is rocket science lol..... I didn't even know each family had unique colors.... be that guy that shows up with the wrong colors to the party
I love all of the content of this video so much. However, for any future videos, could you consider not having music running on repeat in the background? It feels like being on hold for 29 minutes straight.
Why not just make a great kilt, so much easier.
Not everyone wants a great kilt William. And it's not practical for daily wear if one is so inclined.
I like your video. Thank you! But the music in the backround makes it difficult to understand you. My english is not very good, so I have to concentrate me exremly about that what you say. 🙈
oh ha kann das jemand übersetzten die sprechen zu schnell
No dogsbodying?
Ach, ah'll be eating this bag uv rowies ma sen then...
Bacon on and mixing pepper into philadelphia.
Great video. Horrible unnecessary background white noise. When we are lecturing, presenting or talking in the kitchen we don't normally say, " hang on, I'll go and put on some background din to improve the quality of our conversation" Can we not take content seriously without, please?
Thanks, we thought this as well. We learnt a lot about making this first video and have worked at making this better. The new videos will be a lot better. We are kiltmakers so this is all new to us.
' admirable to hear critical feedback received graciously. All very best wishes for the success of your venture!@@Scotclans
Great video! What is the tartan of the kilt on the mannequin?
It's Holyrood