Old Fools Kilts: A Summer Kilt For the Garden and Shop

Is there anything worn under the kilt? No, it's all in perfect working order -Spike Milligan

This is another kilt construction that was driven by the fabric. I happened on
to this polyester fabric somewhere and I cannot for the life of me remember
where. My penny pinching gene however remembers that it was one dollar a yard.
I can't buy shop rags for that so I could not pass it up.

It is very light camo polyester. It is so light that if you hold it up to the
light you can see right through. That's just right since in a minimum kilt
there will be three layers in back and two in front. I am not the authority on
what is minimum but that is my minimum. I have figured out how to make a kilt
like garment that has less since making this one and still look like a kilt but
that will come later in a Kilted Towel Post.

Front

In the not so good photo above of the front you can see the apron is not full
width. It is about 1/3 my waist measurement.  Contemporary kilts seem to go for
something around that number some are more narrow but this is what I liked best. It makes the pleats show from the front and makes for less interference of the cargo pockets with the pleats.

In the photo below the reverse box pleat is in the center. All the pleats are sewn down three inches from the bottom of the waistband. The outer edge of each pleat is sewn in as well but not the inner edge. That was not necessary with this fabric but I was having so much fun with the machine I couldn't stop myself. (I have resisted buying a nail gun because of that sort of compulsive excess.) It does make it truly wash and wear. I can take it out of the dryer, shake it out and wear it.

Tail Feathers

I made this kilt before I started losing my waistline. I had lost weight but my waist measurement did not show it yet. Once you get a gut it is damned hard to get rid of. Now I have lost enough that it is on the verge of getting lopsided. Oh well I made it and I can adjust it and gladly.


This photo taken in September 2009 was taken in the garden mainly to show one of the walking sticks I made from the fallen gifts from the trees caused by hurricane Gustav. It does show the length just below the top of the knee cap and the cargo pocket on my right side.

Damned long-haired hippy freak

This is the kind of work that this light weight kilt was made for. If you look close you can see the left side cargo pocket. I was cutting tin for the roof of the generator lean too and it was hot out. Even as lightweight as this kilt is it's still plenty hot. I am working on a design that vents better. The ideal would be to take it off when it gets that hot but then there would be visits by the authorities protecting innocent eyes from that spectacle and the paperwork just wouldn't be worth it. I will admit to having done that inside the shop when it was 95 degrees squared (meaning the humidity equals the temperature). 

The camo pattern hardly shows blood.

Old Fools Kilts: Grodie Goose Kilt or Re-purposing military uniforms into something useful

I wrote this to the xmarks the scot forum about the Grody Goose kilt I found on Ebay in June of 2008. It was my first kilt purchase. They are made and sold by people that make them from surplus BDU's (battle dress uniform). As far as I am concerned this is in the spirit of "beating swords into plowshares". A concept I particularly like. It would be nice if their source of material dried up but that will never happen. There has always been war and there will always be war until the last man standing declares himself the winner and dies. Then there will be no more war.

June 1, 2008
I have been wearing one of these almost daily for the last three weeks while gardening and working in my shop. I have found it to be very satisfactory for that. Mine has a label that says “Coat, Hot Weather”, “woodland camouflage” and “battle pattern” plus washing instructions. It had a bunch of insignias with it that were air force and I found a dog tag in a pocket that is also air force. It was well broken in therefore soft and comfortable. Washing has been a snap. Throw it in the wash then the drier put it on and go back to work.

Front – button closure

Whether it's a kilt or not depends on how fussy you are. I ain't fussy. If it's a skirt made for a man and has pleats in the back it's a kilt. My 15 year old grandson and his friends recognized it as a kilt. The closure is buttons in the front a little to the right of center. Pockets button and all buttons are hidden.

Back with one of the pleats turned back

Mine is pleated in the inverted Kingussie style (I believe that's what it's called). In any event it has four wide pleats either side of a inverted box pleat all pointing to the back. That is nice in the garden and the shop as it doesn't snag on things. It is very full, free and comfortable. It is definitely contemporary and casual. It is as formal as a man that only wears shoes and socks in the dead of winter and hasn't owned a tie since the early eighties needs. Come to think of it I haven't seen my shoes since winter before last. Washed and touched up with steam iron and this kilt can go anywhere a Utilikilt can.

Delivery time was a little over a week and when I inquired by email I got a prompt reply. Very satisfactory. I asked for a 19 inch length and that's what I got. My only complaint is the hem in the back was not even. The pleats on either side of the center box pleat were 1 ½ to 2 inches longer that the center or the front. I corrected that myself.

This last picture is of a belt loop. It is very rough and barely wide enough for a 1 3/8 belt. For the money I'm not complaining. It is not a slick and polished garment but it suits a man that's not slick and polished.

Here it is nearly three years later and I still wear this thing. Somwhow it just seems the right thing to wear in the shop or garden. It really is too hot when the temperature and humidity really get up there but other than that no complaints. I have since made another much lighter wash and wear kilt in camo for really hot weather. More on that one later.

The panel to the far right is the addition of the under apron

I did make some changes since then. I've lost a bit of weight and so I have disassembled the waist band somewhat and taken it in. The trouble with a kingussie is that unlike knife pleats that you can just wrap around further as you lose weight a kingussie needs to be centered in the back. After losing an inch or two it's rip those seams out time. I did that and sewed down some pleats while I was at it. I redid the belt loops and in general just made it fit better.

I also added an under apron (see right side of photo above). The white patch is Velcro.  Now I only button the top two buttons and it wears like a regular kilt. It makes it a lot easier to sit or squat with some decorum.

This thing is durable in fact it is practically bulletproof. I can see why the military uses it. My only complaint is that it is extremely hot. This fabric does not breath at all. I actually had to rig a fan on the floor to blow up my alley last summer while working on bikes. Iraq in summer in this stuff has to be a bit of hell.  I like the pockets. It beats having to wear an apron. 

Old Fools Kilts: The Leine

The image below is from the Sewingcentral.com website. The description is from there as well. Unfortunately they are out of stock.

Alter Years PAY015 "Irish" Leine (Shirt)

With this pattern you can make several different styles of the traditional Irish shirt called a leine (pronounced "linn") worn by both men and women. The shirt is very large and loose and has full, bagged sleeves gathered at the shoulder and down the arm on a drawstring or with its sleeve gathers stitched in place with stitches or decorative trim. There are diamond shaped gussets under the arm for ease.
Two different sleeves are given - rectangular or triangular - and two necklines - scooped or slit front. While both necklines and sleeve styles are seen on both men and women, for women the leine commonly is styled with the scoop neckline and large rectangular bag sleeves. The leine is usually worn under the Irish dress (PAY014).
For men, the neckline is often higher with the slit front opening, and frequently the sleeves are the somewhat smaller triangular bagged style. A long leine could be belted and worn alone, or with an ionar (a type of short doublet). In modern Renaissance festival tradition, men also wear leines with great kilts.
This is a very loose fitting garment and some people prefer their leine looser than others. Choose the appropriate cutting line by comparing your bust/chest measurements to the size chart. If you like a lot of room in your shirts, choose the next size up.
The pattern includes sizes from a 32 inch chest through a 52 inch chest.

Leine is the Gaelic word for "shirt". It doesn't actually refer to any particular kind – it is (and was) used for any sort of shirt. I have heard Leine is pronounced as shown above but also as, very roughly, LANE-yeh, where LANE is like the English word "lane" and the y is like in the English word "yes".

This is what men women in cold climates wore in one form or another until recent history (several hundred years). Probably the first were of animal skins later, as textiles became available, were made of clothe. They were made long, short, fancy and plain. They became dresses or robes but basically they were a leine. They are basically the same as tunics which have been worn since the cave folk made them from animal skins. To most Americans, who mostly think history started 10 years ago, it's a dress. The baggy sleeves were used as pockets.

A leine can be worn stand alone, over other clothing or under other clothing. The long tee shirts that you see many young men wearing these days is basically a leine. The below the knee over-sized baggy shorts that young men wear are made to look like a skirt. Google "Leine" to "traditional Irish clothing and you'll find lots of information about this garment.

Near as I can tell it was and is unisex and common in medieval times. Personally I like the more modern versions. Long tee shirts and long collared shirts are quit comfortable for laying about the house and garden not that anybody does that these days. When you work 70 to 100 hours a week there is not much laying about. When I say I am going to change into something more comfortable I am probably going to change into one of my oversized knee length tee shirts. Instead of building up the fire when it gets cold I add a kilt and/or wool knee socks. Simple comfortable clothes for a simple man.

Examples of ancient Irish kilts are usually a belted leine.

Old Fools Kilts: My First Homemade Kilt or Originally all clothes were home made

Until I made this I had never owned a I kilt. Some would say that after I made I it still did not have a kilt but those critics have standards set to high for us white trash so they can blow it out their blow hole.

I have worn a pareu, many sarongs and a variety of towels. Back in the 70's I had a special towel that was thin, about 20 inches wide and long enough to go around my waist and fasten. It was light enough fabric that I could tie it around my head for a sweat band.

Idiot bathing. That would be "Captain Idiot" since I owned the boat that got us here.

I have this picture of the "Grand Capitan" bathing with said towel around his head on Santa Cruz Island off the coast of California. I am in a rock basin that is slightly warmer than the ice cold water in that waterfall. This was not my first bath there nor my last and I would like to do it at least one more time.

It seemed OK and acceptable to wear nothing but this towel around the boat and on the beach whereas the colorful Pareu I had on the boat would have raised eyebrows. But then I am confused about why men will not wear socks of any color but white, blue, grey or black.

It never occurred to me to wear a kilt. In those days in Southern California it would not have raise an eyebrow.

The pictured fabric is a good quality light weight woven shirt flannel and is exactly what I was told to not use to make a kilt. I read all the warnings then went ahead and did it anyway because I like the feel of the material. Flannel has such a comforting feel.This kilt was made by ear that is without any plan. It has a full outer apron but because of not enough material the under apron is smaller. There are only four five inch box pleats in the back. Every short cut was taken in making this so as to at least fool an unknowing person into believing it is a kilt. I guess that was successful as one of my grandsons girlfriends called it a kilt without prompting.

I added a utility pocket hanging from the belt line on the right side.

It has a front apron and pleats in the back so it meets my description of a kilt.

I learned a lot from this project. Things like how to operate my machine, flannel doesn't sew like other material and it is better to work carefully than to have to rip out a seam and do it over. I learned not to put my fingers in that part of the machine that is going up and down. It is wise to start with enough material and do not try to sew the 'glue on' velcro.

It became apparent to me that I am a short fucker. my waist to knee measurement is only 19 inches. Here I thought I was tall and imposing. What a let down. I would fit right in with the seven dwarfs. The upside of this is it does not take a lot of material to make me a kilt.

Would I make another flannel kilt? I did and it is nicer and the workmanship is better but not one bit more comfortable. I'll feature it one day as I wear it a lot. This one was my first and I am attached to it. I was more attached to it but I ripped those stitches out. It is comfortable and I am wearing it as I write this.

Old Fools Kilts: What will people think? A man in a skirt? A soldier? I wonder what he wears under that?

Veteran U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dan Nevins, who lost his legs due to an injury in Afghanistan, stands on the runway during the "Dressed To Kilt" charity fashion show in New York April 5, 2010. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Erskine Hospital of Scotland and the Wounded Warrior Project. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)
I am self conscience in a kilt or sarong. I wonder if Sgt. Dan is. This man has paid the price for freedom now it is up to me to exercise it.

My first thought was "what a practical solution for the hassle of artificial legs", then "why am I so timid" then "I wonder why the tailor did not tailor that vest around the sporran*".

I am humbled and that ain't easy to do.

*Sporran = Scottish Gaelic for purse.

Old Fools Kilts: Adventures in Kilting or If you think I look feminine then you need your eyes checked

As you can see by the statement of intent that I intend to discuss my adventures in Kilts and other alternate clothing for men. We are born naked and that is fine for a while but then it sometimes becomes more appropriate to wear a covering (clothes) of some kind. I prefer naked but sometimes I need pockets, sometimes it is cold and sometimes other people are incensed by skin (seems strange to me since we all have one). Clothes are a deception. It is hard to take a naked person seriously. Imagine a naked congressman or general.

The photo at the top is the Old Fool in the latest acquisition. It is the cheapest kilt on the market at $28.95 plus very fast shipping of $9.00. It is from Stillwater Kilts in Minnesota and is called "the Thrifty Kilt". It looks traditional and is styled as such but it is made of acrylic. Acrylic is not my favorite fabric but it is cheap and it is wash and wear. Acrylic burns and melts easily. They are made in Pakistan and very light. Just right for my climate.

For myself I buy them a little large then sew down the pleats to my specifications, hem to the correct length and add a pocket. I have an everyday sporran but I don't care for them. For those that don't know a sporran is a purse but then so is a fanny bag, briefcase or a hand carried backpack. Somehow the word purse has taken on gender but when I was young my grandfather carried his money in a purse in his pocket and purse is what he called it.

I have two of these kilts now both modified. The first is starting to show wear but it has a lot of life left.

Soon I'll post the makeshift quick pockets I made.