Why not make a kilt 4" wider than it needs to be?

[User]

I read from Ms. Tewksbury that a kilt that is even 0.5" too narrow is noticeable, as the underapron shows.
For this reason, she said she makes her kilts 0.5" larger in the waist and hips than the client's actual measurements, to give some room for growth, and then she sews the straps at their correct location.

The instructions in The Art of Kiltmaking say that following the book, the resultant kilt will fit the wearer with the straps in the tightest position. Typical kilt straps allow somewhere around 2.5" of adjustment. Unless I'm mistaken, that means even if the kilt is made 0.5" wider, in the loosest strap position the kilt will still be undersized and show 2" of underapron. Maybe strap adjustment is already accounted for, and this won't happen? But if that's the case, why add 0.5" to the measurements in the first place?

On the other hand, Ms. Tewksbury posted a picture of a woman wearing a kilt where the buckle strap locations had been tightened 10.5", and it still looked great (Special thank you to Ms. Tewksbury and her model for sharing those pictures). Granted, that was a large woman, so 10.5" is a smaller percentage on her than it would be on me. But I'm never going to get skinnier, and I'm very likely to get wider. So why not make the kilt say, 4" wider than my measurements, and put the buckle where it should be for my current weight?

My hips are 4" wider than my waist, and I already know that when I put on weight, my hips remain roughly 4" wider than my waist. A hidden pleat is sometimes added for adjustments later. But why not skip the hidden pleat and add some extra real pleats instead? Then I don't need to take the kilt apart if I gain weight. I can just adjust the buckle strap locations.

The only significant reason I can think of for me to NOT add extra pleats is because you want the underapron to show if you're in a situation where the apron is splaying open. But I truly don't care about that. People can see extra pleats instead.

The benefits of adding extra pleats (being able to continue wearing my kilt) seem to vastly outweigh negatives (seeing extra pleats when splayed and the apron/pleat ratio being skewed when getting wider). Is there anything I'm missing?

[Jock Scot]

You worry too much. I am from the “ you make it and I will fly it” school of thought. If the kilt maker at the fitting is happy with his work then that’s fine by me! Besides some thirty years later it might fit, or it fits where it touches and sometimes it fits as intended!

[User]

You worry too much.

You're absolutely right! But I can't help it. It's my personality.

Also, I'm sewing the kilt. So it's up to me to ensure the kilt maker is happy with his work at the fitting. :-)

Mainly, I'm hoping someone with more experience than me can warn me if I'm overlooking a problem.

From my perspective, it seems like a splendid idea. But my perspective is limited. So I ask others to share their perspectives.

[Troglodyte]

You do not mention whether the kilt is to be pleated to the sett or to the stripe.

If pleated to the sett, the pattern of the tartan as it appears on the front apron will be replicated in pleated form at the rear, with the checks carefully and skillfully placed. If the kilt gets pulled even half and inch as you say either way, the non-alignment becomes glaringly obvious.

If waist expansion over the life of the kilt is an issue (a common problem), having the aprons made wider to accomodate this is something worth looking into. The under-apron would need to wrap further around to the left, with its strap being placed further in from the edge, while the outer-apron would wrap further around to the right, with its strap in the usual place but with the buckle further around to right.

To counter the ugly off-centre effect this would have on the sett, pleating to the stripe would be your best option, with the edge of the outer-apron covering maybe four of five of the pleats at the right.

As the need arises, the straps and buckles can be repositioned without the need to re-form the kilt.

If pleating to the sett is the preference, having extra material stored in the first pleat at either side would be a good idea, as this would allow them to be opened up in the future. The compromise would be at the edge-band at the top of the kilt, as, if in self tartan, the sett matching would be lost with adjustment. A plain, non-tartan binding material would be needed instead, which could be easily replaced at the later alteration stage.

Kilt-makers will no doubt round on me for suggesting this, but I have seen old military pleated-to-the-stripe kilts adjusted in just this way, with no obvious effect.

You may also consider having one single fastening strap - either the usual short type, or the now seldom seen longer style which passes through the slot at the left hip and runs from the under-apron around the back to fasten to a buckle attached to a short strap in the usual place on the edge of the outer-apron. This method allows for both aprons to be adjusted for the desired fit at the same time.

The alternative to all these options is simple - follow my wife's instructions to me, and lay off the pies..!

[OC Richard]

Why not make the kilt say, 4" wider than my measurements, and put the buckle where it should be for my current weight?

I can speak to this from recent personal experience because due to a bit of weight loss a couple of my kilts are around 4" too big.

On the wearer's right it's a simple matter to move the buckles further towards the centre of the back of the kilt.

Now the fringed side of the upper-apron is overlapping some of the pleated portion. It's not really noticeable when the kilt is worn. (My kilts are pleated to the stripe and don't have belt loops so the back of the kilt has no centre-point to be thrown off.)

The problem arises on the other side, where the strap has to be moved 4 inches further from the edge of the under apron.

Which means that now there's 4 inches of loose unsupported fabric on the wearer's left side.

When I put on the kilt I have to pull up and flatten that fabric, otherwise it can get bunched up, which isn't comfortable. It can also slip down so the corner of the under-apron is peeking out from under the upper apron.

It was bugging me so my solution was to take off the strap, fold over and stitch down 4 inches of the under apron, and put the strap back.

Yes there was extra bulk underneath on my left side but it felt and looked better than having that extra loose fabric.

The good part is that it's easily reversible if I should gain back that weight.