Better too small, or too large?

[Benning Boy]

When making a kilt, or buying one, and anticipating a loss of weight, would it be better use a hip measurement that is just right before losing weight, or to make it a little small to begin with so it will fit better later on.

I'm not too concerned about waist measurement, as I know I can make adjustments there, just wondering about hip measurements.

[The Wizard of BC]

It is a far, far better thing to have a kilt that is a bit big over one a bit small.

A kilt that is big will have the outer apron which overlaps the under apron. If it is overlapping just a bit or a lot no one can tell from the front. The only thing that would be off is the pattern if the kilt is pleated to the Sett.

But, if a kilt is too small the outer apron will not overlap the under apron. This is not usually a problem as, at first, the under apron peeking out looks like just another pleat.
But any more than one pleat width and it becomes very visually evident that the kilt is too small.

I have always believed that it is better to have a kilt a touch big over a touch small.

As you said it is not the waist that you have to worry about. The hip actually has a very large part in the overall look of the kilt. If the hip are too big you start to get the 'shower curtain' effect in the back. If too small you get gaping pleats and aprons that will not hang right.

I have seen far more kilts, that don't hang well, caused by wrong hip measurements than are caused by wrong waist measurements.

[Liam]

My advice is to err on the "roomy" side. Anticipated weight loss doesn't always happen or become permanent. (At least this is my experience).

[ratspike]

Yup yup, better a little too big. A kilt that's too tight in the hips can be pretty uncomfortable in the front too, depending on your shape. My favorite Kryptek camo kilt is no fun to wear right now for that very reason, but about 10 pounds from now it'll be perfect again. When I have a customer working on dropping weight I'll suggest waiting until they're at or very close to their goal before taking measurements, assuming there's not a specific date that they have to have their kilt.

[Pleater]

I first started to make kilts as I was losing weight and it seemed like a good idea at the time - but after a few months I stopped sewing the tapering of the fell and just pleated the fabric onto the sturdy pieces of webbing I'd found then bound the top edge.

There is tapering as the pleats are fractionally off the straight of the grain, but I suspect that men wouldn't need to bother doing that. I do make reverse Kingussie style pleating, as that suits me better than a row of knife pleats - makes riding a bicycle easier for a start.

If you are going to make a kilt I'd suggest trying a 'simple' aboriginal type and wearing it for a few months before remaking it in the Victorian manner.

I used to make the split of pleats to apron about 50/50 but leave the edges of the aprons unfinished, so that they could be finished once my waist shrank a few inches. My waist shrank 14 inches so I did a lot of remaking of kilts, going from knife, to Kingussie to reverse Kingussie along the way.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Norbo]

All ways better to big as its simple to make them asaller but you can add cloth to make them biger most of my kilts have been made smaller to fit me .