Adjusting Waist size?

[KiltedCoastie]

How about eating banana splits and milkshakes for awhile?

[Martin]

I adjusted two of my own kilts in the manner suggested by Barb T. after I lost weight. I needed to reduce the waistline by 2".

The result is perfectly acceptable, even though a few pleats are lost underneath the apron, additionally, sometimes the edge of the apron can get caught in the pleats after standing or bending, however, this is not a huge problem, and infinitely preferable to losing the kilt!

good luck!

[KiltedCoastie]

How about eating banana splits and milkshakes for awhile?

[Leprechaun 91]

After breaking out the old bespoke kilt, I would guess it is about a 4 inch difference from when it was made. I was 20 years younger and about 40 pounds lighter then.

So... Is it possible to have a kilt "remade? I imagine the expense would be something akin to buying a new kilt though. 16 ounce ancient Argyle is outside my budget for a new kilt right now, but I might be able to swing for alterations.

Is it even possible?

[ChattanCat]

After breaking out the old bespoke kilt, I would guess it is about a 4 inch difference from when it was made. I was 20 years younger and about 40 pounds lighter then.

So... Is it possible to have a kilt "remade? I imagine the expense would be something akin to buying a new kilt though. 16 ounce ancient Argyle is outside my budget for a new kilt right now, but I might be able to swing for alterations.

Is it even possible?

WARNING: I have never altered a kilt and I may be wrong here.

Enlarging a kilt involves a lot more than making it smaller. A lot depends on the sett and how much material is in the kilt.

My best guesses:
1) The easiest option is to add an inch or two to each sides on the aprons. There is usually material that you can use on the edges, from the inverted, and the deep pleat. The down side is that the pleats to apron ratio will change and it may effect the hang of the pleats, but maybe not.

2) Another option is to add a pleat or two and increase the apron widths the same amount. This is a major effort as you have to remove the linings, interfacing, and separate the kilt where you want to add the pleats. It is easier to modify a pleated to the stripe kilt than a pleated to the sett. Stripes can be added anywhere, like at the join in the back. Additional pleats to the sett would probably have to be added to the edges of the aprons to keep the center strip centered in the back.

Maybe Barb T. and Matt can clarify/correct.

[Barb T]

Enlarging a kilt means enlarging the apron and the underapron *on both sides*. You can't just add to the fringe edge, for example, because that would force the center stripe off-center. The real issue is whether there's even enough tartan in the kilt to do this. It depends on how much the kiltmaker put into the fringe edge facing, whether the facing edge is pieced or not, and how deep the first "deep pleat" next the the pleats is. While you can tell the latter, you can't tell the former until you've unstitched the apron edge.

If the first pleat is not deep, you may not be able to enlarge the kilt. You can't simply take out pleats to get additional material, because the pleats are all cut out.

And, to be honest, you never really know what you're going to find inside a kilt (unless you made it yourself originally) until you start taking it apart. Many kilts can't be altered at all, sometimes because they have already been altered as much as they can be.

If you determined that you do, in fact, have enough material, then you have to take off the lining and canvas, undo the apron and underapron edges (both sides - taking out the facing edge plus unstitching the apron and underapron from the pleats). Then, you re-make the apron and underapron, keeping the center stripe of the apron in the center, put the canvas and lining back on, etc.

BTW - Wally's option #2 above only works if you actually have some matching tartan on hand or if you have a hidden pleat on the apron edge of the kilt and a huge inverted pleat. Remember that you use up at least a full sett to make a pleat - if your deep pleat uses 9" of fabric, which is typical, using most of that for a new pleat leaves you nothing for the deep pleat unless you have a hidden pleat that's storing the required amount of fabric. If you actually had to have a separate piece of fabric to add two pleats, you might need as much as a yard of extra fabric in order to be able to not only match the pleat that you need in the right place in the tartan and have enough for four joins, one on each side of the two pleats you'd have to add. And you'd have to re-do the buttonhole and move the buckles in either case.

This is not a small job, and anyone who knows how to do it right should charge you quite a bit to do it. If they don't charge a fair amount ($150 or more wouldn't be unreasonable at all), you might be suspicious that they don't know what they're doing!

[Leprechaun 91]

Thank you so much for taking the time to give such a complete and detailed answer. As one who can do little more than hem pants and stitch buttons I had no idea just how much (math.... Work.... detail.) go into the custom tailored kilt. I have even more respect than I ever did for the Artists who do this work.

What a far cry from pleating a strip of cloth and rolling up in it. Maybe our ancestors were onto something with the old "great kilt."

Well... That all sounds like my best bet might be to save up for a few more months and just invest in a new kilt. The original could be an heirloom to hand down to one of my kids I guess.

Funny how when we are young, we think we will never change for the worse... Oh Well. I have no regrets about my purchase from Geoffrey Tailor. A wonderful company to work with as one who (at the time) had never had anything tailored at all.

I guess the question is.... Who will make my next one? I really want a traditional.

I found a link recently for somebody who would make me a kilt with my own provided fabric for $200.00 US. From what I can tell about the work that goes into a Kilt, that sounds too cheap. Any Ideas?

[Barb T]

If you want a custom made kilt that's made properly, it will take the kiltmaker about 20 hours to make an 8-yard trad kilt (more if they work slowly or are inexperienced). A kiltmaker who charges $200 in labor and other materials (that would be buckles, straps, lining, and canvas) is either willing to work for very low wages or is not doing all the internal construction or quality workmanship that you would want in a custom made kilt.

You can use this forum to find reputable kiltmakers. I take custom orders, as does Matt Newsome - we're both members of this forum, and there are lots of reviews of our kilts in these pages. You can PM either of us. Kathy Lare in Albuquerque has also made kilts that members of this forum greatly admire.

[Deil the Yin]

Thanks for the response.

I should probably try taking myself in a bit . It would be far less complicated. There is a Store in my are that does kilt rentals and even makes them. Perhaps they would be willing to take on such a task.

Pray tell who is this vendor of kilt rentals in the Atlanta area??? And have you rented from them before? Enquiring minds want to know...

[Carolina Kiltman]

Thanks for the response.

I should probably try taking myself in a bit . It would be far less complicated. There is a Store in my are that does kilt rentals and even makes them. Perhaps they would be willing to take on such a task.

I highly recommend it, I went from a 47" (120cm) waist to slightly less than 40 (101cm) and dropped nearly 35 lbs (16kg) lbs in the process. My blood pressure dropped to where I am now off almost all my meds for that problem. My recommendation is goferit, getting back into a beloved kilt is wonderful motivation. Just take it off the way it went on, slowly, and you probably will be able to keep it off.

Here's to success!