Shortening a kilt?

**Pleater** · 6th October 10, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by Livingston

My apologies for not getting back sooner, it was a very busy weekend. I just folded up the material, no cutting. That way, when/if I pass this on to someone else that happens to be taller all they have to do is take out the stitching and re-press that part of the pleats.

How much turn up was required - in the end?

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**Livingston** · 8th October 10, 10:52 AM

I'm not at home right now but, if this old brain is working today for a change, about 2 1/2 inches. I'm 5' 7" and it was a 24" Stillwater so that seems about right.

**Seaforth Piper** · 3rd November 10, 05:31 AM

Never Never NEVER 'hem' a kilt! the pleats won't hang properly and people like me will publically mock you...

first step: make sure that you can properly tighten the straps and buckles, and move them so you can. I can often shorten a kilt by a couple of inches with this one step.

2nd step: move the straps and buckles down by the required amount (they will stay at the same point on your torso when you tighten them, which lifts the kilt.

3rd step: shorten from the top if required (bearing in mind that kilts in general and military kilts in particular are worn higher than modern eyes find usual.

**Paul Henry** · 3rd November 10, 05:42 AM

Originally Posted by Seaforth Piper

Never Never NEVER 'hem' a kilt! the pleats won't hang properly and people like me will publically mock you...

first step: make sure that you can properly tighten the straps and buckles, and move them so you can. I can often shorten a kilt by a couple of inches with this one step.

2nd step: move the straps and buckles down by the required amount (they will stay at the same point on your torso when you tighten them, which lifts the kilt.

3rd step: shorten from the top if required (bearing in mind that kilts in general and military kilts in particular are worn higher than modern eyes find usual.

You are very much in the minority here, heming can be done very well on lots of kilts, indeed on some fabrics you have no choice for example many tweeds.If done well the pleats will still hang well.
I'd have to say that you aren't very kind mocking people either.
I've got no problem making sure that the kilt is at the right height, that can often solve problems, but please be kind to other kilt wearers

**ChattanCat** · 3rd November 10, 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by Seaforth Piper

Never Never NEVER 'hem' a kilt! the pleats won't hang properly and people like me will publically mock you...

first step: make sure that you can properly tighten the straps and buckles, and move them so you can. I can often shorten a kilt by a couple of inches with this one step.

2nd step: move the straps and buckles down by the required amount (they will stay at the same point on your torso when you tighten them, which lifts the kilt.

3rd step: shorten from the top if required (bearing in mind that kilts in general and military kilts in particular are worn higher than modern eyes find usual.

Generally speaking, it is better to have a non-hemmed kilt. There are circumstances that will not allow any other alternative, that is when you do a hem. I have made kilts with a hem because of a bad selvage or if the person is expected to grow in the near future. Most will never know that the kilt is hemmed, it can be hidden well if done right.

Kilt challenge: What would you do if you had to make a kilt with material that has bad selvages?

Cheers,

**Seaforth Piper** · 3rd November 10, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by paulhenry

You are very much in the minority here, heming can be done very well on lots of kilts, indeed on some fabrics you have no choice for example many tweeds.If done well the pleats will still hang well.
I'd have to say that you aren't very kind mocking people either.
I've got no problem making sure that the kilt is at the right height, that can often solve problems, but please be kind to other kilt wearers

Perhaps I'm in the minority because I maintain higher standards...

Someone hand this guy a box of tissues.....

**Seaforth Piper** · 3rd November 10, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by ChattanCat

Generally speaking, it is better to have a non-hemmed kilt. There are circumstances that will not allow any other alternative, that is when you do a hem. I have made kilts with a hem because of a bad selvage or if the person is expected to grow in the near future. Most will never know that the kilt is hemmed, it can be hidden well if done right.

Kilt challenge: What would you do if you had to make a kilt with material that has bad selvages?

Cheers,

I wouldn't make it - which is why I don't buy cloth from those mills that weave a 'tuck' selvedge, and I tend to tell customers who have not yet reached "Mans's estate" to come back when they''ve more nearly reached their full adult height.

I can see a hemmed kilt from across the parade square, and I don't think it looks good.

**Paul Henry** · 3rd November 10, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by Seaforth Piper

Perhaps I'm in the minority because I maintain higher standards...

Someone hand this guy a box of tissues.....

It not really sabout higher standards, there are many very fine kiltmaker on this board who will hem if they need to, of course it's easier if you don't have to hem, but there isn't anything inferior about a hemmed kilt.

Remember this is a community board, and it isn't considered nice to mock other kilted folk

**Arlen** · 4th November 10, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by Seaforth Piper

I wouldn't make it - which is why I don't buy cloth from those mills that weave a 'tuck' selvedge, and I tend to tell customers who have not yet reached "Mans's estate" to come back when they''ve more nearly reached their full adult height.

I can see a hemmed kilt from across the parade square, and I don't think it looks good.

With all due respect, a friend of mine is a tailor for his regiment and regularly blind hems regimental Kilts for the folk who are simply too short for moving the buckles to work. His official guidelines state that since the Kilts are often passed on to other lads it is better to do a blind hem that can be taken down later than to cut length from the top and leave the kilt useable only to a small percent of the regiment in the future.

I've seen his work and even with my very critical eye there's not a hint of pleats splaying or anything that looks different from the usual selvage.

**Barb T** · 4th November 10, 08:31 AM

I have hemmed many kilts. If it is done properly, it can't be seen from 5' away, let alone from across the parade ground. In our pipe band, we simply can't afford to put a new kilt on every new piper - we have to move buckles and hem kilts that the band already owns. Our dress and deportment officer once gave me the same kind of hassle - will look awful, why did you do that, etc. etc. I challenged him at one of our band events to pick out the kilts with hems. He couldn't. Not until he actually felt the bottoms of every kilt could he tell which were hemmed.

Yes, a badly hemmed kilt will be obvious. But a properly hemmed kilt is not. The main difference for a set of kilts (such as band kilts) is that, with a hem, the part of the sett at the bottom of the kilt is not the same because you've turned up the bottom (provided, of course, that all the tartan was woven the same way in the first place). It's not the hem that shows, it's the difference in the part of the sett at the bottom of the kilt. If you absolutely have to have everyone looking exactly the same (e.g., your band tartan has a big yellow cross in the center of the apron, it might look odd to have one or two kilts hemmed. But realize that it's not the hem itself that shows.

And, if all you have is one kilt, it's far better, in my estimation, to have a kilt that's the right length than to stand on the ceremony of "kilts don't have hems". Just do it properly, and no one will know.