Apron Overlap, he wants it on the left. Help!

[ccga3359]

I've seen ribbon ties, buttons, hook-and-eye, and I think any of these methods would still be difficult one handed.

Actually my Freedom kilt with button fastening is the easiest and quickest for donning and doffing. If the gentleman wants a traditional kilt and Matt has some historical example of such this would be worth investigating. Still the idea of Velcro temporarily holding the kilt closed is also well worth investigating. We don't know the extent of the gentleman's loss, whether at the wrist, elbow or shoulder. As much as I'd like to see another kilted, I hope that indeed a kilt is a viable option with whatever modifications necessary.

[CopperNGold]

Please make his kilt the way he wants. He certainly has a good reason for it, (I am so sorry to hear of his cancer) and must have thought through what will work the best and easiest for him. Have fun making this kilt for him!

[McMurdo]

I`ve been coming back to look at this thread as time allows and was waiting to hear the reason for the request. Thank you for providing s with that answer and welcome to the forum. I`d say make it the way he wants, firstly he is the client, secondly if he thinks it will be easier for him to get it on with a left handed apron, then far be it from us or anyone else for that matter to question it. As Jock Scot put it we may be over thinking this one a bit. I do think Matt`s idea of velcro to simplify the processes is one with merit and may well be the most viable update to the normal buckle configuration. Please keep us informed as this kilt sounds like it will be an interesting one, I`m sure many of us would like to follow along with your progress if you were so inclined to post it.

[Really a McQueen]

If I may interject a suggestion. My grandfather McQueen was in a similar situation, albeit, reversed. He lost the use of his left hand due to nerve damage incurred in 'The Great War'. As your client has, he too, adapted to functioning with one usable hand, and one that was essentially a living hook. Pappy felt that Velcro was one of the greatest inventions for dressing since the button.

Anyway, should your client desire a traditional kilt style with buckles and straps, reversed from the usual and customary, please accommodate him. I would suggest the installation of a strip of Velcro on the under apron to help secure the kilt on the right hand side, while dressing, and functioning buckles on the left. Then depending the client's wishes, a functioning buckle on the right, or simulated buckle and strap, that appears to be a normal buckle installation.

[Aspiringloser]

http://www.strapworks.com/Side_Relea...FRFV7Aodpxu_mg
Has anyone ever considered using side release buckles (called parachute buckles in some fabric stores) for the closure system on a kilt? It seems like it would be easier to close and open one handed. Then just pull the strap through to desired tightness.

[Dale Seago]

I could certainly see that on a "contemporary"/nontraditional kilt. It would be more precisely adjustable than the traditional buckle with holed strap arrangement.

[Ryan Ross]

Lifter here too... And, uh, we need at least one hand free for obvious reasons. I'm not quite sure how this would be accomplished by a gentleman who only has one hand.

I'm a lifter, also. But when I'm getting dressed, I sometimes pull my shirt tails down from underneath the kilt, to make for a neater tuck-in.

When I do that, I often hold the bottoms of the aprons clamped between my chin and chest, leaving two hands free for arranging the shirt. Seems that would work for a one-handed gentleman, while in the john.

[ccga3359]

http://www.strapworks.com/Side_Relea...FRFV7Aodpxu_mg
Has anyone ever considered using side release buckles (called parachute buckles in some fabric stores) for the closure system on a kilt? It seems like it would be easier to close and open one handed. Then just pull the strap through to desired tightness.

I've done side release buckles on my kilt. Not as easy as one would think. There is 3 prongs that you have to line up in order for it to latch. not too easy to do two handed when it's at your rear side, might be easier to buckle when you can see dtraight down but then twisting the kilt around into place one handed probably isn't the easiest solution. Also consider the webbing used. Mine is, I believe polypropylene, and it does slip (loosen) quite easily.

[Aspiringloser]

Perhaps Velcro could be the best option.

[Lyle1]

Using Velcro to keep the kilt in place while dealing with the buckles would be a good start. Parachute buckles would also seem to be a good alternate choice.

I don't know if these are available in larger sizes, but I've seen two other types of buckles on my wife's dance shoes that would work. In each case, the buckle is not attached to the strap; the strap with holes is threaded through the buckle and secured at the desired length; the buckle is moved up and down the strap to adjust the length. The other piece of strap is a fixed length.

With one system, the buckle has the female portion of a snap attached on the underside, where it is hidden by the strap; the male part of the snap is attached to the end of the other piece of strap. Once the buckle is secured to the strap, fixing the length, one piece is snapped to the other, which can be done with one hand.

The other system is similar, but the attachment is somewhat more secure. As with the first system, the buckle is a free piece that is attached to the hole in one piece of strap to fix the length. The end of the fixed piece of strap (the piece to which the buckle would normally be stitched) has what looks like a buckle without the cross piece and prong in the middle; it has a flat rectangular piece, the same size as the buckle, but one long side has a gap near the end furthest from the strap, forming a sort of hook. The hooked piece goes under the buckle and hooks to it, forming a secure attachment.

Both systems look like normal buckles once they are closed. They are quite small, since they are used on the thin straps for women's shoes, but they might be available in larger sizes.