adjusting size

[Jerry]

I just ordered my 4th kilt, this one a traditional from Rocky. I was explaining to him, that both of my two wool 4 yard casuals seem to be overly loose, enough so that I have to wear a kilt belt to hold them up. Noth have all of the buckles at the tightest settings. Both of them are size 48, and come from different kiltmakers. Rocky is making my new one at 47 inches. My question about the others is: Is there anything that someone as sewing machine illiterate as I can do to tighten then up an inch or so?. I know we have Jimmy and a lot of other experts here. Or if it would be beyond my meager abilities can anyone reccomend someone near me (Richmond Va area) that could do it. Near means 100 miles or less.

[bubba]

Any seamstress and lots of dry cleaners can move the straps and buckles over a bit. Just show them which straps and buckles you need moved and how far. Probably cost you between $5 and $8, give or take.

[Colin]

Any seamstress and lots of dry cleaners can move the straps and buckles over a bit. Just show them which straps and buckles you need moved and how far. Probably cost you between $5 and $8, give or take.

just make sur eyou move the straps and buckles on both sides of the kilt (apron and underapron).

[Barb T]

You actually can't move the _buckle_ on the underapron side. Or, more accurately, you _could_ move it, but it wouldn't do you any good in terms of making the kilt fit tighter. So, what you need to do is move the _buckles_ on the apron side and the _strap_ on the underapron side. Leave the straps on the apron side where they are and the buckle on the underapron side where it is.

Cheers!

barb

[beerbecue]

Just for my (and for others') benefit, is the reason you can't really move the underapron buckle due to its relationship to the strap hole in the kilt?

[Barb T]

Hi

When you put the underapron strap of the kilt through the hole, the strap will go through the hole only until it hangs up on where it's stitched to the underapron. If you want to make the underapron tighter, and you try to do so by moving the buckle, instead of the strap, the strap won't go any farther through the hole, even though the buckle is in a different place. So, the underapron wouldn't be any tighter.

To make the underapron tighter, you need to move the strap toward the center of the underapron so that the "hang up place" where the strap stitching hits the hole is closer to the center of the underapron. That will allow you to wrap the underapron farther around the body and still have the strap buckled tightly.

Does that make sense?? I'll admit that I didn't think it through years ago when I had to move buckles for the first time on a kilt to make it tighter. I moved the underapron buckle and discovered, because I hadn't thought it through, that it didn't do anything!

Barb

[Jerry]

Hi

When you put the underapron strap of the kilt through the hole, the strap will go through the hole only until it hangs up on where it's stitched to the underapron. If you want to make the underapron tighter, and you try to do so by moving the buckle, instead of the strap, the strap won't go any farther through the hole, even though the buckle is in a different place. So, the underapron wouldn't be any tighter.

To make the underapron tighter, you need to move the strap toward the center of the underapron so that the "hang up place" where the strap stitching hits the hole is closer to the center of the underapron. That will allow you to wrap the underapron farther around the body and still have the strap buckled tightly.

Does that make sense?? I'll admit that I didn't think it through years ago when I had to move buckles for the first time on a kilt to make it tighter. I moved the underapron buckle and discovered, because I hadn't thought it through, that it didn't do anything!

Barb

Barb. my wife says she can make the adjustments, but if you can, I'd like a bit more specific advice (which direction to move each strap and buckle) and maybe a small diagram if possible before I let her attempt it. Even then sinceI have two casual wool kilts with the same problem and one is mucxh better made than the other, I'll let her try to adjust the one I don't like as much first. Also, correct me if I am wrong, but the adjustments need to be made equally on both the underapron and the apron straps and buckles to preserve the symetry?