X Marks the Scot - An on-line community of kilt wearers.

   X Marks Partners - (Go to the Partners Dedicated Forums )
USA Kilts website Celtic Croft website Celtic Corner website Houston Kiltmakers

User Tag List

Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    Join Date
    20th October 21
    Location
    Roger and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
    Posts
    4
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Is this kilt too big in the back?

    I wonder if my recently ordered kilt is too big in the back. In the attached picture, you see that there are curtain like folds.

    With sewing tape I measured the widest part of my hips, with feet together and wearing only underwear. Just over 35 inches. I check the invoice. It says 35.5 inches. I measure my hips again. Still 35.5 inches.

    So I email the kiltmaker. Here's his reply:

    "The hip looks good at the bottom of the fell (the point where the vertical sewing lines on the pleats end). I wonder if the kilt doesn’t just a need a quick ironing after it’s journey across the country to you. It may help some.



    I should point out that on the casual kilt, we make the waist exactly to the measurement given. There is some rounding that happens with the hip measurement though. You’ll notice that there are 2 or 3 angled pleats on either side of the kilt. One set near the front apron, and the other closer to the under apron. Because of how we do those on a casual kilt, each angled pleat creates 1” of difference between the waist measurement and the hip measurement. It is more important to the overall effect of the kilt that there be the same number of angled pleats on both sides than to hit a precise hip measurement. For that reason, the difference between the two numbers is always an even number.



    I can’t tell from your photo, but if I had made your kilt, I would have done it with 3 angled pleats on both sides. Because you have a 5” difference in your waist and hips, I would round up rather than down so there would be a 6” difference in the waist and the hips. It’s better to have too much room in the hips than too little. IF you only have 2 angled pleats on each side, then there will be a 4” difference between the measurements."


    Do you agree? And yes, there were 3 angled pleats on each side of the kilt.

    kilt.jpg
    Last edited by Dixieman; 21st March 22 at 08:00 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    18th October 09
    Location
    Orange County California
    Posts
    10,560
    Mentioned
    17 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    I'm no kiltmaker, but my understanding is that if the hip measurement is bigger than the waist measurement EVERY pleat across the back would have the same amount of taper built into it.

    Yes the way your kilt hangs in the back looks odd to me. I wonder if ironing the pleats (which has to be done a certain way, and carefully) would fix the issue.

    Here's a clear view of tapered pleats all across the back.

    Last edited by OC Richard; 22nd March 22 at 06:12 AM.
    Proud Mountaineer from the Highlands of West Virginia; son of the Revolution and Civil War; first Europeans on the Guyandotte

  3. The Following User Says 'Aye' to OC Richard For This Useful Post:


  4. #3
    Join Date
    24th September 04
    Location
    Victoria, BC Canada 48° 25' 47.31"N 123° 20' 4.59" W
    Posts
    4,311
    Mentioned
    16 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    I was going to ask the same question.

    Can you clarify please. There are three pleats on each side that are tapered and the rest are not tapered? Is this correct?
    Steve Ashton
    Forum Owner

  5. The Following User Says 'Aye' to Steve Ashton For This Useful Post:


  6. #4
    Join Date
    20th June 11
    Location
    California
    Posts
    422
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    I think that ironing is definitely a good first step. If that doesn't fix the problem, I would follow up with the kilt maker and kindly request them to work with you on another solution.

    By the sound of it, you have purchased a casual kilt from USA Kilts. I have received similar customer service answers in the past, and to be frank they tend to skirt the line between being really nice and also blaming any mistakes or miscommunication on the customer. To be blunt, "Measure better next time," and "it's kind of up to you" are not the most reassuring answers to customer who are new to custom garments.

    At any rate, I think your kilt looks fine. It's a casual kilt, so the goal is to be able to wear it out to bars, or Highland games, and not get anything expensive dirty. I think you can definitely do that. If you disagree, sell it on to someone who is less discerning and buy another.

  7. The Following User Says 'Aye' to KennethSime For This Useful Post:


  8. #5
    Join Date
    24th September 04
    Location
    Victoria, BC Canada 48° 25' 47.31"N 123° 20' 4.59" W
    Posts
    4,311
    Mentioned
    16 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    The way you measure the hip circumference of an existing kilt is with a tape measure.

    At the level of the bottom of the Fell Area, or where the bottom of the pleat sewing ends, measure from the right, outer apron edge, across the outer apron, across the pleats, to the right edge of the under apron. Do not include the under apron.



    In the above photo, the hip circumference is 42.5".
    As you gave your hip circumference as 35.5". I would expect the measured hip size to be around 36.6" and 37.6"

    As all the difference between the hip circumference and the waist circumference is taken up in the pleats, the difference between the length across the pleats at the line of the hip circumference and length across the pleats at the waist circumference should be very close to the difference between your waist measurement and your hip measurement. Waist equal to, or plus 1 inch and hips equal to or up to 2 inches larger.

    This can perhaps be illustrated with this small wooden model.
    You can see that the apron should fall straight down from the belly in front. If you have a belly you take the hip measurement simulating the apron falling straight down from the belly by pulling the tape out, away from your front.
    The edges of the apron are wider at the hips than at the waist so that the apron edges also fall straight down at about where the side seams of trousers would be.
    That there is some portion of the kilt above the top straps. This is called the "Rise".
    And that the buttocks stick outward further than the nape of the spine. Above the line of the hips is called the "Fell Area" and is where all the tapering and shaping of the entire kilt are done. Below the line of the hips the pleats should fall straight down.

    I would not expect this shaping to be as nice on a casual kilt as would be expected on a custom kilt. But if the kilt is made even close to the given measurements I would not expect to see such pronounced shower curtain folds.
    Last edited by Steve Ashton; 22nd March 22 at 08:54 PM.
    Steve Ashton
    Forum Owner

  9. The Following 2 Users say 'Aye' to Steve Ashton For This Useful Post:


Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

» Log in

User Name:

Password:

Not a member yet?
Register Now!
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.0