Lost Weight....Now What to do??

[angel923]

31 lbs in one month? Holy monkey ....

I wonder this as well as I'm in the process of losing weight, with my goal about 50lbs lighter than I am currently. When I get there, my 2 kilts are going to be in need of some work. The Stillwater isn't really worthwhile - I'll just buy another 1 (or 2) when I get there .. but my tank is not something I'm just going to toss. Can a kilt be reworked for an 8-10" loss?

According to my kilt maker Kathy Lare it is possible to adjust a larger kilt down the ammount of adjustment will determine the method though, from a simple buckle move to a full reworking of the kilt are all possible depending on what you want to spend.

[djweso]

:mrgreen: I'm envious of you to have such problems. Someday I'd love to have to worry about such problems.

[cloves]

Caradoc, wow.....loosing weight not only makes you look smaller, you also look younger.

[Caradoc]

Caradoc, wow.....loosing weight not only makes you look smaller, you also look younger.

My wife says the same thing.

[ccga3359]

Ah but Caradoc---two sets of buckles (one of one, one of two) moved back one inch would be two inches!

Caradoc is correct. The buckle on the left hip holds the kilt on, the buckle on the right hip just holds the over apron closed.

[The Wizard of BC]

To keep the kilt symmetrical front and rear both right and left buckles need to be moved equi-distant. The problem arises due to the opening in the kilt for the right(Left) strap to go through.
That hole determines the position of the right(Left) buckle and its tab.
As a quick fix you can move the Left(Right) Buckle Tab rearward. Then detach the Right(Left) strap from the under apron and re-position it forward onto the front of the apron.
Not a problem for a size adjustment of only 2" but if you try this for adjustments of greater than that a kiltmaker will need to re-position the strap hole.
This entails unstitching the liner, opening and re-enforcing a new hole in the pleats, then closing up the old one and re-attaching the liner.

If your adjustment approaches 4", and you don't re-position the strap hole, the kilt, when worn with the front apron centered, will show the back off center.
Some kilts can be worn with the back off center and you will never know it but if you have sporran loops, the kilt is pleated to the Sett, or on a box pleated kilt, the off centeredness shows up from 30 ft. away.

[turpin]

Steve, are you sure of your left-right directions? My kilts all have the straps on the left side of the underapron and the strap hole is on the left. Have you been making kilted skirts lately?

[The Wizard of BC]

Oops. You are absolutely correct. Hey I am usually not the one wearing the kilt when I make adjustments.
So, take everything I said and reverse it. Left is Right, up is down, in is out. Good is evil. Smart is stupid. And I am bass ackwards.

[Highland Logan]

I have lost about 40 lbs since I got my kilt. The straps were moved the first time it was lose, but after that the weight loss was too much. I had it sent back to the mill it came from twice. It was much cheaper (1/5 the cost) than getting a new kilt, and it came back perfect every time (the tartan covering the buckles stayed in sett, ect). It was like a new kilt, but in the right size.

Frank

[Martin S]

I bought a cheap kilt through e-bay some time ago and found it was too big. I undid the pleats centre back, reduced the waist by 2-3 inches, tucked the surplus material in as a single extra-deep pleat, sewed it all up and pressed the pleats. The sett pattern no longer appears perfect but it is still regular and symmetrical, and it looks fine.

I was tempted to do the same with a good wool kilt too, but have not had the courage to undo it because the pleats are deeper, each one overlapping several others. It would involve so many pleats and the belt loops too, that sewing up again would probably be too difficult.

Martin