Quote Originally Posted by thescot View Post
There are two answers. Both will work; the first is best.

1. Get a real kilt maker to tear the waist loose and redo the whole thing. It's quite a job of actually rebuilding the kilt, but it actually moves the waist line down, making the result a shorter kilt.

2. Ever so carefully cutting the selvege end. This is a tedious process and not for the faint of heart or shaky of hand. There are some very good instructions online about running a zig-zag stich and using some fray stopping stuff. It is my understanding that the regiments used this method.
1. That is a huge job that a real kilt maker would not do. If a kilt has been made to measure, the waist line is the (generally) narrowest part. It's where the kilt hangs from! Hemming from the top would mean that you'd have to redo all the pleats to get the kilt hanging properly. Certainly can be done, but why would you? It's less expensive to get a new kilt!

2. Cutting or tearing the kilting selvedge is just WRONG!! Using fray stopping stuff would RUIN the kilt. You'd never get it out, it'll add a ridge that you can't press out, it'll scratch your skin, and as it ages, it will flake and turn white.
Running a zig-zag will actually stretch the fabric ever so slightly and make the hem wavy. No kilt maker in their right mind would ever, ever consider these methods.

I know, I know. You can hem it, but a kilt is not hemmed, and there is no way on earth that I will ever believe that a hem doesn't adversly affect the hang of the kilt. So let the slings and arrows of outrageous hemmers commence. I still would never hem my kilt, only my wife's skirt.
From the number of posts to the contrary, you've definitely been proven wrong. Why would you ever think a kilt can't be hemmed? Kilts have been passed from one family member to others and have probably been hemmed since their 'invention'. And, call me outrageous but, I think the comment about hemming being only for women's garments is just plain rude.