Tailor (new member) asking for help

[Barb T]

If the kilt is a trad kilt, and it's made from plain color fabric, there is no symmetry to worry about. You could take out any two pleats, and it wouldn't make a difference in the shape. It's just easiest to take out the last two next to the underapron, because then you don't have to re-do the buttonhole.

[The Wizard of BC]

I had a chance to see this Kilt when Cutter and I did a video Skype call.
The Pleats are indeed cut-away in the Fell and then covered with fusible interfacing. A thin liner was then added just to cover the fusing.
Other than that this appears to be a simple, machine sewn- solid color Kilt.

I am still of the opinion that there is nothing more to do on this Kilt other than remove the Waistband and Sporran loops. Open the center back where the join is and un-stitch the join.
Then cut away the appropriate number of Pleats to achieve the correct size and re-join the Kilt.
Then stitch the pleats back down that you opened to gain access, put the waistband back on and voila, finished.
There does not seem to be a need to mess with the aprons at all. I would simply leave them alone. The same for the strap hole, straps & buckles and everything else.
This way there is only one join and three or four stitch lines to replace.
I would then use another piece of fusible interfacing to cover where the new join is.

After seeing this kilt I first advised Cutter to send it back for a refund. I believe the customer paid WAY too much for what he actually got in quality. The incorrect size was just the proverbial needle breaking the back to the whole mess.

[Barb T]

This is certainly a viable solution, but it's far more work than it needs to be. Because you're doing nothing to make the apron and underapron smaller, it's a lot of work to accomplish nothing different than just moving the apron edge buckles and underapron strap. And, since this is a solid color kilt, you don't have to worry about any center at the back.

[Cutter]

This is getting very interesting... You guys aren't going to get into a fight over it, right?

Wiz, I'm beginning to lean towards Barb's method, simply because it's less work. Especially because it's been fused: I can see how it could be a real bother to get the canvass off, and then press the pleats neatly with the residue of the glue on the cloth. Could you explain your rationale for your method? (If you've already told me that during our call, please forgive, it was a lot of info and it was very late here

[Pleater]

I'd be really inclined - with more information on how the pleats have been finished by cutting and gluing onto interfacing to leave that part of the kilt severely alone, even if it makes the pleats a slightly larger percentage of the circumference.

When you are starting off with a less that optimum item, sometimes it is better just to leave the bodging alone and work around it, doing a proper job elsewhere.

If it is possible to remove all of the excess width of the aprons into the large pleats under each apron, even though it would mean reshaping the edge of the aprons, I really think that would be the neatest and most effective way to make the best of what looks to be quite a bad job.

The 'proper' way would mean far more work, disrupting the stabiliser on a lot of pleats which will remain in the kilt, and if the pleats are top stitches, matching the thread on the restitched pleats could be a problem and make it look rather a mess.

The more I think about it the more I urge that the pleats be left as they are.

At least with the apron edge you can do the stitching from the inside and hide all the alterations from anything but very close inspection.

Anne the Pleater

[Barb T]

And, truly, _because it is a solid color kilt_, you do not need to alter both edges of the apron and underapron. Now that I think about it, if all you're going to do is alter the size of the apron, you can just take out the easy edges - the outside ones - and make the apron and underapron smaller from there. No sense in taking out _any_ of the pleat stitching unnecessarily. You could even do this if you intended to take out a couple of pleats. Make the apron smaller at the fringe edge, and make the underapron smaller at the inverted pleat edge, and take out a couple pleats while you're doing this.

BIG NOTE: this ONLY works because it's a solid color kilt.

But, if all you want to do is make the pleats section smaller, accomplish the same thing by just moving the buckles and straps.

[The Wizard of BC]

Cutter,
Thank you for another good video Skype call yesterday.
I agree that for what you and your customer intend to do just moving the straps over to get your customer in his kilt for this weekend and then, later, trying to resolve the problem correctly is a good viable solution.

And just to put you mind at ease. No Barb and I are not going to start a fight. To fully understand this forum you have to understand that Barb and I are friends. All of us her on this forum are. We respect each other even when we disagree.
Barb and I come from different worlds of kiltmaking. We each have our own ways of doing things based on our experiences. You are being offered different ways of achieving what you need to satisfy your customer but it will be you, who actually has the Kilt in front of you, who decides how you will proceed.
If you choose to take Barb's advice that is good. I will not be upset in any way. I just want you to have the option of another persons way of doing a job.
And Barb and I will continue to disagree on some things. That is the beauty of this forum.
I know of no other forum where you can be offered the advice free, without flaming, or yelling. Where the only thing that matters is helping another professional to achieve the best look and fit to the final product.

And after seeing your workshop I am confidant that the final product will be wonderful. Just seeing your tools tells me that you know your way around a piece of fabric. Looking over your website tells me you are a true craftsman.

I thank you for giving me the opportunity to help in whatever way I can. Please say hello to your wife for me and I hope you will continue to keep us posted on the results of this unfortunate experience.

[Barb T]

Well said, Steve!! My advice is, as always, from my perspective, and I hope I made that clear in my posts. Steve and I are mucho good friends, and, even when we disagree, it's definitely neither a fight nor something to get our noses out of joint over.

[Cutter]

Well, my client here in Spain has finally picked up the sprite to talk to the maker of the kilt, with many many thanks to the kind help and suggestions of the good mr Wiz.

In the meantime, I've moved the buckles so that at least he can concentrate on his pipes, and not on his kilt, tonight.

Before, the problem was that at the office, he didn't get anywhere explaining his issue, but after addressing the owner of the company himself, things changed. We're going to get together on monday morning and make a call to Scotland, and I will be asked to measure and explain and such. I'm quite sure the solution is close.

I'll let you know how things go from here.

[sydnie7]

Best of luck with the final resolution. Your friend is extremely fortunate to have you working this out with/for him!

So, when it's all said and done, are you going to add "kilt alterations" to your tailor's shingle?