Hemming a kilt

[AtagahiKC]

Barb/Steve: Would it be better to reduce the length of the kilt from the top? I know it involves reworking the kilt and probably increasing the fell.

I'm wondering if preserving the selvedge edge at the bottom and the flatness is more important than the time to rework the kilt from the top?

I obtained an ex-hire saltire kilt for about $200, but it is 27" (now). It was badly hemmed, so I removed the hem and pressed it to return the pleats to normal.*

I am waiting for the Kilt Kamp to learn more before tackling shortening it from the top. In my case, I'm sure I'll have to rework it from the top to preserve the saltire design in the pleats, but I do wonder if as a rule it is better to rework from the top or not.

What are your thoughts? Thanks!

*By badly hemmed, I mean that although it probably was executed well, it eliminated some of the Saltire design in the pleats, making the design look oddly shortened and incomplete. It bugged me for some time before I realized what had happened and found that there was more design that should be showing.