shortening a kilt from the top

[Riverkilt]

Aye, if its a quality hand sewn kilt by a craftsman with a respected name it'll hold its value. Sell it. Use the proceeds to reorder a kilt that fits.

Ron

[Barb T]

And, if you take the top band, and all of the lining and canvas off the kilt, and cut the top off, you'll have a kilt that tapers all the way to the top of the kilt, unless the kilt has no taper in the pleats to begin with (which is rare). This means that, even if the workmanship is first rate, the kilt will never fit properly, because a kilt should actually flare from the center of the top buckle to the top of the kilt so that it rides comfortably at the waist. Unless the kiltmaker is also willing to undo every pleat and restitch it to flare, you'll have a kilt that doesn't fit or feel right.

Truly, you can hem _any_ kilt (well, except maybe an 18 oz military weight tartan), and you won't really notice the difference. We hem our 16 oz band kilts for kids, and you really have to look to see the difference.

I agree with Ron. If you really can't stand the idea of a hem, sell the kilt and use the proceeds to buy a new kilt that fits properly. A kiltmaker who knows what he/she is doing should charge you so much for this type of alteration that it won't be worth it financially to you. And, if someone is willing to do it for less than an arm and a leg, they probably don't know what they're doing...

[Dan R Porter]

So you can't just roll in up like JAYLO did with her shorts?