Changing sides

mugman · Post by **mugman** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:38 am

Is it possible, does anyone know, to take a female kilt that has just one buckle each side, and change it to male right side buckling? Maybe make a new slot in the waistband on the left, and have what was the under apron on top instead.
Looking at the Midas Clothing kilts and skirts, some are less lengthy than the usual male knee length, and appear to offer a bit less material to cart around. But I'd rather not fork out £60 at the moment if I can get a similar length ladies kilt (about 17" drop) on ebay for about twenty£, and adapt it.

r1g0r · Post by **r1g0r** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 2:35 pm

you scared me, mugman!

from the title, i thought you were switching to pants!

ChrisM · Post by **ChrisM** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 2:52 pm

Yes, and it's dead easy.

It does involve buttonholing a new slot for the strap on the port side, whereas the slot currently installed on the starboard side will be left unused. But I think that's the only change. You may wish to have a look at the detail of the (former) under flap of the apron, to make sure there isn't some feature (e.g. a taper or oddly-stitched hem) that would look 'funny' when exposed.

Note that this reversal of direction also has the advantage of hiding the fringed edge usually found on a ladies skirt, but not featured on a gents kilt.

Have at it!

Chris

RichardA · Post by **RichardA** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 3:59 pm

the fringed edge usually found on a ladies skirt, but not featured on a gents kilt.

sorry your wrong all well made gents kilts have a fringe

r.m.anderson · Post by **r.m.anderson** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:53 pm

Aye - you could do just that; have the fringed apron wrap left over right
and make a strap hole for the leather strap to go thru on the left waist.
No fringed apron! It will not pass for a formal kilt. It will become a casual
kilt - maybe to used for field hockey or tossing the caber.
As for the 17 inch length that is really going to be difficult problem to
deal with! Nomally kilts break at the knee in the range of 22-24 inches of
hem. What you will have at 17 inches is a short kilt (at 15 inches it would
be a mini kilt suitable for club wear). IMHO anything less than 19 inches
will raise red flags - but this forum is all about wearing skirts and kilts so
I would say "go for it"! However be prepared for some strange looks and
questions, This would be an extraordinary way to break the ice in wearing
a skirted garmet - even a kilt!

r.m.anderson · Post by **r.m.anderson** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 9:27 pm

Thinking a bit further - Why make all those adjustments/alterations?
If the kilt fits as is leave it be. Only a few serious kilt wearing people
are going to notice the difference of the apron wrap. And with the hem
length being that short - that is going to be more of a problem to
contend with. Obviously you are not going to wear this kilt in a formal
setting - so why worry about the (formal) details. Just wear it casually
which I think is what you intend on doing.
Good Luck whatever you decide.

mugman · Post by **mugman** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:50 am

OK. Thanks lads. It doesn't sound too difficult.
17" drop on me isn't as drastic as it sounds. I tend to wear kilts lower on the waist anyway, and any 24" one I get has to have about 3" off it before I can wear it.
17" would come to about 2" - 3" above the top of the knee on me...enough to class it out of the formal kilt bracket, but not enough to draw any more attention than a kilt does anyway.
I would prefer the fastening on the right as that's what I've got used to now.

SkirtDude · Post by **SkirtDude** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:39 am

deleted

Departed Member · Post by **Departed Member** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:43 am

r.m.anderson wrote: Only a few serious kilt wearing people
are going to notice the difference of the apron wrap.

I doubt very much that viewpoint would 'hold water' in the UK! About the only place it wouldn't 'matter' is in a mixed netball (or hockey?) team (but that's a uniform item, anyway!).

r.m.anderson · Post by **r.m.anderson** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 1:22 am

Aye Merlin:
You are quite correct. I forgot about the Sherlock Holmes aspect of you
Brits! Very very observant of every detail. LOL!
Maybe I should repost that to be:
Serious kilt wearing people will certainly notice the difference of how
the apron overlaps in opposite direction. In this case what will be
noticed is the hem length and begin to do an inspection of every little
detail of the kilt from that point.
The forum is about the wearing of skirts; kilts and other unbifurcated
garmets. It is the wearer that will be subject to inspection-observation.
The more formal the occasion the more critical the inspection will be
done to pass muster. In a casual setting anything could go and probably
will in the dark corners of a pub/club. My thoughts - Wear whatever you
can get away with unless it brings problems that are hard to reconciliate
and even at that people should just mind their own business!
This does not sound like Mugman is going to a funeral but more so just
a casual wearing of a very comfortable item of clothing.
But merlin is correct - serious kilt wearers do not overlook the details!
Thanks merlin.
r.m.

mugman · Post by **mugman** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 4:53 am

I've no funerals planned at the moment.

(I was looking for an emoticon to drop in there that would have been appropriate, but this forum seems to be extremely short of options compared to others.
A gardening forum I belong to has dozens of them - almost something for every occasion. Maybe it's something to do with the software available for a particular packaged forum setup.
Sorry, I'm grumbling again.)

r.m.anderson · Post by **r.m.anderson** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:20 am

Mugman:
Apology if I made an ill remark!
You no doubt are able to wear a short kilt and probably wear it well.
If you are wearing it casually should be no problem except for the types
who like to nit pick every seam - stitch and thread. But this kilt in
reference will never be such to wear at a formal occasion. But who
said you were going to wear it formally (might be a dumb idea I got).
I meant you no ill will in my threads - hope you enjoy the ease and
comfort of the kilt no matter what alterations you have to make to it.
It is time for us to rise to the occasion as Bravehearts and wear the
clothing of our preference!
r.m.

mugman · Post by **mugman** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:33 pm

It's OK. I took none of your words the wrong way

I'm a bit into experimentation, and whatever comes out of it will either be quite unusable, or handy for the occasion that it might suit. I don't need to alter anything to end up with a formal outfit, as I already have enough of it(but no formal 'do's' to attend anyway).

mugman · Post by **mugman** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:03 am

Recently I obtained a cheap tartan-like wrapover skirt on eBay with a view to changing the side it fastens from F to M. It took about 10 minutes. The inner flap was secured by a small hidden button, and the outer 'apron' by a larger 'fashion' button, on show. All I did was to remove both buttons and sew them back on the reverse side to where they were. So they still link in with their appropriate button holes. The underflap now goes over the front apron, and fastens to the right, the buttons don't show and the skirt has effectively switched from traditional F to traditional M.

Post by **Uncle Al** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:45 am

Mugman,

Sounds like a great skirt and an easy modificaion.

Is it pleated in the back or plain

How about a pic?

Are you still playing the Wurlitzer 4373
in your first pic?

Uncle Al
Duncanville, TX

skirtcafe.org

Changing sides

Changing sides

Yep - Been there done that