Pleat maintenance

[Knoxy10]

What’s the best way to keep the pleat on your kilt? All but one are fine on my kilt but one is losing its integrity. Would a gentle steaming help or is there something else I need to do?

[Father Bill]

To start with, what material is your kilt made of?

[Taskr]

While waiting for Knoxy -

A wool kilt requires basting to ensure the pleats remain aligned. Is there any argument against pressing individually those one or two pleats that need to be a bit sharper?

[Knoxy10]

To start with, what material is your kilt made of?

It’s a sport kilt, poly-acrylic. I’m saving for a wool one though.

[Knoxy10]

While waiting for Knoxy -

A wool kilt requires basting to ensure the pleats remain aligned. Is there any argument against pressing individually those one or two pleats that need to be a bit sharper?

That’s interesting! I will make sure to remember that when I get my wool one! I’m sorry for the late reply. I was resting.

[Father Bill]

So...

A lady opened up her refrigerator and there was a wabbit sitting in it. She asked "What awe you doing in my wefwidewatow?" (Decode that one!)

The wabbit answered, "I'm westing."

"What do you mean, you'we westing?" asked the lady

...and the wabbit answered, quite astonished, "Isn't this a Westinghouse?"


And to the point: you'll find that materials other than wool do not keep their pleats as well, but there are solutions, with which, I'm sure, other members will pop up shortly.

Bill+

[CollinMacD]

I remember my Grandfather ironing his pleats on his kilt, and he used a wet cotton muslin cloth, placed it over the wool kilt and ironed on top of the damp cloth. Wet the cloth again went to next section. I do know this if you were in the Coast Guard or Navy, when ironing the OLD wool uniforms you would turn them inside out, and use the wet cloth method to press. Iron was on wool setting. Still have my CG Uniform, can still wear it after 45 years. No wear no tear uniform in perfect condition.

So all that said, I bought a home steamer and I use wet steam to take out wrinkles and creases, so it seems this works fine, but I am anxious to hear about freshening the creases too. I think the wet cloth and iron would work fine, Grandfather always looked sharp.

[Manu]

What I have done in the past for small pleat maintenance on my 16oz wool kilt is wrap a slightly damp wash cloth around my wife's hair straightening iron, the thinner ones with 1 inch wide arms, and set it to low heat. I pull down on the pleat from the bottom corner of the pleat to keep it straight and clamp on each pleat carefully and run it down. It has worked for me pretty well!

[Liam]

I have a hand steamer which does a great job of getting wrinkles out of pleats. I have also laid my kilt on the floor of hotel rooms and used the steam iron to remove the wrinkles. Do it from the inside first.

[Clarke]

I lay my poly viscous and wool kilts out and let them rest first by laying it flat airing it out in the inside. Then I lay it out on the apron side and let it rest with a book to get it into shape.