basting pleats

[Mipi]

I know I could ask Barbara directly, but my question could be interesting for broader audience. While I was staring to bast the pleats down I noticed something. It's rather easy to keep right pleat width and neat look for the part of pleat which is visible, but the inner part is trying to "run away" somehow while stitching.

In the Kilt Bible, it's suggested that you start basting with first pleat. This is no problem when you're stitching hem line because you can hold down all pleats easily. For other positions this becomes tricky; you're influencing the position of the third pleat (or even more) when you are stitching through the first pleat.

So instead what was suggested in the book, I tried the other way; from last pleat toward the first one. It seems to have more control over pleat position this way.


What do you "masters" think on this? Will I bounce into some trouble?

Thanks for any comments!

[Pleater]

I am by no means an expert - I have done basting only a few times, but I concentrate only on the visible fold and the one layer of fabric beneath it, and sew those three layers of fabric only - then when I come to press the pleat I can slide a board under the three layers - so there are no waves generated by the pleats underneath, lay the damp pressing cloth and smooth the outside of the kilt, then for the inside I lay it on the ironing board, waistband at the narrow end - in fact over the narrow end so as to concentrate on the lower part, and after ensuring that there are no creases on the visible side I press the inside of each pleat separately, smoothing it down onto the pressing board and then pressing with a damp cloth.

Having multiple layers of cloth to press is not easy or efficient, and you could be pressing a crease in rather than out.

I press the shaped part of the pleats using the narrow end of the ironing board so as to get it to lay flat in small sections, and so press it bit by bit.

Trying to press a non basted kilt is impossible on an ironing board as the weight of it just pulls the pleats open.

Once I have the pleats pressed in, the kilt can even be washed without losing the definition of the folds. I use a hair straightener, two small smooth ceramic tiles in heated tongs which can be run along the folds to restore them as the kilt is hanging. I iron the aprons and along the top of the pleats near the waistband on the inside under a damp cloth, and any small irregularities or curls that have developed.

If I was going to be packing a kilt away for some time I would perhaps baste the back of the pleats as well as the front, but in two separate operations so as to be sure to get everything perfectly aligned.

Anne the Pleater

[Barb T]

I'm not sure that I understand the trouble you're having, exactly. When you're basting pleats, you should only baste two pleats together at any one time. You shouldn't be basting all the way through all thickness, just pleat #2 to pleat #1, then pleat #3 to pleat #2, and so on across the kilt. If you're trying to baste through all thickness of previously basted pleats, then I can see why you might have trouble. But you shouldn't be doing that.

[Mipi]

Thanks!

Now I see what I'm doing wrong; I'm basting through all pleat layers. Doing this, I won't be able to iron pleats properlly.

But nothing has been done that can't be corrected, luckily.

Good to have this forum.

[Barb T]

But nothing has been done that can't be corrected, luckily.

So true! With the exception of cutting out the pleats, anything can be taken out and re-done.