Sporran causing pilling on front apron

[Kilted Starfleet Captain]

Greetings All!

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through the forums and have come to respect the advice and opinions I have seen. I have an issue with pilling on the front apron of my kilt. I purchased this particular kilt at a Ren faire on an impulse buy. After much research, I still haven't been able to tell the material it is made from. Lesson Learned.

I also purchased my sporran at the same vendor. The first thing I did after browsing this forum was to replace the cheap chain with a sporran belt.

I first noticed the pilling today. I removed my kilt and really looked. I was unfortunately disappointed to discover the extent. A lot of the front apron has pilling. I looked at my sporran and sure enough, the stitching all along the edges is hard nylon type thread that is very rough.

After searching the forums, I've found one reference to using a disposable razor to shave the apron. I've also found a reference to using a cloth shaver.

My question is thus:

Does anyone have experience using these methods or is there another way to remove the pilling? Additionally, I have ZERO experience shaving fabric. Any hints or tips?

Thanks all for the advice in advance!!

[GrainReaper]

Sounds like acrylic, Acrylic likes to pill up over time/wear... I'd recommend a clothing shaver, all I have are straight razors and that may prove bad for shaving a kilt, if I tried my wife's razor I'd likely get a verbal reprimand,I do however have a clothes shaver that I used on an acrylic kilt I got for a song, but it was pilled pretty good when I got it, I got my shaver from "five below" and though a cheapie shaver it worked for me...

[Richrail]

I have had the same thing with the acrylic kilts/budget kilts just the nature of the beast. I have not had any pilling on my wool or PV kilts from USAkilts. You can lightly stroke the razor over the pilled area to remove the pilling but just remember it is removing material so you won't be able to do it to often. And do not try to do it over the seat or back of the kilt because you may shave the stitching holding the pleats.

[WillowEstate]

I had light pilling on a budget kilt but fortunately spotted it before it became excessive. You might try one of those battery operated "de-fuzzing" devices to get rid of it, I think they operate fairly gently,, though I've never used one.

But do check the back of your sporran, not just for the stitching. It was the culprit in my case, from the edge of the sporran, which was straight cut from what Artificer identified for me as "split leather", which is a hard stiff leather. I was able to smooth the edge off into a rounded profile which has eliminated that cause.

The second cause was the maker's mark that had been heat stamped into the black lacquer that covered the back of the sporran, leaving a very rough edge. Again, careful smoothing of the stamp cured the problem but both were a slow process!

Not sure what you can do about the stitching - I supose worst case you'll need to replace it with a softer cotton based thread - at least you have the holes to stitch through.

[GrainReaper]

I had light pilling on a budget kilt but fortunately spotted it before it became excessive. You might try one of those battery operated "de-fuzzing" devices to get rid of it, I think they operate fairly gently,, though I've never used one.

But do check the back of your sporran, not just for the stitching. It was the culprit in my case, from the edge of the sporran, which was straight cut from what Artificer identified for me as "split leather", which is a hard stiff leather. I was able to smooth the edge off into a rounded profile which has eliminated that cause.

The second cause was the maker's mark that had been heat stamped into the black lacquer that covered the back of the sporran, leaving a very rough edge. Again, careful smoothing of the stamp cured the problem but both were a slow process!

Not sure what you can do about the stitching - I supose worst case you'll need to replace it with a softer cotton based thread - at least you have the holes to stitch through.

As far as the stitching goes, the holes are already there, hit your local Tandy leather and pick up some waxed cotton thread and a pack of needles and redo those seams properly, also burnish down any sharp leather edges.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Waxed cotton thread is no less abrasive than polyester or nylon thread and not worth the great amount of trouble to replace. Likewise, split leather has nothing to do with how abrasive it is. It's more a matter of what finish was put on it and how well the edges are finished. The same leather tanning method and finish would be equally abrasive with full-grain leather. You can go over any protruding stitching with a hammer if you can reach it and flatten the stitches out a bit and rub down sharply-cut edges with an edge slicker (or probably just a piece of wood - wet the edge slightly and rub it down).

The real problem though is the acrylic fabric. It pills, especially when rubbed against anything, and you aren't going to change that. About all you can do is shave fuzz where possible and change to a better fabric on your next kilt.

[Mikilt]

I had acrylic kilts once and I had the same experience with the fabric pilling. I went the fuzz shaver route for a while, but even that ceased to be effective.

[Kilted Starfleet Captain]

Thanks to everyone for the info. This is a valuable learning experience when it comes time for my next kilt!