Front apron left pleat not laying flat

**Kiltmakers Laird** · 23rd February 20, 04:48 AM

Originally Posted by tylerkinkade

The left pleat of my brand new Balmoral traditional 8-yard Scotweb/Clan.com 13 oz wool kilt's front apron does not lay flat (i.e., it sticks out):

leftpleat.jpg
leftpleat2.jpg

Robert MacDonald talks about this issue at 2:16 of his video and explains why he always waits to iron this pleat until he has the customer try it on for the first time (which obviously wasn't possible in my case):
https://youtu.be/Ivv8hwr0TZE?t=136

Is it possible to fix this by resetting the pleat with a steam iron? How would I go about doing that? Do I need to remove the original pleat first? If so, how?

It could be that the measurements are a bit off but by the looks of the photo its a kicking pleat, it means the kiltmaker has not put the fold of the first pleat high enough into the waistband. There's a simple fix if you want pm me.

Nikki

**Dreaghann** · 23rd February 20, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by Kiltmakers Laird

It could be that the measurements are a bit off but by the looks of the photo its a kicking pleat, it means the kiltmaker has not put the fold of the first pleat high enough into the waistband. There's a simple fix if you want pm me.
Nikki

I'd love to hear your idea, and I'm sure others reading this thread would as well.

**Kiltmakers Laird** · 26th February 20, 02:46 AM

Originally Posted by tylerkinkade

I'd love to hear your idea, and I'm sure others reading this thread would as well.

I will post up pics soon, I have been away from my workroom and have a few kilts on the go at the mo.

Nikki

**AbernethyCameron** · 26th February 20, 08:29 AM

I had the same issue (left edge front apron protruding) on a kilt i received a couple of months ago which looks exactly the same issue as in these pictures - this thread was the prompt for me to fix it. I just unstitched the little fold inside the pleat which stops it hanging down, repressed the apron edge and restitched the fold a little further along (Barbara's solution number one). This took me 10 minutes and only involved literally half an inch extra on the apron to sort it - no drama! And it now sits perfectly

**Barb T** · 26th February 20, 08:42 AM

Marvy!!!! Go you!

**Dreaghann** · 3rd March 20, 03:25 PM

Readers of this thread might be interested to hear that the vendor says this kilt hangs exactly as intended when worn loosely at the hips (not immediately below the ribs as advised in this thread). Their response is summarized in this thread.

Lest there be any misunderstanding, I agree with the advice given in the present thread, not the vendor's.

**Barb T** · 4th March 20, 10:02 AM

It's hard to know what they mean by "shouldn't be worn as high as the ribs". As Steve pointed out, the bottom of the rib cage on a person's side is lower than the rib cage in the front. So there isn't a "height" for the ribs that can be used to judge where a kilt can be worn. In my case, the rise of my kilt DOES cover part of my ribs. That's why the rise needs flare.

I can say emphatically that a kiltmaker who is making a proper trad kilt is not intending it to just be be worn "wherever it's comfortable". If it's properly constructed, the kiltmaker has shaped it so that it will fit right if the buckles are at the true waist and the rise is above that.

**AndrewSinclairYoung** · 25th February 20, 07:14 PM

Sorry if someone has already said this but one of the lesser known reasons for wearing a kilt pin is to add some weight to that corner and stop any lifting of the apron.

I bet this would fix your problem entirely.

**Barb T** · 25th February 20, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by AndrewSinclairYoung

Sorry if someone has already said this but one of the lesser known reasons for wearing a kilt pin is to add some weight to that corner and stop any lifting of the apron.

I bet this would fix your problem entirely.

It's not the free edge that's the problem - it's the other side of the apron from where you would put a kilt pin.

**Steve Ashton** · 25th February 20, 10:37 PM

And Andrew, I'm sorry but that thing about a kilt pin designed to hold the kilt down is one of those enduring myths. The kilt pin is nothing more that the equivalent of a lady wearing a brooch. That little glint of bling to the outfit.

A heavy pin can distort the way an apron hangs just as much.

A well fitted kilt should never need a pin and a poor kilt, well, not even a pin will help, as you can see it the photos.

But as Barb says it is not the right side of the kilt that is the primary problem. It is the left side.