"wandering" pleats

[furrycelt]

I have a dumb question(s). I don't understand steamers. What's the point? What do they do exactly? How do you use them? When do you use them? Why do you use them?

Ironing I totally get. I do all the ironing in my house thanks to having warn a military uniform in the past. I understand that the steam of the iron "softens" things up and the flat face of the iron allows you to press the cloth into your desired shape. So far I have never had to iron any of my kilts; but up until now, I had always assumed that should that time come, I would confidently whip out the iron and erect the ironing board and go to town. (wow, that was way too Freudian )

Anyway... Jimmy Carbomb, mentioned the oven-mit idea. Makes sense. But I guess I am just being air-headed. I don't fully get it. You have the kilt hanging in the air floating free not against any hard surface, you have to manipulate the pleats with your hands (oven-mitted), and hold the steamer head thingy... which leads me to: does that steamer head thingy "point" at the cloth and steam it, or do you "press" it into the cloth? I don't have enough hands I am guessing. All I keep picturing is one of those grizzly yet strangely hilarious crime-scene photos. "Detective? Do you think the cause of death was steam burns, suffocation, or strangulation?" ... "We'll have to let the M.E. decide. Poor bastard. Clearly this was a cry for help."

Pardon my ignorance.
-ian

[Jimmy Carbomb]

All right Furry... you psychotic!

When you iron the material, what's happening to the individual threads in the weave? They're being SMASHED. Sure that's going to keep them in place for a while... but they're still going to relax and expand through wear and time.

If you steam press the material, it essentially makes the fibres relax into the place where you "lead" them to go. You let gravity and relaxed fibres do the pressing for you! By steaming, you're not beating the pleats into place... but rather coaxing them to behave. It makes for MUCH less wear on the material.

The mitt will only help the really goofy pleats back into place. Certain materials don't respond to steam very well. Acryllics and wools are quite receptive to it and can actually be worked into WONDERFUL shapes. If the hips need to be increased a little due to Thanksgiving over-do's... you can actually "train" the material to expand. Try that with an iron!