splayed

[turpin]

I bought a used kilt on ebay recently, surplus from a pipe band. It's a 13-oz Buchanan, old but in good shape, and fits waist and hips quite well. The problem is that the pleats are a bit splayed and so don't hang right. They ripple instead of hang straight. Short of a full rebuild, what are my options to improve the hang and get rid of the splay?

(I'm guessing it will involve a lot of basting and pressing, but...)

[Kilted KT]

hmm...

here is my suggestion..

1. get bottle of 18 yr old Caol Ila
2. Prepare a fine haggis
3. consume items in step 1 and 2
4. Call a kiltmaker here to fix your kilt.

[auld argonian]

Do you think that the reason why its splayed is because of the way that it's sewn or because it's been stretched out somehow? If it's just because it's been stretched out perhaps a careful laying out and basting the pleats followed by cleaning and a careful pressing would "re-form" it. If it's because of the wayit's stitched, I'd figure that it won't lay right until it's been resewn.

Best

AA

[turpin]

I'm pretty sure it was pressed wrong. the stitching looks good in the fell, but the width of the reveal at the bottom of many of the pleats is wider than at the bottom of the fell. So the pleats don't hang straight, but wave in and out.

I like KT's approach. Maybe I'll just wear the d@mn thing as is and apply #1 and 2 above w/o 3,

[turpin]

I'm pretty sure it was pressed wrong. the stitching looks good in the fell, but the width of the reveal at the bottom of many of the pleats is wider than at the bottom of the fell. So the pleats don't hang straight, but wave in and out.

I like KT's approach. Maybe I'll just wear the d@mn thing as is and apply #1 and 2 above w/o 3,

[pdcorlis]

If you lay the kilt out on a table it should be fairly easy to straighten the pleats top to bottom. If they are badly splayed you may have to pin them in place before you baste them down. Once they are basted you can stream press then back into shape. Spray the kilt with water - use a pressing cloth - and be sure to PRESS the pleats down - no back and forth action. It may also be necessary to flip the kilt over and press the inside as well.

If you have a trustworthy drycleaner - they may be able to press the kilt after you get it basted back into shape.

Heck Turpin - anyone that can make such beautiful sporrans should be able to re-press a kilt!

Good Luck!

[MacWage]

If it was improper pressing, a repressing SHOULD fix it. If more, then a rebuild will be needed.

Personally, I'd try the pressing first. Just make sure everything is lined up correctly for the pressing, so as to get rid of the splay.

[way2fractious]

(I'm guessing it will involve a lot of basting and pressing, but...)

I agree with your guess and the other opinions above - baste and press.

The difficulty, however, is getting the pleats to cooperate from their current "wrong" creases. If you have a steamer that can be used on a hanging garment - or a steam iron to use on a garment lying down (without touching the wool) - give the current creases some good shots of steam to relax them. Then the basting becomes much easier.

Nothing monumental here; just take your time and the job will come out right.

Good luck.

w2f

[SoldierSpike]

If you don't have the steamer, or your hands aren't steady enough to not touch the wool, you might try hanging it up in the bathroom while showering.

Marc

[Barb T]

This is almost certainly a pressing issue. If the back hangs in waves, then someone pressed the kilt incorrectly. Someone probably laid the kilt out on an ironing board, let the pleats splay, and pressed away without knowing what they were doing. The pleats have to be pressed the same width from the bottom of the fell to the bottom of the kilt, not splayed. Dry cleaners are notorious for pressing kilts badly (which is why you shouldn't have a dry cleaner press your kilt).

This is actually a tough problem to solve, because it's hard to "re-train" the pleats. You really need to first try to press out all of the pleat creases that are there right now (i.e., take the pleats _out_ of the kilt). Lay the kilt on the ironing board, pull a small section so that it is absolutely flat (no folds), and press both sides with lots of steam, a damp press cloth, and a clapper (a piece of 2x4 is good - it forces the stem into the fibers to relax them).

Once all of the pleats are pressed out, then you really have to baste the pleats in where you want them. Make absolutely certain that the pleats are the same width at the bottom of the kilt as they are at the bottom of the fell, and make sure that the stripes are correct and match what you see at the bottom of the fell (the stitched part of the pleat). Baste at the bottom of the kilt and then along lines not more than 4" apart between the bottom of the fell and the bottom of the kilt. It's not as much work as it sounds, actually.

I hate to say it, but if you skip the basting step, you're just going to wind up with the pleats slipping back to where they were pressed before. So, take the time to baste.

Once the kilt is basted, press both sides with a steam and a damp press cloth. Use the clapper again. Let the kilt dry thoroughly before taking out the basting stitches.

Barb