ironing your kilt

[shane the piper]

I need to iron my kilt because my kilt pleats look kinda messy but i dont want to make a stupid mistake so if you can please give me some direction.

[cessna152towser]

Make sure the iron isn't too hot. Probably best to heat the iron first then switch it off while applying it to the kilt.

[angel923]

dont drag the iron use a pressing method described in other threds or use a steamer to pull the wrinkles out.

[Hamish]

I always press my kilts on the carpeted floor and always take time to arrange the pleats very carefully before I start the operation. 'Press' with the iron, that is: lift the iron up and press it down again, having moved it a little - and do this through a dampened tea towel or similar. Do not 'iron' with a sweeping movement, because you will move the pleats under the towel without realising it, and will probably end up with your pleats in a worse state than when you started!

[turpin]

Well, steve beat me to it, but here goes anyway

Robert Macdonald of West Coast Kilts has a great section on kilt care

"Pressing your kilt

Important Note!
Wool is generally regarded as being very difficult to press.

On the other hand, I taught myself when I was a 15-year-old cadet (I was pressing Battledress, which gives you some idea of how long ago that was) and I never had any problems.

You will only learn how to do it correctly by doing it yourself. Read the following instructions before ironing your kilt. Keep a mirror handy so if you bugger it up you can see who to blame.

If you’ve rolled up your kilt as I suggested, chances are you will rarely if ever need to iron your kilt. If you do need to, say because the pleat – creases are no longer straight or because your preferred method of kilt-storage is in a ball under your bed, then here’s the drill;
For Freehand ironing you need:

* An iron (make sure the pressing surface is clean and that if the iron has been left sitting with water in it that the water hasn’t become rusty) Drain the water out of the iron and never fill it again. The water just absorbs heat that would be more profitably used in pressing your kilt.
* A STURDY surface to iron on – preferably a wooden table. If it’s a good table, cut a piece of corrugated cardboard to lay on it and protect the finish. My second choice would be the floor.
* A wool blanket. If you are or have been in the Army, we both know that you have at least one “‘Blanket, grey woolen, soldiers, for the use of” kicking about the house somewhere.
* A ‘pressing cloth’, which is simply a one-foot by two-foot piece of white cotton flannel, and
* A spray bottle full of clean cold water.

1. Plug in your iron and put it on the ‘wool’ setting.
2. Cover the tabletop with the wool blanket folded in half (making two thicknesses of wool, for the brain-impaired).
3. Lay your kilt on the blanket as you would if you were going to roll it up. Adjust the pleats as required so that everything is in the correct alignment.
4. Spritz water generously on the left-hand pleat. Dip the pressing-cloth in water, wring it out and place it flat on the area to be pressed.
5. The two things to avoid are Dreaded Shine which is caused (I think) by the surface of the wool glazing under the heat or the iron, and Burning the wool. Both of these can be avoided by:
– dampening the wool before ironing, and
– keeping your iron moving
6. Run your iron over the crease. You can push down as hard if you want, but it’s not all that necessary. When the steam ceases to rise it’s time to lift your iron.
7. Re-wet your pressing cloth, spritz the next pleat to the right, and repeat.
8. If you have to correct a crease: spritz the crease well. Hold the iron in your left hand and start ironing from the fell (stitching) to the hem. With your right hand, adjust the pleat so that the desired crease is at the fold of the pleat. Be careful to keep the iron moving as you don’t have the pressing-cloth to protect the wool.
9. After you have finished, leave the kilt out to air until it is THOROUGHLY dry, then roll up and store as before. "

[Nanook]

I need to iron my kilt because my kilt pleats look kinda messy but i dont want to make a stupid mistake so if you can please give me some direction.

In addition to the above advice I'd recommend a Polti or LauraStar ironing system. The systems are based upon a board with intake fan and a iron that is more related to an espresso machine than to common household steam irons.

[Deil the Yin]

"5. The two things to avoid are Dreaded Shine which is caused (I think) by the surface of the wool glazing under the heat or the iron... Both of these can be avoided by:
– dampening the wool before ironing, and
– keeping your iron moving"

Someone instructed me also to always iron my kilt from the inside in order to keep the outside from attaining the "dreaded shine"...

In my experience, having ironed the wrong way several times before being told this, it takes a good bit of ironing a wool kilt to get a serious shine. But I think you'll find that unless you keep your kilt wadded up after it's been in the rain, most wrinkles fall out pretty easy...

[bunchdescendant]

What Steve said!

Ray

[cherokeesix]

Before I get to a point where my kilt will need ironing, let me pose this question... Not having my kilt yet, I would like to know the best way not to damage the pleats while getting in and driving the car. I did see Hamish's video on sweeping the pleats. Is this basically the same idea or are there any other tricks that I should know about?

Thanks
Patrick

[turpin]

Pleat sweep doesn't work well for getting in a car. I've had good luck sort of brushing them forward with the back of my right hand as I sit down, the do a little rearranging of them under me before taking off. Honestly, getting into a car is so far the worst part of kilt wearing. However, once everything is smoothly in order, it's so much more comfy than driving in pants.