Ironing and Pressing a Buzz Kidder

[Bugbear]

Today I went through the epic adventure of ironing and pressing my Buzz Kidder canvas kilt. Not sure exactly what fabric it is made from but the web site says it is a "10-oz. Army duck canvas kilt," what ever that is... It does get wrinkled when it is washed. Laying it out on a clothes drying rack and arranging the pleats helps with the major wrinkles, but it needs to be pressed with lots and lots of steam. If I werent used to dealing with cotton dress shirts, I can see how it would seem quite the ordeal.

Here's what I figured out a while back. The inside and outside of the pleats are sewn in from top to bottom. When it is wrinkled from being washed, the edge of the pleat on the inside of the kilt tends to curl to one side or the other such that it isn't the edge of the pleat anymore. If you line up all the outside edges of the pleats in a way that looks correct, then press the kilt, you end up making new edges of the inside parts of the pleats. This makes the outside edges curl a little when you put it on.

It is not possible to press the Buzz Kidder as you would press a regular kilt. The only way to resolve the problem is to start at the reverse pleat next to the underapron; straighten and lay flat the whole pleat from inside and outside edges; then, with a wet press cloth and as much steam as possible, press one pleat at a time on it's own. That means feeling up under the kilt on the sewn in edge of the inside of the pleat and making sure that inside edge is lined up correctly. Possibly even holding it down while lining up the outside edge. The pleat that you will be pressing next is folded back out of the way.

After you press that pleat, you have to do the same for the next pleat and so on from the underapron side to the apron side. It doesn't seem to be possible to line up the pleats working in the other direction. There tends to be a few wrinkles here and there that are stubborn, and sliding the iron across the press cloth once or twice seems to help get those worked out a bit in addition to the pressing.

Hope that gives some ideas to anyone who has been having problems with pressing a Buzz Kidder. Guess it is a bit of work, , but that's cotton for you, and I kind of enjoy the task. At least I don't have to worry about it melting when standing next to the pit fires and raku kilns.

[Mael Coluim]

Thanks, Ted for sharing your technique. My BK suffered a lot of abuse this weekend at the Williamsburg Scottish Festival. It needs to be cleaned. So thanks for the heads up on what you found works in pressing it.

[Bugbear]

No problem, Mael Coluim.
You just have to make sure that inside edge of the pleat is laying flat and the way it is supposed to be from the fell to the bottom before you press it or you will create a new inside crease next to the sewn in one. It's a lot easier to make sure the inside edge is sitting right if you only do one pleat at a time. I think you'll see what I mean.

I also start pressing at the bottom edge of the pleat, then work up toward the top. As well as, check up under there after pressing to make sure that inside edge was done correctly before moving to the next pleat.

It can take a while.

[Mipi]

Now I know why I'm getting extra crease next to sewn one.

Good trick, THX for teaching us...

[Spc. Scott]

Thanks for the tip Ted!
I found that the same technique seems to work much better on my Amerikilt as well. The whole process was a lot easier.

[Riverkilt]

Boy guys, All the BK kilts I've seen on display at vendor booths seem to be wrinkled too. If the folks that sell them can't spruce them up for display its gotta be a chore to iron them. Have you thought of using glue and heavy rocks?

I had success with my cotton Utilikilts. After wash would hang the kilt on the shower rod from three in-line hangars. Then after pulling the pleats into shape by hand would hang a weighted clip from each pleat.

Made the clips by duct taping two half ounce fishing weights to each clip. You can buy bulk clips in big box stores or even use clothes pins.

What I liked was that the technique used the property of cotton that has it hold the shape it drys in. The weights pull the pleats straight while the fabric dries. When dry, the kilt and pleats don't need any ironing.

Ron

[Pleater]

I use a board - it is the stiffening from inside a bolt of material - to press individual pleats - it enables the pleat to be laid out flat even if it would normally fall over the edge of the ironing surface.

Another advantage is that it keeps the pleat separate from the rest, so it does not pick up the shape of a fold or wrinkle from material beneath it.

Anne the Pleater

[Bugbear]

Boy guys, All the BK kilts I've seen on display at vendor booths seem to be wrinkled too. If the folks that sell them can't spruce them up for display its gotta be a chore to iron them. Have you thought of using glue and heavy rocks?

I had success with my cotton Utilikilts. After wash would hang the kilt on the shower rod from three in-line hangars. Then after pulling the pleats into shape by hand would hang a weighted clip from each pleat.

Made the clips by duct taping two half ounce fishing weights to each clip. You can buy bulk clips in big box stores or even use clothes pins.

What I liked was that the technique used the property of cotton that has it hold the shape it drys in. The weights pull the pleats straight while the fabric dries. When dry, the kilt and pleats don't need any ironing.

Ron

Ya, I don't know why they would have the wrinkled kilts on display at the Buzz Kidder booths; they don't come that way when you buy them. Sounds like poor salesmenship...

I don't have the weights and clips to try that, but I think it would work just fine. Although, I think you would have to hang the kilt in a zig-zag way because of the taper at the top.

I have let the kilt dry part way then pressed it dry with a dry press cloth and not as much steam. That works well, but if it's already dry...

Like I said, I lay it out across my table-like clothes drying rack and arrange all the pleats to dry mine. The top of the kilt has to hang over the edge because of the taper, though.

I didn't get this kilt because I expected it to be easy to press, though. It does happen to be the same color as most of the clay I work with...

[Bugbear]

I use a board - it is the stiffening from inside a bolt of material - to press individual pleats - it enables the pleat to be laid out flat even if it would normally fall over the edge of the ironing surface.

Another advantage is that it keeps the pleat separate from the rest, so it does not pick up the shape of a fold or wrinkle from material beneath it.

Anne the Pleater

I'll have to look into that, thanks Pleater.

[Bugbear]

I guess I should also put it here that I do not use a regular ironing board to press any of my kilts: that would probably break the ironing board.

Instead, I have a large ironing mat that you might use on a table top when traviling. I put that on a kitchen cart with a stainless steel top. The cart is sturdy enough that I can stand on it without breaking it. On the sides of the cart are wings that fold up and lock in place making the surface twice as wide; the wings are wood. From back to front, the cart is just wide enough to lay out a kilt from the fell to the bottom of the kilt with the fell to the top hanging over the back of the cart. It has to do that anyway because of the taper.

The middle of the cart that has the metal surface is wide enough to hold the pleated part of the kilt, but I can also slide the mat around to change the placement of the kilt. The cart also has wheels and I can turn and move the whole thing if I need to. All of that makes it a lot easier to work on the kilts.