Pleat Curl

**MacBean** · 15th December 09, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by Ted Crocker

The steeking holds them in place on the other edge of the pleats. It might be a matter of adjusting the steeking so the pleat is held strait. I don't know if your pleats are cut away above the fell on the inside, though.

Sounds interesting. Can you explain what steeking is, how I find it, and whether this means I should find a taylor, a kilt maker, or a pair of scissors?

**fluter** · 15th December 09, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by MacBean

Sounds interesting. Can you explain what steeking is, how I find it, and whether this means I should find a taylor, a kilt maker, or a pair of scissors?

Actually a steek is just a Gaelic stitch.

In context of a traditional kilt, it is stitching put in place after the extra material is cut out from the top of the pleats, to stabilize them. An "8 yard" kilt has that extra material removed, a short-yardage kilt may or may not. I probably sound like a broken record (remember those?), but The Art of Kiltmaking shows you exactly what it is and how it's done. Even if you don't want to make your own, you'd learn an enormous amount from the book. If you can borrow a copy for a weekend, you'll see what I mean.

Actually the first thing to do would be to ask the kiltmaker. Is this your very handsome casual kilt that we're discussing?

**MacBean** · 15th December 09, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by fluter

Actually the first thing to do would be to ask the kiltmaker. Is this your very handsome casual kilt that we're discussing?

Shucks, flattery will get you everywhere! The kiltmaker has been more than kind and generous, I really don't want to bother them. I really am just trying to learn more about the mysterious kilt, and how to care for them. I think I will get the book though, I'm becoming curious.

Dear Santa...

**St. Amish** · 15th December 09, 10:34 PM

I wouldn't roll a kilt for storage. Any fabric has "memory" and will conform to the shape of what it's stored in.

I used to use safety pins to keep my kilt on a standard wire hanger, but have recently discovered a sturdy hanger from "order of the gael" that is designed just for kilts. It's wooden, with three bars on the bottom, each with two clips. The clip and bar arrangement allows for each apron and the rear to be sturdily kept in place, in a regular suit bag, in the back of my closet.

http://www.orderofthegael.org/kilthanger.htm

**The Wizard of BC** · 15th December 09, 11:17 PM

If I can suggest.....

Here is the tutorial I did on how to hang your kilt.

Please note that the hangers are FREE! There is no need to buy special hangers or anything else.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=28264

Hanging your kilt this way with the waistband fully supported and the pleats hanging straight and parallel will keep some of the pleat curl down.

But the main reason for pleat curl or what we call 'pleat kick' is the way your kilt was made.

For the pleats to hang straight they must first be sewn straight. Each pleat must be absolutely parallel to the one next to it.
This is usually accomplished by the 'Steeking' which is Gaelic for 'to stitch'. This line of stitching is inside the kilt, hidden in the pleats just at the level of the bottom of where the pleats are sewn down. Or at the bottom of the Fell.
To see if your kilt has steeking gently slide your fingers up into the pleats on the inside and see if you encounter a line of stitching just at or below where the liner is sewn in. This is the steeking.

The steeking insures that the pleats remain supported and resists the tendency for the actual weight of the fabric to pull the pleats out of shape.

When the inside crease of the pleats on the inside of the kilt is allowed to droop down the pleats will kick outward on the outside.

To test this hold your kilt so that the apron edge and the first couple of pleats are hanging with the kick. Then on the inside of the kilt grab the inside crease of one of the kicking pleats and gently pull up about 1/4".

Did the pleat pull in and lay down as it should? If it did problem solved.
All you need to do now is take a needle and thread and sew a small 1/4" pucker into the inside crease of the offending pleats.

I did a pictorial of this process a few years ago but can't seem to find it right now. Give me some time tomorrow after I get to the shop and I'll redo the photos.