Help Pressing a Utilikilt

[Riverkilt]

Whatever Big Box store you have. Out here in the toolies we have a Super WalMarche'...folks in Smogville probably have a choice.

Sorry, no pics. Looked, but the one I had apparently died with the IMFF gallery. But its simple. Just hang the kilt out lengthwise on three (or four if you wanna) hangers...straighten the pleats, and clip something with a bit of weight (not too much) to the bottom of each pleat to "shape" the pleat while it dries.

If you had the money and could find them you could buy the weighted clips sold to hold table cloths down on picnic tables. Even clothes pins would work if you taped some weight to them.

A couple years ago someone said that the clips were too much bother for them and took too long. I timed myself and it took about three minutes working at a leisurely pace to attach the clips to the Utilikilt. That's less time than it takes the iron to heat up. Takes about a minute to unclip them.

And Rocky, it works for USA Kilts too. Just washed my Gunn Modern Semi-trad and weighted the pleats while it dried. Great way to keep the pleat lines in.

Ron

[RockyR]

One thing to note about Ron's sugestion (it is a good one and apparently works if Ron keeps doing it)... The weight you should put on each pleat is probably no more than an ounce. DON'T hang a 2 1/2 lb weight from each pleat of a cotton kilt (or a PV one for that matter) as it would probably stretch the material TOO much and you'll end up with "droopy pleats".

[Riverkilt]

Aye!

I just add an ounce of weight - two half ounce fishing weights - to the featherweight plastic clips.

AND - take them off as soon as the kilt is dry.

Ron

[sathor]

Ron,
Which "big box store" are you refering too? Do you have pics?

perhaps these are what he means... (I just shot these pics, shrunk em, compressed the crud out of em... etc)

[Riverkilt]

That's them. Thanks. Add 1/2 ounce fishing weights to each wing and you're set.

Ron

[sathor]

That's them. Thanks. Add 1/2 ounce fishing weights to each wing and you're set.

Ron

I've been using them since last spring for hanging stuff after I 'rebuilt my closet' and stopped using my dresser very much.

Of course, they come in bags of 12, and if you use them with the 3 hanger method of hanging up a kilt, you use half a bag just on that... but they are relatively cheap.

[Chefdave]

I use a modified version of Riverkilt's method and it works great. No wrinkles and no curling with minimal effort.

Binder clips + fishing weights (no Duct tape required)

[Riverkilt]

Ingenious!!!

Is this a great board or what!!??

Point is...you CAN dry your washable kilts so that they don't need ironing after and there's no pleat curl.

Yeah, it may seem kinda weird, but it works, and its fast, and easy, and inexpensive.

Ron

[Abax]

The curl is happening because the extra thickness of the pleat sewn together at the edge is trying to shrink more than the single-thickness material that forms the bulk of the pleat. I don't wear my Mocker much anymore (and don't care if my Workman curls), but when I did, here's how I minimized the pleat curl.

After ironing my Utilikilt on a board, I hang it up using clips attached to the waistband. Then I steam the pleats one at a time, and while the pleat is still hot, I grab the waistband in one hand and the bottom of the pleat in the other. I pull down to stretch the pleat edge and - at the same time - curl the pleat slightly inwards. I hold the pleat for about 15 seconds until it cools. This stretches the sewn-down part of the pleat back to the same length as the rest of the pleat and takes any residual tendency to curl and pushes it flat against the kilt.

This takes about 4 minutes for the whole kilt.

Abax