New Kilt Owner Advice

[Tobus]

Yep, definitely let it "air out" after wearing it. Don't put it away if it's moist around the waistband area. I usually just lay mine out on a table or bed for a while. You may also want to lightly brush it before putting it away, to remove any dust, crumbs, hair, etc., that may have gotten on it. Use a soft-bristled brush (preferably one that's made for brushing wool).

Make sure you store it properly. I avoid rolling it up, since that can often lead to curly pleats when it stays like that for a long time. I hang mine from a good skirt hanger, with extra clamps added so that the weight is evenly distributed across the top of the kilt. It gets put inside a cloth garment bag to keep out the moths, and I keep cedar balls in there with it.

If your pleats get wrinkled and the wrinkles don't "fall out" on their own, just hang it in the bathroom while you take a long, hot shower that steams up the bathroom. The steam will help the pleats straighten out.

When attaching a kilt pin, be careful to work the pin through the weave of the cloth instead of just jamming it in there, which might cut the yarns in the tartan. Some folks leave the kilt pin permanently on the kilt. But if you do remove the kilt pin, take the cloth between your fingers and 'massage' it gently back and forth so that you're flexing the weave, and the hole will close up on its own.

The most important thing about maintaining a kilt is to do the right things when wearing it. Sweep your pleats before sitting, for example, to avoid wrinkled and unsightly pleats. Be careful when negotiating tight spaces so you don't catch your kilt pin on something. Avoid wearing sporran chains that can fray the tartan cloth. And of course, don't wear your good kilt when you're planning on mud-wrestling.

[Kerdy]

Thank you, all, for the great advice!

[pbutts]

As another newb, searching for similar advice, I've found the advice on how to hang your kilt helpful, too.

Here's advice from New House Kilts -- http://www.newhousehighland.com/care.html

and here's another thread on hanging --http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f139/how-hang-your-kilt-28264/

Now my question is this-- how paranoid should a kilt owner be about moths?

[Tobus]

Now my question is this-- how paranoid should a kilt owner be about moths?

I wouldn't call it "paranoid", but you should be taking active steps to keep them away from your kilt. They will attack it, and you won't even know they're doing it until it's too late. There have been horror stories posted here by members who found their kilts ruined by moths, and I've had the same thing happen with some wool ties and scarves. It doesn't matter where you live, or if you've ever had moth problems before. Take the proper precautions.

[JohntheBiker]

If you absolutely have to get a kilt drycleaned (it happens), I take mine to a kilt maker who will baste the pleats before sending it off to a cleaner that he regularly uses. I've had no problems. Proper drying and hanging with occasional spot cleaning will do the trick most of the time.

[mookien]

... Now my question is this-- how paranoid should a kilt owner be about moths?

I have all my woolen goods in a room that I keep cooler and brighter than the rest of the house. All the woolen accoutrements are stored in cedar lined drawers and chest. Occasionally (a couple times a year) I use a sanding sponge on the cedar to rejuvenate it (unclogs the pores in the wood, as I understand it).

I intermix and surround everything with sachets of potpourri and packets of Moth Away, both of which can be obtained at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Finally, I check for moths and signs of moths almost every day. So far, so good.

I, too, have stored (hung) my kilts in an outside unheated closet for a couple of days/nights of below freezing weather. I can't tell whether it did any good or not, but it didn't seem to hurt. I haven't used a deep freezer, yet, but might do so, if I felt it was necessary.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but you know the old saying, "Moths even lay eggs in paranoid people's wool."

[Pleater]

I was sent a load of yarn in which there were variegated carpet beetles, and they have spread throughout the house. They ruined a load of cones of cashmere - apparently they go for the good stuff first, and have bored holes into various cones of good wool over the years, eaten the pile off the carpets, spoilt all sorts of garments. They are worse than moths. They can even eat through lightweight plastic to reach their goal.

The adults look like a dark ladybird/bug with four pale dots in the middle of the back, and the larvae are called woolly bears, pale with dark stripes - it is the larvae which do the damage as they eat the fibres and grow, shedding their skins as they get too large for them. Although I do not like to kill things, I make an exception for these little horrors.

So far I have managed to protect my tartans from these, but it is a never ending battle to ensure they don't spoil any more garments.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[mookien]

Anne: That's terrible! I hope it's too dry and cold here for variegated carpet beetles. And, I hope that ladybugs don't have the same bad habits. We have lots of those around, ... and my wife likes them!

John

[Pleater]

The ladybird/bug is entirely harmless to clothing and they and their rather astonishing younglings eat great numbers of greenfly and bring joy to all gardeners.

They can bite, or perhaps pinch people - but I have never been bitten, at least not yet.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[mookien]

My wife probably knows that. She is a gardener - both vegetable and flower. I love to eat the veges from her garden, so I contribute, too.