How long will a Poly-Viscose kilt last?

[sadkingbilly]

I was wondering.. Are all PV kilts typically hemmed on the underside? Since with most wool tartans the underside will not need a hem it might swing better and look nicer too.

Oh, and one other thing; when ironing a kilt (after transport, heavy wrinkles) after ironing the apron and underapron as usual (just put on a moist tea towel and iron carefully) how do I start on the pleats? Should I iron from the inside out, should I start from the bottom one (when the kilt is wide open in front of me), should I only iron the visible part of the pleats or the inside too.. Wearing it tuesday on an outing to Ponypark Slagharen with my daughter and want to, of course, look my best.

[Downunder Kilt]

In answer to the first part of your question, no. Some PV has a selvedge, some does not. It's not a bad thing to have a hem on a PV kilt as the heavier hem tends to make the pleats swing better on the 11/12oz fabric.

[David Thorpe]

To answer the other question, the most foolproof method for pressing pleats is to baste them before pressing. However, PV kilts very seldom require pressing, even after coming out of the washing machine.

[sadkingbilly]

Basting - I learned a new word today

Problem is that quite a lot of the plaits are more-or-less pressed on the outside of the kilt but on the inside they look like something went wrong during pressing - lots of wrinkles and several false folds (sorry, don't know what they are called). Like partly-pressed plaits that shifted during pressing and got pressed at a different point again. When the kilt is flat on the bed you don't notice but while wearing the first plait on the left side gapes (repressing it about 9-11mm further back might stopt this; I'll baste the plait and try.

Same thing on the last forward- and the backward plait right under the front apron. They both gape open.
The rest of the kilt I repressed and looks decent when worn. I'll try and post some pictures later.

[tundramanq]

I don't baste - ( haven't figured out how to use the turkey baster for kilts ).
I lay the whole kilt out on the pressing table, cover the lower half with a sheet and steam press. No problems. I think the kilt action is better without the underpleats being set as hard as the top ones. You can use any table that will handle the heat and steam with a thick towel as padding on it and a sheet over the top. But the slick and fixed ironing table cover is a lot easier to work with. The wrinkles are easy to cure if you lay it out carefully on a slicker surface and run your finger down the under pleat as you lay it out ( basting gets in the way here). As to the bucking and gaping pleats, I adjust the underpleat(s) to correct this in wearing. Here its usually just the first pleat or two on each side of the apron. It resulting odd spacing doesn't show very much here but a standing pleat does. With a brand new kilt I iron out the offending underpleat crease and move it to where it works and reset it softly. I use the polyester/rayon (viscose) setting on the iron - it is lower than the steam settings but I still get plenty of steam. Trying on the kilt after each adjustment. Once all is happy I relay the kilt out and with the cover sheet and steam iron I hard set all the pleats. On my USAK PVs these become the permanent pleats. I machine wash and hang dry with wooden clothespins on the outer pleat point pinning them to the next pleat with the under pleat laying flat where it needs to go. So far this is the only time my Rocky casual kilts have seen the table or the iron and they get a lot of wash and wear action.

Two more items - Heat and humidity sets and unsets the pleat edges - never press a kilt that isn't fully layed out where it can fully cool and dry after pressing. The other item is don't expect razor sharp edges on thick fabrics PV or wool - the best "waggle action" comes with heavyer fabrics and more pleats.

[Mike_Oettle]

The oddities of the English language have tripped you up again, Sadkingbilly.
As tundramanq has indicated, we are talking about pleats (pronounced pleets) and wrinkles.
A plait (pronounced platt) is a vlegsel.
Don’t feel bad about it, though.
Regards,
Mike

[tundramanq]

Never feel bad about it Billy - 16 years of english classes here, my native tongue for 59 years and I still mess it up.

[sadkingbilly]

Now I see what I did wrong never even noticed before. Luckily you knew what I intended to say.
Oh well, when all of you can pronounce "Scheveningen" correctly I'll promise never to make a mistake in english again

Naw, just kidding. You are right of course Mike (and you are most likely to get it right in one go too since you are an Afrikaner) if any of you want to give it a go, the CH in Scheveningen should be pronounced like the CH in "Loch Ness", really throaty. That's how we used to find Germans hiding between the population right after we were liberated in 1945 - it's impossible for them too!

[Mike_Oettle]

As a South African fluent in Afrikaans and with a moderate knowledge of Dutch, I might just pass your test – but I am never quite sure of the vagaries of Nederlands dialects!
For the record, it does embarrass me when Boere mangle Dutch quotations – they have no idea how different their language is from that of the mother country. And they do much the same when attempting English.
Regards,
Mike

[Black Watch]

"That's how we used to find Germans hiding between the population"
A reason for me to wear the kilt when I'm on vacation in the Netherlands
Sadkingbilly, we should meet next time when I'm on the boerencamping near Raalte to check my "Scheveningen" - I'll pay for the drink .

Mike