Pleat hang problem with Stillwater Irish Saffron

[NewKilt]

I have a Stillwater Irish Saffron wool kilt that looks less than wonderful from the sides and the back. There seems to be an area just to the back of the left and right hip where the kilts seem to "cave in" rather than allowing the kilt to have a full rounded appearance. Some pleats actually lay on top of other pleats.

I've noticed that the exposed part of many of the pleats vary considerably in width. Also most of the pleats increase in width as you travel downward from were the pleats are sewn down to the fell. I think this may be what is causing the problem. I'm going to try changing the pleat depth with a steam iron so that the width of the exposed portion of the pleats is about the same width as the section wear the pleats are sewn down.

Has anyone else encountered this on their Stillwater Irish Saffron?

Darrell

[Pleater]

It does read as though the kilt has been pressed in line with the supression rather than straight down below the fell. This increases the circumference with nothing to suport it, hence the caving in.

You will probably need to pin or tack (baste) the pleats in their correct places rather than just iron - you will need to have the pleats in place and then put a damp cloth over them or the wool will be polished by the action of the iron moving over it. It helps to have a high stool or chair back placed to hold the weight of the kilt overhanging on an ironing board - with a large kilt you might need something on both sides.

If the creases are very well pressed in it might be easier to iron the kilt on the inside to remove the original creases and then refold and press the pleats correctly.

[Scott Gilmore]

I have a Stillwater heavyweight solid green, probably not unlike your saffron.

In the areas you mention, it doesn't hang altogether perfectly either, but mine isn't as bad as what you describe. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining; it was a good value all things considered. Beides, once moving, the less-than-perfect pleat splay in those areas are no longer noticable.

In all fairness, part of the problem in my case may be because I hang my kilts rather than roll than in a drawer (I live in a tiny apartment - no room for more drawers). My hand-sewn kilts don't have this problem, but then they cost many times what the Stillwater kilt did, so again, I have no complaints.

One other aspect of my Stillwater kilt I've noticed is that it has a little more over all taper from top to bottom than my other kilts. In other words, for a given width at the top, the bottom flares out a little more than my other kilts. Don't know if this is part of the problem, just thought I'd mention it.

Regards,
Scott Gilmore

[pdcorlis]

A question more than an answer here... do you think the "generic" hip size has anything to do with the problem?

[Scott Gilmore]

A question more than an answer here... do you think the "generic" hip size has anything to do with the problem?

Phil, I guess the answer would be yes, but only because they're made to fit a "standard" size person rather than made-to-measure. I'm pretty close to (but not exactly) standard, I guess, which may be why mine fits me reasonably well.

I notice that even my custom made kilts tuck their pleats a little in the area described above. I don't have a good picture of myself from the back, but coincidentally, your excellent pictures show this effect a little bit because you're standing still. You're a standard sized, well proportioned person, so this is a valid illustration of the effect.

. . .
See the areas just back from your sides where the pleats tuck in a little? That's the area where my Stillwater does the same thing - only a little more so. (Oh, and by the way, your custom-made kilts are a whole lot nicer than my Stillwater. No comparison.)

Mind you, I don't think any of this is a problem, just an observation. In fact, it seems perfectly normal to me. Darrell's situation sounds like it might be a problem because it's more pronounced and noticeable though.

Regards,
Scott Gilmore

[Barb T]

"Caving" as described above happens for two reasons: 1) the hip size of the kilt is a little too big and 2) the pleats are not pressed properly. The first thing to check is whether the pleats are absolutely the same width from the bottom of the fell to the bottom of the kilt. If they aren't, and they flare toward the bottom, you'll have a wavy bottom edge when you don the kilt. I've posted a particularly egregious example below.

The only solution is to try to re-press the kilt. This can be tough, because, once pressed, it's hard to get the kilt to fold in a new place.

Best to press out the existing creases from both sides using a damp press cloth between the kilt and the iron, and then baste the pleats together at the size you want them. If you skip the basting step, the kilt is likely to fight you when you press, and you'll wind up with the kilt pressed with the pleats in the same place as before.

Barb