pleat problems!

[seamus]

hello all! i've got a stewart black kilt from USA Kilts, and it's very well made and i wear it all the time, but the pleats dont hold well. does that just happen with cotton poly? has anyone had this problem (with any non-wool kilt)? what should i do to make the pleats crisper? keep in mind that im no seamstress and i barely know how to use an iron... haha, thanks very much lads.

[bubba]

I have 2 cotton kilts and they have the same problem. All you can do is press the pleats often.

[RockyR]

Hey Seamus,

I'm sorry to hear you had a problem! I never like to hear that! One thing you can do (or we can do for you) is sew down the pleats... each pleat about 1/4 inch from the edge. That keeps them crisper and makes them easier to Iron when you DO need to iron.

You can call me at the shop on Monday and I'd be glad to resolve this for you... 610.650.8725

[seamus]

oh hey, it's certainly not your fault, its the material. but yeah, again, me + sewing = disaster, but i shall give you a call monday and we can chat for a moment about what to do? i'd appreciate it. i read some posts about how pressing and ironing is bad, and how the pleats should be steamed or something...i dont know. thanks for your help.

[Xcop]

I have the same issue with my acrylic kilts, and simply iron them a lot, but it gets old because I'm pretty particular how they look. I did use the machine to sew down the top 7 inches of one of the kilts that I got from Stillwater. It looks just as good as the other one that I hand stitched. I just may dig out the sewing machine again and try to sew them in, like my canvas kilt. Thanks Rockyfor the tip.

David

[seamus]

so is ironing/pressing okay? maybe after i talk to rocky i can take it in for some professional tailoring...i'll just bollocks it if i try.

[seamus]

Rocky, I tried giving you a call today (monday) but it just kept ringing without picking up at all. do you not have voicemail? and what are your "office hours", so i can be sure to catch you? thanks very much. cheers!

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Seamus,

You can always take the kilt to a reputable Dry Cleaner, and have it pressed with a commercial machine. This often "kinks" the material into a nice tight pleat. If you're wearing a blend material, they can starch it too. After that, ironing is as easy as lining-up the pre-pressed folds and giving it a light touch-up. After ironing with some heat, let it sit for about 30 minutes, and go over it again with a "cooler" iron setting.

You'll be amazed at the difference and the longevity of the pleats.

[seamus]

hey, thanks a lot, i'll try that. my grandmother does a lot of sewing, and i'm going to see her soon...i wish i understood what rocky was talking about with the sewing down of the pleats.

[Miah]

When looking at the right edge of the pleats show there is a seam sewn down the pealt.
The pic is from USA kilts on the philabeg page