"Flipping" pleat

[Barb T]

Actually, the biggest problem right at the moment is that I have no place to work on the kilt.

All you need is two chairs....



or one plus a small table in an airport....

[Ancienne Alliance]

Looks like she's tuning one of the drones.

yep !

[sydnie7]

Steve, that's an interesting post about steeking a machine-sewn kilt. I had thought about doing it, but decided that the thread in a machine-sewn horizontal line would be under too much stress, and tend to break at random points. My machine does have several types of "stretch" stitch pattern, but talk about a panty line! I'll have to do some experimenting on this. . .

[Bugbear]

I'll keep that in mind, Barb. If I can keep the cats from attacking me while sewing, I could probably do it on a small table I have.

I hope to add hair canvas to the aprons at some point, so I will try to do some work on the pleats at that time.

[Tartan Hiker]

but talk about a panty line! I'll have to do some experimenting on this. . .

But there's nothing wrong with hand-sewing the steeking just like you'd do with a trad-made wool kilt.

[Bugbear]

But there's nothing wrong with hand-sewing the steeking just like you'd do with a trad-made wool kilt.

Yes, and I am now a believer in steeking. You can't support a non ridgid, hanging strip, like a pleat, at only one point part way down, especially when it's tapered above that point, with out distorting the angle of the pleat. In other words, you have to anchor both pleat edgesthe, inside and out, at about the same place, fell bottom and steeking line, to insure the pleat has an equal center of ballence at the anchor points.

[sydnie7]

OTOH, like other contemporary kilts I've seen, I sew through all the layers when sewing pleats from fell to waist. This means that pleat folds are sewn vertically where they underlap the next pleat. For example, with a 2-inch reveal and a 3-inch pleat depth, that 3-inch fold is going to have 2 vertical lines of stitching: one at its own fell attachment, and another 2 inches away at the next pleat's fell attachment. I think that has a similar effect as steeking, no?

[Bugbear]

Um... I think so!. It is supporting the pleat on two points of a perpendicular line to the hang of the pleat... Most of the support would be coming from the last stitch of the fell at the bottum, so it is a little like holding a folded hand towel up at one corner and near the other corner. It seems to work.

I'm guessing that most non-steeked kilts would tend to have kick pleats more toward the front, because ones rump crest is supporting the pleats to some degree in the back, but I don't know that to be the case.

[bricelythgoe]

Sometimes it's how the kilt is made, and sometimes it's the body of the wearer. As Robert says, wear the second strap loose. That can help. Also, the apron edge should be pressed on a flare from the bottom of the fell, and, if the apron edge is pressed parallel to a tartan stripe, you can steam out the original crease and press in a new one on a smooth flare.

I would like to get some help with this. I thought bringing up this old thread would be better than starting a new one. I just purchased a B&S casual and I am having this pleat flipping problem. I realized it is just as Barb described. Min is pressed parallel to a tartan stripe. I am not sure how to steam out the original and press in a new one. I have never steamed anything before. Could someone give me some more details about this?

Brice

[Rex_Tremende]

[offtopic]
Barb, In every photo I have ever seen of you, well, you just ... GLOW!
[/offtopic]

Regards,
Rex.